The ’90s’ biggest teen drama was definitely no stranger to off-screen drama as well. The kids (and adults playing kids) on the show were instantly thrust into teen-idol status, so there was a lot for their young (and not-so-young) minds to adapt to, in a short period of time. In fact, things were so crazy on set, especially in the early years, that Lifetime is shooting an unauthorized movie about the series’ first four years. Here are the 11 biggest controversies from Fox’s hit series.
11. Wait, they’re supposed to be teenagers?
Pretty early on, something seemed a little sketchy about the actors playing teenagers on Beverly Hills 90210. A lot of them just looked older than anyone you’d see in high school. And that’s because they were. When you looked at other shows with teens in the ’80s and early ’90s, they mostly looked their age. The Cosby Show, Growing Pains, Family Ties. Well, actually, Michael J. Fox was older, but always looked young. But let’s take a look at the ages of 90210’s key players, circa 1991, when most of the characters would’ve been around 17. Jennie Garth: 19; Shannen Doherty: 20; Jason Priestley: 22; Luke Perry: 25; Ian Ziering: 27; Gabrielle Carteris: 30. Thirty? It was especially obvious with Ziering as Steve and Carteris as Andrea. It just looked wrong.
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