So here it is, the spin-off that everyone’s been waiting for; well, that I have been waiting for. It’s been 18 years already since Beverly Hills 90210’s launch. I was eight years old when I fell in love with Brandon Walsh (Jason Priestley). Like every other girl my age, I religiously followed him, Brenda, Kelly, Dylan and the rest of the cast for a decade as they represented our neighborhood to the world.
The new generation is now ready to take over and it has some big shoes to fill. Expectations, mine included, are high.
The new 90210 will look at life through the eyes of Annie Wilson (Shanae Grimes), her brother Dixon (Tristan Wilds), and their parents Harry (Rob Estes) and Debbie (Lori Loughlin). The Wilson family relocates to Beverly Hills from Kansas to look after their grandmother Tabitha (Jessica Walter), a former TV star.
Annie and Dixon are the new kids in school at the famous fictional West Beverly High School. Hip and sophisticated students and faculty include smart and funny teacher Ryan (Ryan Eggold), the spoiled, rich girl Naomi (Annalynne McCord), the popular jock Ethan (Dustin Milligan), aspiring journalist Navid (Michael Steger) and a rebelious student named Silver (Jessica Stroup).
Co-stars also include original Beverly Hills 90210 cast member Jenny Garth who plays Kelly, now a guidance counselor, and Shannen Doherty who also takes on her old role as Brenda Walsh.
I spoke to Ryan Eggold and Jessica Stroup, two up-and-coming actors starring as the good looking teacher and his just-as-gorgeous student.
They are both down-to-earth and almost my age. I was surprised when they admitted they didn’t watch Beverly Hills 90210 growing up.
“I really never watched it,†said Eggold, “I would watch Saved by the Bell!†he said laughing.
Stroup, who was only four when the show first aired, said her parents were too strict to let her watch the drama-filled show.
“I would sneak away and watch it at my friends’ sometimes,†she said, “but I have to catch up now, the CW sent me the first few seasons of the show!â€
Interestingly, Eggold and Stroup where friends before auditioning for their roles. They enjoy working together and with the rest of the cast.
“I love everybody,†said Stroup, “it’s like a family, we practically live together since we spend so much time on the set.â€
Eggold’s previous role, in the series Dirt, was cancelled after only seven episodes during the writers’ strike.
“My character in Dirt was the opposite of my new role,†he said, “I don’t know why they chose me, but it might be because people tell me I have a certain maturity and they wanted someone who could stand in front of a classroom and look serious.â€
I’m sure that no matter how serious he acts on the show, thousands of teenage girls across the nation will wish they had him as their teacher.
Who knows, maybe Stroup’s character, Silver, will develop a crush on her handsome professor. Whether or not you want to speculate on what drama will happen on the show, don’t miss 90210 on Tuesdays at 8p.m. on the CW starting September 2… I won’t!
