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‘Got Bent Out Of Shape': Darren Star Remembers Backlash Over Dylan And Brenda's Intimate Beverly Hills, 90210
Darren Star reflected on the highs and lows of the Fox series, highlighting the immense backlash Star faced due to an intimate scene between Brenda and Dylan in a new interview.
Darren Star got his big start with Beverly Hills, 90210, the teen drama that carved out the careers of stars Shannen Doherty, Luke Perry, Tori Spelling, and Jennie Garth. But creating the 1990s series was an uphill battle for Star, also known for his works in Sex and the City and Emily in Paris.
The notable screenwriter, 63, reflected on the highs and lows of the Fox series, highlighting the immense backlash Star faced due to an intimate scene between Brenda and Dylan in a new interview with Vulture on Wednesday, August 14. Shannen Doherty played Brenda Walsh, who passed away in July 2024, and Luke Perry played Dylan McKay.
In the first-ever show about teenagers living independent lives in Beverly Hills, the creator recalled that “the network” held much influence over the show’s content, mostly around the characters’ sexuality. The issue escalated after the infamous episode from Season 1 aired on several Fox affiliate networks, per the source.
In Season 1 Episode 21, titled Spring Dance, Brenda and Dylan get intimate at the dance and sleep with each other after the junior prom. The episode was written and directed by Star and the network had little idea about the content until it aired on May 2, 1991.
“When all these affiliates realized what they’d aired, a lot of them got bent out of shape,” Star revealed in the interview. Blame the times, the network also demanded another episode where only Brenda showed remorse and regret over her act. Surprisingly, it was not only about the intimate scene.
“It wasn’t just the fact that Brenda had s*x but that she enjoyed it,” the writer continued. Therefore, after the series came back for Season 2, Star was forced to pen an episode where Brenda faced a pregnancy scare and “realized she was too young to have s*x,” the creator added.
Expectedly, Fox and its affiliate networks were vigilant and threw several “edgier” episodes under the rug following the Spring Dance controversy.
Star explained that the network had “a lot of notes” about his show and anything related to sexuality was particularly “hard to deal with." Questions about the portrayed teenagers’ parents or school teachers would be asked in addition to their peculiar way of life. Hence, he retorted with a rebellious stance saying it was a show about teenagers who look after each other, anything beyond that would be irrelevant.
Late film producer and actor, Aaron Spelling was a “fighter for the show,” Star hailed. He recounted Spelling, whose daughter Tori was a series regular, Donna Martin, negotiated episodes with Fox for the debut season, which was always “on the verge of cancellation.”
Star, also a teenager back then, utilized his young point of view to chart Beverly Hills, 90210’s unique storyline. Even though it wasn’t an instant hit, the reruns helped it achieve the status of a global pop culture phenomenon.
Beverly Hills, 90210 follows the lives of a group of friends residing in the glamorous locale of Beverly Hills and focuses on romances and their plight with modern issues of the era like AIDS, suicide, drug abuse, and teen pregnancy. The show wrapped after ten seasons on May 17, 2000.
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