Beverly Hills, 90210 Season 1 Review: Sorry I’m Late, But This 90s Teen Drama Still Hits
Hey Sweet P’s ❤️
Sorry I’m late… but baby, we need to talk about Beverly Hills, 90210 Season 1.
I’m kicking off a new My Sweet Perspective series called Sorry, I’m Late, where I go back into the crates and revisit older shows season by season. And for the first official stop? We are headed straight to West Beverly Hills High.
Beverly Hills, 90210 premiered on Fox on October 4, 1990, and introduced us to the Walsh twins, Brandon and Brenda, after their family moved from Minneapolis to Beverly Hills. The series would go on to run until 2000, becoming one of the defining teen dramas of the 1990s.
Season 1 has that early-90s stand-alone episode structure, so it is not one long serialized binge the way shows are now. Instead, the people are the story. The friend group, the family dynamics, the messy teenage lessons, the fashion, the double standards, the after-school-special of it all — that is where the season lives.
And watching it now, as an adult in 2026? I fear… it still hits.
Beverly Hills, 90210 Season 1 Is a Time Capsule — But Also Still Very Familiar
Going back to this show as an adult was wild because some moments felt brand new, and other scenes were sitting somewhere deep in my childhood memory like, “Oh, you remember me.”
There is something about the shows we watched growing up that sticks with us, even when we do not remember every single plot point. I had not watched Beverly Hills, 90210 as an adult before this rewatch, so in a lot of ways, Season 1 felt like a first-time watch. But certain characters, certain episodes, and certain dynamics were still very familiar.
Season 1 introduces the Walsh family as the “normal” Midwestern family dropped into the land of money, status, popularity, convertibles, and messy rich-kid trauma. Brandon and Brenda are our entry point, but by the end of the season, the show is already building out the larger world: Dylan McKay, Kelly Taylor, Steve Sanders, Andrea Zuckerman, Donna Martin, David Silver, Scott Scanlon, and the parents who either help or make things worse.
And let’s be honest — sometimes the parents were doing both.
Brandon Walsh: Moral Compass or Future Hypocrite?
Let’s start with Brandon Walsh.
In Season 1, Brandon is presented as the moral center of the group. He is the all-American good guy, the grounded Midwestern boy trying not to be impressed by Beverly Hills. He wants to do the right thing. He wants to work hard. He wants to write for the school paper, be good to his friends, and stay true to himself.
And in Season 1 alone? I believed him.
Brandon is tested several times. He does not always get it right, and that is what makes him more interesting. The “B.Y.O.B.” episode is a major turning point because Brandon gets a DUI, and for once, the golden boy has to sit in the consequences of his own choices. But even there, the show gives him a softness and forgiveness that Brenda does not always get.
That was one of the biggest things that jumped out to me: Brandon and Brenda are parented very differently.
Brandon is the pride and joy. Brenda gets the restrictions, the suspicion, the lectures, and the dramatic family meetings. Brandon can mess up and still be treated like a good kid who made a mistake. Brenda can breathe sideways and Jim Walsh is ready to call the National Guard.
That double standard was loud.
Still, in Season 1, Brandon does feel genuinely decent. He is flawed, but open. He listens. He learns. He has moments where he almost buys into the wrong thinking around him, especially when the show deals with race and class, but he is still willing to be challenged.
So the big question is: was Brandon truly the moral center of the show, or was he just written to look that way?
Because baby, by the time you get deeper into the series, you may start side-eyeing that halo.
Brenda Walsh: Flawed, Dramatic, and Completely Underrated
Now Brenda Walsh? Let’s talk about her.
Growing up, I did not like Brenda. I was too young to fully explain why, but I knew I did not like her. Watching as an adult? I respect Brenda down.
Is she flawed? Absolutely. Is she dramatic? Very. Does she make questionable choices? Constantly. But Brenda is also one of the most relatable characters in Season 1 because she is genuinely trying to figure out who she is.
Unlike Brandon, Brenda gets to Beverly Hills and immediately wants to become Beverly Hills. She wants the clothes, the friends, the social life, the cute boys, the whole thing. She is naive, curious, and ready to try on a new version of herself.
And honestly? That feels very teenage.
Brenda’s journey in Season 1 is about identity. She does not fully know who she is yet, but she knows she wants more than what she had before. She wants to fit in, but she also wants to stand out. She wants freedom, but she is still young enough to need protection. That tension is what makes her Season 1 arc work.
Her relationship with Dylan is the big turning point, of course. Brenda and Dylan officially become a couple in Season 1, and the spring dance episode becomes one of the season’s biggest “she’s growing up” moments. The Season 1 episode “Spring Dance” is remembered as a major Brenda/Dylan moment, with Brenda and Dylan taking a significant step in their relationship.
But what also stood out to me was how hard Brenda gets judged for everything. Her parents, especially Jim, treat her choices like moral emergencies. Meanwhile, Brandon gets room to mess up and recover.
Brenda is not perfect, but she is strong-willed. She stands by what she believes. She pushes back. And watching now, I understand her way more than I did as a child.
So was Brenda growing up too fast, or was she just living her life?
I fear the answer might be both.
Dylan McKay: The Loner, the Legend, the Problematic Dreamboat
Now listen.
Dylan McKay?
I get it.
I get it, Brenda. I understand. I fear I would have been outside too.
Dylan is introduced as the brooding loner with money, trauma, and no real family structure. His father is caught up in financial scandal, his mother is not present in the way he needs, and Dylan is basically out here raising himself with a bank account and a whole lot of pain.
Luke Perry’s Dylan McKay became one of the show’s defining characters, and in Season 1, you can see why. The show presents Dylan as cool, mysterious, wounded, and deeply loyal when it counts.
What I loved most about Season 1 Dylan is that even though he has his own issues, he still has a moral line. He stands up for people. He connects with Brandon. He becomes vulnerable about his alcoholism. He lets Cindy Walsh care about him in a way that feels so special because this boy clearly needs a safe adult in his life.
Now, we do have to talk about that early moment with Brenda where Dylan’s anger scares her. I did not like that. I understood he was upset about his father, but sir, do not bring that energy over here. Brenda running off was valid because I was scared too.
But overall, Season 1 Dylan is compelling because he represents the wounded kid who still wants to be good. He is not just a bad boy for the sake of being a bad boy. He is lonely. He is abandoned. He is searching for family.
And by the end of Season 1, he starts to find one.
Cindy embracing Dylan was one of my favorite quiet parts of the season. Jim may have been judging him, but Cindy saw a child who needed love, and I loved that.
Were you a Dylan girl in Season 1? Because I fear I was seated.
Kelly Taylor: Queen Bee With a Whole Lot of Pain Underneath
Kelly Taylor is complicated.
On the surface, she is the Beverly Hills queen bee: pretty, popular, fashionable, and very aware of her status. But Season 1 also starts peeling back the image and showing us that Kelly’s life is not nearly as perfect as it looks.
Her mother Jackie’s addiction issues are a major part of Kelly’s early story. The Season 1 episode “Perfect Mom” focuses on Brenda becoming fascinated by Jackie before realizing that Jackie’s alcoholism and drug use have deeply affected Kelly’s home life.
And that matters because it explains a lot about Kelly. It does not excuse everything, but it explains why she is so guarded, image-conscious, and sometimes nice-nasty.
Kelly has been exposed to adult situations way too early. She has had to parent herself in ways a teenager should not have to. She is carrying trauma, insecurity, and a desperate need to be seen as desirable and important.
But baby, she also tries Brenda.
The slumber party episode is one of those moments where Kelly’s messy side is very clear. Brenda throws a slumber party, and things go left after Amanda Pacer joins and secrets start coming out. Kelly admitting that she tried to get at Dylan after finding out Brenda liked him? Girl. Please.
Kelly is not my favorite in Season 1, but I cannot fully write her off either. There is too much pain underneath the polish.
So did Kelly’s upbringing make you give her grace, or was it already “F Kelly” from Season 1?
Because I go back and forth.
Andrea Zuckerman: The Brain, the Crush, and the Oldest Teen in the Room
Andrea Zuckerman is… a lot.
She is smart, driven, serious, and very much the academic overachiever of the group. She runs the school paper, she cares about achievement, and she is constantly trying to prove herself.
But watching as an adult? Baby, Andrea looked grown.
I know Gabrielle Carteris was older than the character she was playing, and on rewatch, you can feel it. Andrea is supposed to be a teenager, but sometimes it feels like she is a substitute teacher pining after Brandon.
And yes, she wants Brandon bad.
Andrea’s storyline about living out of district is one of the more grounded Season 1 arcs. She is attending West Beverly while actually living in Van Nuys, using her grandmother’s address so she can go to the better school. It is one of those stories that shows how Beverly Hills, 90210 was trying to talk about class, opportunity, and access even inside the glossy teen drama package.
But Andrea can also be exhausting. She is often isolated from the rest of the group, partly because she does not fit in and partly because she makes sure everyone knows she does not fit in.
Is she the most realistic teen on a show full of unrealistic teens? Maybe.
Did she annoy me in Season 1? Also yes.
Steve Sanders: Rich, Cocky, and a Whole Mess
Steve Sanders in Season 1 is a lot to deal with.
He is rich, cocky, entitled, and often treated like harmless comic relief, but watching now, some of his behavior is way more uncomfortable than I remembered. Especially when the show gets into race and class, Steve’s comments and attitudes are not cute.
He also has a major identity storyline when he learns that his famous actress mother adopted him. That gives him a little more depth beyond being the rich jock with the car and the attitude.
Steve’s friendship with Brandon is interesting because Brandon often becomes the person who checks him, challenges him, or at least gives the audience a contrast. Steve is not always likable, but the seeds of a more layered character are there.
And then there is his connection to David, which becomes one of the more unexpectedly useful dynamics. David is desperate to be part of the cool crowd, and Steve becomes one of his entry points.
So did Season 1 Steve have depth, or was he mostly there to be the rich jock and comic relief?
I think the answer is: a little bit of both, but whew, Season 1 Steve needed a talking-to.
Donna Martin and David Silver: The Side Characters Who Still Leave an Impression
Donna Martin is not heavily used in Season 1, but every time she pops up, she brings the fashion and the sweet, slightly ditzy energy.
She is sheltered, stylish, and lovable. The show has not fully figured out what to do with her yet, but the Donna Martin essence is already there. My dyslexic diva was in the building.
David Silver, meanwhile, is very much trying to climb into the popular group by any means necessary. By today’s standards, some people would absolutely call David a clout chaser. He wants to be around Kelly, Steve, and the cool kids so badly.
But listen — David dancing at that spring dance?
He ate.
He cut that rug.
I said go David, go David, go David, go.
David and Scott are still positioned as the younger outsiders in Season 1, but knowing where Scott’s story goes in Season 2 gives this early setup more weight. That is one of those storylines that stuck with a lot of us, and if we get into Season 2, we absolutely have to talk about it.
Jim and Cindy Walsh: Good Parents or Double-Standard Headquarters?
Now let’s talk about Jim and Cindy Walsh.
Cindy? I love her. I wish she had more of a voice in Season 1, but I also understand the era. She is warm, present, and often the emotional center of the Walsh household.
Jim, on the other hand?
Jim liked to present himself as fair, balanced, and reasonable, but he had his own prejudices and double standards all over the place.
His treatment of Dylan was one of the most frustrating parts of Season 1. Judging Dylan so harshly because of his father’s actions was unfair. Dylan was already carrying enough, and Jim’s instant suspicion did not help.
Then there is the way Jim and Cindy parent Brandon and Brenda differently. Brandon makes mistakes, but he gets more grace. Brenda makes mistakes, and it becomes a whole referendum on her character.
The family vote at the end of Season 1, when Jim considers moving everyone back to Minnesota, is a big moment because Brenda, Brandon, and Cindy all want to stay in Beverly Hills. The family has changed. Beverly Hills is home now, whether Jim is ready to admit it or not.
Were Jim and Cindy some of the better TV parents of the 90s? Maybe.
Was there still something off in how they treated Brenda compared to Brandon? Absolutely.
The Big Season 1 Episodes That Still Stand Out
Season 1 works because it gives us several episodes that define the show’s identity.
“B.Y.O.B.” gives Brandon a major consequence episode and introduces more of Dylan’s vulnerability.
“Perfect Mom” reveals Kelly’s difficult home life and Jackie’s substance abuse issues.
“Slumber Party” brings the girls together and lets secrets, jealousy, and old wounds come out.
“Spring Dance” is a major Brenda and Dylan milestone and one of the most memorable episodes of the season.
What surprised me most is how much the show was willing to tackle in Season 1. Drinking, addiction, class, racism, teen sex, parental neglect, body image, friendship, family pressure — it is all there. Some of it is handled with the subtlety of a brick through a window, but that was part of the era.
And honestly? It worked more often than I expected.
Does Beverly Hills, 90210 Season 1 Still Hold Up?
For me, yes — with context.
Season 1 is very much a product of its time. Some storylines are dated. Some dialogue made me pause. Some character choices had me side-eyeing the television like, “Now who approved this?”
But the reason Beverly Hills, 90210 still works is because the characters feel like people you can argue about. Brandon, Brenda, Dylan, Kelly, Steve, Andrea, Donna, David — they all give you something to debate.
And that is exactly what makes it perfect for Sorry, I’m Late.
This rewatch reminded me that older teen dramas had something current shows sometimes forget: room to breathe. Episodes could be stand-alone, but the character work still stacked up. By the end of Season 1, you understand the group better than you did at the beginning, even if the show is still figuring itself out.
Brenda is growing up.
Brandon is being tested.
Dylan is looking for family.
Kelly is hiding pain behind popularity.
Andrea is trying to belong while pretending she does not care.
Steve is a mess with potential.
Donna is a fashion girlie in training.
David is dancing for his life.
And Jim Walsh is somewhere judging somebody’s child.
Final Sweet P Rating
For nostalgia, character drama, and pure 90s teen soap energy, I would give Beverly Hills, 90210 Season 1 a solid:
4 out of 5 Sweet P’s.
It is not perfect, but it is entertaining, surprisingly layered, and way more fun to revisit as an adult than I expected.
So now I need to know: Who was your favorite Beverly Hills, 90210 character in Season 1? Were you Team Brenda, Team Kelly, Team Brandon, Team Dylan, or were you just watching David dance and minding your business?
Drop your Sweet P rating for Season 1, and let me know if we need to keep going with Season 2 — because baby, I already know there is more mess waiting for us at West Beverly.