Beverly Hills, 90210

A stylish but familiar high school story, one that's considerably easier to take than two of this TV season's other back-to-school efforts: "Parker Lewis Can't Lose" and "Ferris Bueller". And, it's less frenetic than "Hull High". The show's greatest assets are Priestley and Doherty, who are appealing even when the storylines aren't. [4 Oct 1990, p.G1]

In a season where all high schools look the same, with sun-drenched campuses trolled by smart-alecky know-it-alls, Beverly Hills, 90210 looks like yet another tired breath of smoggy, sunny California air...But beyond its stock characters - the freshman dweebs, the rich deb with a new nose job, the peripheral parents, the mousy scribe - there's a sweet sister-brother bond here, on a par with the better John Hughes youth- pandering flicks. [4 Oct 1990, p.3D]

The result, to borrow a phrase from that generation, is totally bogus. But not totally without merit, due to a cast, headed by Shannen Doherty, that's generally better than the material. [4 Oct 1990, p.E1]

It is based on the assumption, so common among show-biz people who meet each other for lunch at the Beverly Hills Hotel, that they are not only the cultural center of the Western world, but the envy of everybody who is not part of their glittery ZIP code. The whole production just reeks of L.A. smugness. [4 Oct 1990, p.C-11]

One of the fall's most forgettable series. ... Isn't this the kind of stuff The Simpsons was created to destroy forever?

A ZIP code for stereotypes and stock characters, Beverly Hills, 92010 is nothing if not predictable, with the twins each facing moral choices and ultimately doing the right thing, presumably because they're from Minneapolis. [4 Oct 1990, p.F11]

It's less surprising that it's so dull...So let's have a round of applause for these kids. And then change the station, because there's absolutely no drama here. [4 Oct 1990, p.68]