Aaron Spelling made glossy ensemble television that knew how to invite an audience in. We enjoy the company, especially in Beverly Hills, 90210, where the lessons sometimes get in the way of the drama.
Fi1m perspective
The Walsh family's move to Beverly Hills gives Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990) a useful starting point: newcomers who need the social rules explained as much as we do. Brandon and Brenda Walsh bring different temperaments to the same upheaval, allowing the drama to develop through character as well as setting. Spelling and fellow creator Darren Star make an unfamiliar setting easy to enter without making everyone in it agreeable. It is engaging, earnest soap, though the writing too often stops to make sure we have understood how people ought to behave.
His wider career was chiefly one of producing, with partnerships including Danny Thomas and Leonard Goldberg. The young-audience appeal of The Mod Squad (1968) preceded the glamorous action of Charlie's Angels (1976) and the wealthy soap of Dynasty (1981). With Beverly Hills, 90210, he was again finding an audience through younger characters, before Melrose Place (1992) extended that world into adult melodrama. Star's work as creator and writer on both programmes is worth remembering when assigning the credit.
Spelling favoured lavish sets, costumes and bright lighting, which suited programmes full of wealthy or stylish people. That gloss is part of the entertainment, and we see little reason to apologise for enjoying it. Multiple storylines help sustain an ensemble, but the familiar formulas leave the casting with plenty to do. Bringing social issues into the soaps gives the characters more to discuss, though Beverly Hills, 90210 shows how easily that discussion can become a lecture.
Casting gives us the clearest reason to stay with Beverly Hills, 90210. We warmed to the programme because Shannen Doherty and Jennie Garth give its earnest drama a welcome prickliness. Their performances are the most persuasive evidence here of Spelling's eye for an ensemble: the writing can be over-instructive, but the company remains engaging. Start here if an earnest soap appeals; allow for the occasional lecture.
Biography
Aaron Spelling (1923–2006) was an American television and film producer. He began his career as an actor before moving into writing and producing, and founded Aaron Spelling Productions, later known as Spelling Television.
Spelling produced numerous series including Charlie's Angels (1976), The Love Boat (1977), Dynasty (1981), Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990), Melrose Place (1992), 7th Heaven (1996) and Charmed (1998). He holds the record as the most prolific television producer in American history, with over 200 credits. His daughter Tori Spelling appeared in Beverly Hills, 90210.
