The characters on Beverly Hills, 90210 spend their time in sunny California falling in love, having complicated friendships, and planning for the future. No matter what’s happening in their lives, they can always rely on each other as they’re all kind people who want to do their best for each other.
But since there’s such a large cast of characters on this popular teen drama, which aired for ten seasons from 1990 until 2000, it makes sense that some are a lot smarter than others. Sometimes the young adult characters make some decisions that don’t add up, or they just don’t seem as intelligent. Here is every main character on Beverly Hills, 90210, ranked by intelligence.
Donna Martin
Tori Spelling’s 90210 character, Donna Martin, isn’t known for being the smartest person around. She’s charming and sweet, and she wants to help her friends when she can. But particularly in the first few seasons of the show, she’s portrayed as a super ditzy character.
One prime example is in the season one episode “Spring Dance” when Donna is wearing such a massive dress that she literally can’t get around. It’s awkward to watch. Most of the time, Donna seems to be the odd one out of the group as her friends Kelly Taylor (Jennie Garth) and Brenda Walsh (Shannen Doherty) make the decisions.
David Silver
Ranked at number 9 on this list of Beverly Hills, 90210 characters, David Silver (Brian Austin Green) never seems all that intelligent. For one thing, it’s made clear in the pilot that he wants to be in with the popular crowd and he’ll stop at nothing to get there.
The fact that David thinks that popularity is the most crucial thing is kind of lame, and it proves that he has a lot of learning and growing up to do. He also doesn’t do himself any favors when he keeps pressuring his girlfriend Donna to sleep with him, even though she’s said multiple times that she wants to wait.
Jim Walsh
Jim Walsh (James Eckhouse) is Brandon and Brenda’s dad, and while he’s a nice guy (and definitely nicer than the other fathers in Beverly Hills since he actually cares about his family), he’s portrayed as someone who’s pretty out of it most of the time.
Jim really struggles with understanding his kids now that they live in wealthy Beverly Hills and he doesn’t get why they want to fit in with their friends. In the season one finale, when it seems like the Walsh family could move back to Minnesota, it seems like he would really love that. Jim seems very old-fashioned and strict, and at times, that can make him seem not very smart.
Steve Sanders
Steve Sanders (Ian Ziering) is next up as he’s not the ditziest person around but he’s not the most intelligent, either, landing him at number 7 on this list.
The problem with Steve is that he’s spent his entire life acting like the class clown and he’s got low self-esteem. He doesn’t think that he’s very smart and he assumes that everyone agrees with him. Steve doesn’t always seem like he really gets what’s going on, like how he’s hung up on Kelly even though they broke up ages ago, and he should understand that they’re not the best couple.
Brenda Walsh
Brenda Walsh is ranked at number six on this list as she has moments of maturity and at other times, she seems like she’s acting totally stupidly. When it comes to Dylan McKay (Luke Perry), she can be so smart and so ridiculous. She’s able to move on from him and physically move away from Beverly Hills for London, which shows some intelligence as she knows that she needs to find herself.
But there are also a lot of scenes where Brenda is whining or acting like a spoiled teenager. In the first season episode “Stand (Up) and Deliver,” she stays at the apartment of a cool older girl that she meets at a comedy show.
Cindy Walsh
Brenda and Brandon’s mom, Cindy (Carol Potter), is the perfect, wholesome mother that TV teens often have. Although she seems pretty innocent and naive, she’s much more intelligent than she appears, so she’s number five on this list.
Cindy may be a housewife but she doesn’t want to be treated badly, and she stands up for herself often, which is great to see. When their kids are dealing with the trials and tribulations of being around so many rich people in Beverly Hills, Cindy has her head on straight and can give helpful advice. She seems really smart because she always knows what to say and what to do.
Kelly Taylor
Kelly Taylor is number four on this list as she’s a lot more intelligent than people give her credit for. Brought up with all the designer clothing that she could ask for, Kelly may seem a bit vapid and spoiled, but as the seasons go by, she becomes a mature person who just “gets” it.
Kelly can tell someone off when she’s upset, and she’s smart enough to know when to follow her gut instincts. Since she’s spent her whole life around really rich people who are entitled, she knows how to deal with them, and that gives her a leg up.
Brandon Walsh
Brandon Walsh (Jason Priestley) is the third most intelligent character on the teen drama. He’s so smart because he’s very perceptive. He doesn’t take what people tell him at face value, which is entertaining to watch.
Brandon loves to protect people and he’ll always do what is right, even if it makes things seem even worse (which is good TV). Even though he has a bit of an innocent quality about him, he always seems intelligent and like someone who can be trusted.
Dylan McKay
Dylan McKay is the second most intelligent character on Beverly Hills, 90210. Luke Perry’s character is so famous and loved and it’s easy to see why. Dylan is written like an old soul who can see through people, and Perry portrays him like a rebel who is too smart to get pushed around.
Dylan is the kind of person who doesn’t want to try very hard in school but he’s definitely read more books than anyone else. IRL, people would say that he should put more time into his studies so he could succeed. But on the show, it feels okay because he’s more street smart than academic.
Andrea Zuckerman
Andrea Zuckerman (Gabrielle Carteris) is definitely the most intelligent character on Beverly Hills, 90210. From the very beginning of the series, she’s shown to be a mature, wise soul who seems decades older than she is.
Andrea has to bear the burden of not being as wealthy and privileged as the other teens at West Beverly High School, and she works hard at the school newspaper and in her classes to make up for it. She’s much smarter than her peers, and this becomes clear in the first season episode “Slumber Party” when Amanda Peyser (Michelle Abrams) is being mean for the so-called fun of it. Andrea doesn’t want to gossip or play any games, and she always knows what matters in life. She also seems much more well-read than the other characters.
