I’m not proud of what I’m about to tell you all, but it’s just too funny not to share.
Thanks to Mike W, I found out that cbs.com has made some of their “classic” shows available for online viewing. Out of sheer curiosity, I decided to check out an episode of Beverly Hills, 90210. When it was actually on TV in the ’90s, I never watched it. It was a little too old for me (I was 7 years old when the pilot aired). After checking out the first episode earlier this week, I kept right on going. 10 episodes later, here I am.
Watching this show now has been more fun than it ought to be. It’s not exactly how I expected it to be… I actually always imagined it as more shallow and soap opera-y. But 90210 deals with *pertinent issues* in an *up-to-date* way and even the characters who are shallow on the surface have *surprisingly deep* problems.
I also was not prepared for how incredibly preachy this show is. I’m only 10 episodes into the first season, and already the plots have dealt with:
- drunk driving
- lying
- alcohol/drug abuse
- bullying
- cheating/grades
- marital fidelity
- rape
- moving to a new place
- fitting in
- unfair treatment of immigrants
- losing one’s virginity
- fashion
- absentee parents
- money
- time management
- stealing
- sibling relationships
- self-image
- AIDS
I may or may not keep watching. Part of me wants to keep going, just to see what HUGE TOPIC they’ll cover in the next episode. (How many more huge topics are there to cover? I mean, really?) Other parts of me - the parts that laugh during the scenes that are supposed to be moving - want to quit and start watching Perry Mason or The Twilight Zone or something.
By the way, I had totally forgotten about the ’90s fad where guys would wear overalls with one strap undone. Thanks for refreshing my memory, Luke Perry.
