Customer Reviews

Beverly Hills, 90210 - The Complete First Season

5 star:		(85)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I once sold the entire first season on VHS on ebay when I was 13. The quality was better, my tapes had the original music, and werent missing any scenes. If that knowledge doesn't bother you then run out and buy these dvds. If you really want to collect the show...start setting your tivos on FX.
another question...what is going to happen in season 3. I flat out will not watch brenda crying over dylan without losing my religion. i will not watch ditch day without color me badd or the finale without blood is thicker than water. they seriously need to do something about this because at some point (if i admit that it doesn't matter now) the music is really going to make a huge difference.

EDIT UPDATED:
really sad to hear/find out about the changes to music.... i really hate when something is changed from it's original created intention so i am quite displeased by the news... but i guess it's better than not having it at all maybe... the music is/was a huge part of things.

one thing that really was great concerning music was there were a number of key moments and r.e.m's "losing my religion" was played.. if i remember correctly first it was on a romantic date with brenda and dylan, then when \brenda and dylan broke up he sat and listened to the song in that spot in his car, then another time something bad happened the song was playing in the backround.... and finally when steve was really depressed once he put that song on the jukebox.

it's just things like that in which music plays a big part in a television show or movie and to change it or mess around with it takes a piece away from it.

i am really disappointed in this whole music rights issue... alot of greedy people out there these days.


One of the best series to come out in my humble opinion... it remained strong through 10 seasons of changes and topics and did it with style and kept things fresh... adding new characters here and there and old characters reemerging all the same.

the first season is very strong i recently caught the first season on the soap tv network as it airs it daily and it was really awesome to go back and see how brandon and dylan first met and to see how david and donna was before they really found their mark in the gang also steve is much more likeable early on than later... the episode list is as follows:

1. Class of Beverly Hills
2. The Green Room
3. Every Dream Has Its Price (Tag)
4. The First Time
5. One on One
6. Higher Education
7. Perfect Mom
8. The 17-Year Itch
9. The Gentle Art of Listening
10. Isn't It Romantic?
11. B.Y.O.B.
12. One Man and a Baby
13. Slumber Party
14. East Side Story
15. A Fling in Palm Springs (a.k.a. Palm Springs Weekend)
16. Fame Is Where You Find It
17. Stand (Up) and Deliver
18. It's Only a Test
19. April Is the Cruelest Month
20. Spring Training
21. Spring Dance
22. Home Again

mathew perry appears in 19. april is the cruelest month in which he did a great job.

standout episodes of the first season in ny opinion were:

1. "class of beverly hills"
this is the beginning of it all where brenda and brandon move from minnesota to beverly hills and face their first day at their new school and in their new lives... what's great here is to see the way brandon looked in this first season he had kind of a mullet going and had a different mouth characteristic than he does later (in fact in the very next episode) which leads me to believe he may of had some work done... i don't think he needed to if that's the case because i liked the way he looks in this episode brenda on the otherhand looks much better later on in the series.

the twins are quickly introduced to the fast lifestyle of beverly hills as they end up going to a big party which seems to be norm there.

2. "the green room"
the legendary dylan mckay makes his first appearance in this episode and quickly him and brandom become friends... surfing is the backdrop and it is a well done episode all around.

11. "b.y.o.b."
bring your own beer has it's backdrop at a party which takes place at donna's.. this episode is great because it's one of the few times the straight laced brandon ever gets wasted and let's loose and it is pretty funny untill it ends up bad which is probably why he never is like that.

16. "fame is where you find it"
this isn't really a great episode i didn't think but for some reason i found it to be very romantic in a real way... and very touching in it's romance.. a very naive brandon sort of having one of those dream moments in time where you feel as if you are in love and everything is a dream and i just think it captures that whole romantic naive young love sort of state of being... and a very romantic skating scene between the two.

21. "spring dance"
the big dance is here and donna gets wasted, brenda loses her virginity and steve breaks down... this episode was packed with drama.

not saying the other episodes were bad just those stood out a bit at this very time.. probably tomorrow other ones would stick out more but at this time those are the ones.

i do think the second and third seasons get a little better than the first and i especially like when dana barron appears in the third season as brandon's girlfriend nikki... she is a very underrated character in the series and it was really sad to see her go when she did go... but i can't wait till that season comes out so i can relieve her time on the show.

beverly hills fans this and the future releases are a must buy and anyone who has never seen the series or has only seen some of it.. definitely worth it to see the beginnings and how it all started.

Finally after all of these years 90210 (and Melrose Place) are now on DVD. I was hooked on this show from the first time I saw The Green. I've just purchased the Region 4 copy in Australia and yes, I can confirm that the music is different (Melrose Place music is different too), which is a little disappointing but something I'll learn to live with. The original music helped tell the stories, (like Concrete Blonde's 'Joey' in 'One Man and A Baby' was probably used as the baby's name was Joey ... and why did they changed the music in 'Slumber Party' because "Mony, Mony" is being sung by the girls and is featured on the "Songs From The Peach Pit" soundtrack) but I guess the new music brings the show right into the 21st century. Unfortunately the Australian edition lacks the special features that the US edition has - which is not unusual for Australian release dvds - so I may end up with both versions... but all in all I'm so glad I have the show on dvd as the picture quality is so much better than my video tapes that are well over fifteen years old.

This was my favorite show of all time... I was in high school the same time as the 90210 kids, and had the gang not had 2 junior years, we would have graduated at the same time... anyway, the reason I couldn't give this DVD set 5 stars was that I noticed the music I remembered was missing and replaced with bland, generic "rock"-- I am guessing they couldn't get clearances for all the songs they used, but in some instances it really makes a difference!

90210 first caught my attention when they played a remix of "Star" by Erasure, one of my favorite bands, during the mother-daughter fashion show episode-- how cool and edgy was that?-- and hearing the song "Doin' The Do" by Betty Boo during the montage of Brenda getting ready for her big date with Dylan inspired me to get the Betty Boo album. I was really looking forward to both of those moments when I watched the episodes on the DVD set, and I was disappointed when neither song was used. Music played a key role in 90210, especially as the show progressed and the current pop acts would be the subject of or make an appearance on an episode (Flaming Lips, anyone?), and to not have the original music intact on the DVD set is really a shame.

I didn't think I would need to do this anymore, but I am going to have to start DVRing reruns when I can in order to capture the 90210 I remember.

Yeah so these dvds blow. I love 90210 more than anything and I was stoked for the dvds. I knew that the original music would be gone and i was mad about that but I got them anyway...not knowing that the music was the least of the problems. These DVDs are missing parts of scenes. I think that its criminal for paramount to sell them this way. I know this because I have all of the episodes recorded on tape and I compared them scene for scene. The DVDs are totally incomplete. I will never buy another season. Some of the episodes are missing scenes that help make the whole show to make sense. These dvds make me not want to buy any show on DVD ever again. I will stick to my tapes for other seasons. Yeah and the music is totally off too... these suck and i don't think companies should be allowed to make so much money on a cheap imitation.

First of all, I was ecstatic after hearing about the Beverly Hills 90210 series coming to DVD. This was by far my favourite show on television growing up, and I am still thrilled to watch upcoming seasons. But one thing that has been bothering me after watching episode after episode, is the difference in music. I noticed it right away - as i was an avid watcher of the program and even taped episodes on VHS to watch over again for my own personal use. Now i know why it took so long to get this program out on DVD - and I am quite disappointed how the producers/creators could not satisfy the artists' requests to use their music for the DVD's. I am now on the episode where the girls have a slumber party at Brenda's house - and the song missing is "Monie Monie". When they are all "supposed to be" singing it - you feel such a lack of coordination. And this is not the only situation.....there are DOZENS MORE. The music is an integral part of the show - and I certainly hope this issue gets settled for the second season, cause i would HATE to see REM's Losing My Religion gone or the fun music from the Peach Pit...watching the DVD's is just not the same as the original program :(

I'm from Austria, Europe and couldn't help buying these DVDs. They are Region Code 1 but run on my Codefree Player at home.
This show was and still is the greatest ever made! It deals with all problems and situations teenager and to-be-adults have to deal with. You can laugh, you can cry, you can feel with them.
Buy them, you won't regret it!

I was insanely crazy about "90210." This was my all-time favorite show as a tween. Because "90210" really was the very first American TV show that actually spoke to kids and had real issues that everyone could relate to. During the first season we got to meet the entire gang...

Most of the eps either revolved around Brandon (Jason Priestely,) or someone else in the Walsh House. Didn't it almost seem like Brandon had a new girl every other week? Cindy (Carol Potter) and Jim Walsh (James Eckhouse) were such cool parents. I often wished that my parents were as understanding as they were, especially Mrs. Walsh. (I suppose that's what TV writers do best; make the parents look perfect?) As a kid, my favorite character was always Brenda Walsh (played by none other than the original Britney Spears ~ Shannen Doherty.) Brenda was always so forthright and honest about her feelings. Some fans have even said that Brenda was "mean." I tend to disagree. I think she was just a girl who knew exactly what she wanted and wasn't afraid to say it. But as an adult, watching this set, I have an entirely new fondness for Brandon. He was such a kind-hearted young man, and always so willing to go out of his way for others and help any way he could. Brandon was a total mensch. And wasn't he so cute, too? I loved when he smiled because he had the most adorable dimples.

Throughout the very beginning of season 1, Kelly Taylor (Jenny Garth) and Donna Martin (Tori Spelling, of course) were portrayed as brain-dead snobs. Donna, especially, came off as such a superficial air-head. But after you scratched the surface a little and got to know them you saw a couple of very sweet girls who were really no different from any other American teenagers.

I always enjoyed Dylan McKay (Luke Perry) and Steve Sanders (Ian Ziering.) Dylan was the quiet loner who was often the voice of reason. He's a lot like Jake Hanson . Like Donna and Kelly, at first Steve came off as very superficial and incredibly spoiled. But once I got to know him I saw a very sensitive young man. I love the ep during season 1, when Steve's Corvette was stolen by those 2 girls and he starts crying and Brandon tries to make him feel better.

Rounding out the cast were the 3 egg-heads, Andrea Zuckerman (Gabrielle Carteris,) David Silver (Brian Green, FKA Brian Austin Green) and the rarely-seen Scott Scanlon (Douglas Emerson.) Out of these 3, Andrea was the only one who was welcomed into the gang during season 1. I was never crazy about her though because she always seemed so needy and a touch on the greedy side. Andrea had somewhat of a chip on her shoulder because she was poor and the rest of the kids weren't. Over the years, David did get cool, but in season 1 he was just a lowly freshman that no one else wanted to hang around with. Except for his bff, Scott.

Here's all the eps from season one:

Class of Beverly Hills
The Walsh's get used to life in Beverly Hills. In syndication, this ep airs in 2 parts. Note: the original title of the series was "Class Beverly Hills."

The Green Room
Brandon meets a new girl at the beach. Note: this is the first ep with Dylan.

Every Dream Has Its Price (Tag)
Brenda doesn't feel like one of the girls while shopping with them.

The First Time
Sheryl, Brandon's girlfriend comes for a visit and stays overnight with him. See what I mean about having cool parents?

One on One
Brandon and Andrea think there is a conspiracy among school officials when they see a student who doesn't appear to be a resident of Beverly Hills.

Higher Education
Brandon's American History teacher grades the class by an unreasonable curve.

Perfect Mom
Brenda really likes Kelly's mom, Jackie (Ann Gillespie.) But she thinks differently of her when it's revealed that Jackie's just a negligent addict.

The 17-Year Itch
Mr. and Mrs. Walsh celebrate their 17th wedding anniversary.

The Gentle Art of Listening
Brenda and Andrea volunteer at a teen crisis hotline. The girls both try to help a student when it is revealed that she is getting r-a-p-e-d by some of the football team.

Isn't It Romantic?
Brenda catches Dylan taking a shower in her bathroom. Did I say how cool Jim and Cindy are?

B.Y.O.B.
Brandon and Brenda have a party when their parents are away and poor Brandon gets arrested for drunk driving.

One Man and a Baby
Brandon befriends Melissa, a senior with a baby boy who has dreams of going to college.

Slumber Party
This is one of my very favorite eps! The girls have a slumber party. Kelly brings along this total b itch, Amanda (Michele Abrams.) I love it when Bren says to her, "you've been acting like a total b itch since you got here." David and Scott swing by the Walsh home to spy on the girls. Steve and Brandon have a hot evening with a couple of chicks; that is, until Steve's Vette is stolen.

East Side Story
Jim and Cindy allow their maid's friend, Carla to use their address so she can attend West Beverly. But there is more to the story than meets the eye. And Brandon (the little detective that he always was, in season 1,) sets out to find out the truth about Carla.

A Fling in Palm Springs
Everyone except for Brandon and Andrea goes to Palm Springs. Dylan and Brenda get in a big fight.

Fame Is Where You Find It
Brandon gets a part on a popular TV show. He even starts dating the star of the show, Lydia Leeds (Marcy Kaplan.)

Stand (Up) and Deliver
This is another favorite of mine. Brandon decides to run for class president with Andrea as his campaign advisor. Things get out of hand when Kelly Taylor takes over. Meanwhile, Bren housesits for an older friend and learns that being on her own may not be all it's cracked up to be.

It's Only a Test
The gang takes their S.A.T.'s. Brenda finds a lump in her chest.

April Is the Cruelest Month
Brandon interviews Roger (Matthew Perry,) an all-star student, for the school paper and learns some troubling details about him.

Spring Training
This is another favorite of mine because it shows how sweet Bran was. He coaches a Beverly Hills peewee baseball team and learns how competitive and stuck-up some of the parents can be.

Spring Dance
The gang all go to "The Spring Fling" and Kelly becomes "Spring Princess." Meanwhile, Bren and Dylan slip off to a hotel room.

Home Again
The Walsh's may have to go back to MN because Jim is faced with a transfer. Andrea decides to sleep with Brandon as a going away gift. Everything seems to be back to normal when Jim decides not to move back. But at their party at The Pit, Bren reveals to Dylan that she missed her period!

"90210" was on for 10 years, and like many fans, I stopped watching way before that. Unfortunately, after Shannen Doherty left the series it was nowhere near as entertaining. (It's almost like what happened to Three's Company after Suzanne Somers was fired.) Because it just wasn't the same without Brenda. Should they have kept Shannen? Many of the cast members have stated that she was incredibly difficult to work with. Shannen was also famous for starting viscous cat-fights with the other girls on the show. She absolutely despised Gabrielle Carteris with a passion and would verbally berate her any chance she got. I think it was Ian Ziering who went on Arsenio (right around the time she was fired) and had a few choice words to say about her. The show still went on for 6 seasons without Shannen (I think I stopped watching by end of season 6/beginning of season 7) but it was never the same. And, none of the seasons were as captivating or groundbreaking as season 1 always was!

Why is Shannen Doherty such a compelling and provocative superstar...?

More than fifteen years before Paris, Britney and trampy Lohan burst onto the Hollywood scene, Shannen was already a household name. Shannen became one of the hardest working women in Tinseltown because of her strong work ethic and sheer determination to excel at everything she stamped her good name on.

Today, Shannen has arguably become one of the most famed American actresses. But, in the late '70's and early '80s she was just an unknown child actor. Shannen got her big break on Father Murphy, playing Drusilla Shannon on Merlin Olsen's hit family-friendly series. A year later, Shannen again garnered critical-acclaim on another wholesome program; as Jenny Wilder in the modern-classic that is Little House on the Prairie . In fact, Michael Landon was so impressed with Shannen's acting and professional demeanor that he invited her to appear in the Little House TV movies even after the series was canceled!

In 1985 Shannen stared in the cult-classic, Girls Just Want to Have Fun. This was one of Shannen's first roles as a teen which also garnered her coast-to-coast exposure as a film actress. A couple of years later, Shannen was cast opposite two of the biggest teen stars (Christian Slater and Winona Ryder) of the '80s in one of the biggest teen movies of the '80s. Of course I'm talking about none other than Heathers !

In "Heathers" Shannen played Heather Duke, a stuck-up girl that was only interested in being as snobbish as possible. The same year that "Heathers" came out, Shannen also shot the pilot for a new TV series, originally titled Class Beverly Hills

A year later, Shannen's series was picked up and retooled. This time, the series was called 90210 . Shannen portrayed the star of the show, kind-hearted Brenda Walsh. Brenda was actually a lot like Shannen. She was sweet, beautiful and very intelligent. And, most of all, she (both Shannen and Brenda!) didn't take garbage from anyone!

Throughout four Seasons we all watched Shannen on "90210" as she grew up into a young woman. As anyone who was a child of the '90s knows, "90210" was a huge worldwide sensation. And this was all thanks to Shannen! After the first season of "90210" Shannen became a bona fide star!

Shannen also more than helped put the fledging Fox Network on the map. Prior to "90210," this network was simply known as an obscure TV station that more than 60% of the country did not receive! Once Shannen made "90210" a hit, Fox executives rolled out a "90210" spin-off in the summer of '92; Melrose Place ! And less than two years later, "90210" which begat "Melrose," begat "Models!" Although, Shannen refused to appear in any eps on either of those shows.

In 1993 Shannen shocked everyone when she eloped at the last minute with Ashley Hamilton. Everyone was shocked, but mostly, the Material Girl was seething, when she complained to MTV about being pushed off the cover of People Magazine so that they can make room for Shannen Doherty! A week later, newlywed Shannen went on Saturday Night Live, which received some of the highest ratings, ever!

Unbeknownst to Shannen, in the Winter of '94 nude photos of Shannen for an Aids awareness-campaign were published in a men's magazine, without her approval. When a reporter asked Shannen what Mr. Spelling would say about this, Shannen simply said, "ask me if I care!"

Shannen also stared in the blockbuster thriller, aptly titled "Blindfold." In this feature film, Shannen played sexy Madeleine Dalton in one of her most diverse and talked-about movie roles ever! This film also helped cement Shannen's role as a true actress with completely unique talent. Because the role she was cast in was the total opposite of Brenda Walsh!

In early '94 there was another controversy when E! News broke the story! Shannen was leaving "90210!" She specifically asked her producers to let her out of her contract. Shannen gave cryptic hints as to why she was leaving the series that she helped build.

Industry-insiders intimated that Shannen wanted out of the series for a two-fold reason. First, she couldn't relate to any of the other performers because most of them were all much older than her; by now, most of them were all in their twenties or thirties! And, Shannen also wanted to leave the series because, unlike the rest of the cast, she was an actual actress!

Never one to be typecast, Shannen portrayed the famed novalist, Margaret Mitchell, airing a few months after her lest ep of 90210 aired, in the Fall of '94. The movie, "A Burning Passion: The Margaret Mitchell Story" became an instant hit! It was also around this time that Shannen yet again made headlines when she proclaimed that she was just a "misunderstood, sweet, Southern Baptist girl!"

The following year, Shannen stared in the major motion picture, "Mallrats," opposite Ben Affleck. Shannen played Rene Mosier in this cult-classic comedy. And, Ben Affleck's character's name was a homage to Shannen!

Over the next few years, from '95 to '98, Shannen appeared in a variety of movies, such as: "Gone in the Night," "Friends 'Til the End," "Ticket" and "Nowhere." These films all afforded Shannen some of the best reviews of her entire career! It was also around this time that Shannen caught the attention of a very unlikely individual.

Mr. Aaron Spelling invited Shannen to consider the role of Prue Halliwell in the then-untitled series. Of course by now, we all know this was the hugely successful drama, "Charmed." The producers of this show lucked out when Shannen chose to sign on!

Unlike "90210," "Charmed" was science fiction, which was a totally new genre for Shannen. But Shannen totally fell in love with her new role and in fact stayed with the series for three years! Shannen even purchased a portion of the show! In 2001 Shannen experienced deja vu when the MSM reported that she was quiting another hit Spelling-series. This time Shannen kept mum as to why she was leaving, only saying that it was time to leave!

The producers of "90210" tried their hardest to get Shannen to come back for the series finale, but Shannen was much too busy to even consider such a fruitless project. She did consider letting the producers use images of herself from prior clips in their retrospective show, but then decided against it when no one could come to terms. (FYI: That's why Shannen doesn't appear as Brenda Walsh in any of the clips that are shown in the "90210" retrospective, this ep aired prior to the series finale!)

After leaving "Charmed," Shannen hosted the much-anticipated hidden camera series, "Scare Tactics." It also goes without saying that Shannen also appeared in a variety of other first-rate movies, such as: "View of Terror," "Another Day" and "Hell on Heels: The Battle of Mary Kay."

In 2006 Shannen got her own series on the Oxygen Network, "Breaking Up with Shannen Doherty." In this reality program, Shannen joined forces with people in relationship peril who wanted to have a little fun! In the summer of '06, Shannen appeared on Babs' "View" as a guest co-host. During the second segment (while interviewing Kristin Davis,) Elizabeth said to everyone, "this is such a surreal moment for someone my age, I'm sitting next to Brenda and Brooke!" EH, I can imagine just what you mean!!!

What's next for Shannen? She will be staring in the upcoming movie, "Defuct." Look for this movie in March of this year! And, Shannen just wrapped "Kiss Me Deadly;" a suspense-drama that will be out later this year!

Hate her...? ...Love her? Or, do you just love to hate her? Whatever you feel about Shannen, you can't deny that for nearly thirty years she has been a pop-culture phenomenon! And, unlike today's panjandrums Shannen never went kooky and has true talent!

I read a lot of poor reviews complaining that the music was too different and ruined the dvd set. I do not agree. Being able to see the first season from the pilot to the end was really great. Brought back the great early years of 90210! I really enjoyed this and will definitely be buying the next season!

This is great memories of a time really not so far away. The stories are just as relevant and it's just very enjoyable to watch the eppy's all over again. I'm 51 and enjoying seeing BH90210 again! Here's hoping it doesn't take forever to get to the other seasons. I'm STILL waiting on Season's 2 of Knots Landing and Dynasty.