Teen Drama Links for January 26, 2021

There was a fairly significant teen drama DVD set announced a few days ago… but I’ll be honest: I, a bonafide TeenDramaWhore, have no intention of purchasing it.

TVShowsOnDVD — my favorite resource for DVD announcements, even though they no longer operate their awesome website — shared on Facebook over the weekend that a new release called “Beverly Hills, 90210 - The Ultimate Collection” will drop on March 23 with a price of $179.99. This compilation will include the entire series, which was previously made available as “Beverly Hills 90210 - The Complete Series” back in 2013, as well as the six-episode “BH90210.”

So why won’t I snatch up this new offering if I’m such a “Beverly Hills, 90210” superfan?

There’s multiple reasons, none of which really have to do with the cost. I wouldn’t mind splurging if this actually felt like a worthwhile purchase. But here’s why it doesn’t: As is no secret, I absolutely detested “BH90210,” so including that in this set is hardly a purchase incentive for me. If we’re taking that out of the equation, I’d essentially be buying the complete original series that I already have — plus, I also already have the individual season DVDs as well. I simply don’t need a third version of all the episodes just so I can boast that I own multiple copies of the same thing. And I’ve never been the kind of fan who believes the amount of merchandise and memorabilia I possess is somehow a reflection of my fandom.

Among the other issues is that the prior releases haven’t been very good. As I wrote about on the original TeenDramaWhore, the individual season sets are a mess. The art choices are puzzling, the descriptions are factually inaccurate, and the special features are nonexistent after season 4. And while the aforementioned complete series release was accompanied by a cool “yearbook” of sorts, there were accuracy issues with the text in that too. It’s hard to believe this new set will be any better in quality given that it’s being put out by Paramount and ViacomCBS, the same companies responsible for the flawed releases we already have.

Furthermore, it’s expected these new DVDs will be lacking pivotal scenes and missing the original music just like its predecessors. While executive producer Charles Rosin is moving full steam ahead with a #RestoreTheMusic campaign, it’s pretty much a given that won’t be accomplished before this set comes out in less than two months. So in other words, fans really won’t be getting what they deserve and companies that had nothing to do with the creation of the show will continue to profit off of it. I want no part of that.

Teen Drama Links for January 26, 2021

• The “Beverly Hills 90210 Show” podcast hosted a private Zoom chat with much of the original cast over the weekend, a special virtual get-together for Joe E. Tata (Nat), who is in ill health. (Facebook)

  • Host Pete Ferriero tells me, “I am absolutely blown away by how the cast comes together for their family. They all have such incredible hearts.”

• Ferriero and Rosin opened about their work on the podcast in a new interview. (Venice Current)

  • Peep me in the photo at the top of the article, ha!

• Ian Ziering (Steve, Beverly Hills, 90210) posted a Steve Sanders-inspired version of the Bernie Sanders meme. Several of his co-stars commented on it. (Instagram)

• Jennie Garth (Kelly, Beverly Hills, 90210) shared a Bernie Sanders meme featuring herself and Tori Spelling (Donna, Beverly Hills, 90210). (Instagram)

• The “Saved by the Bell” revival has been renewed for a second season, but it’s currently unknown how many episodes will feature Tiffani Thiessen (Valerie, Beverly Hills, 90210). (TVLine)

• Brian McKnight, who appeared on one episode of “Beverly Hills, 90210” and is featured on “Beverly Hills, 90210: The Soundtrack,” was unmasked on “The Masked Dancer” last week. (YouTube)

  • Panelist Brian Austin Green (David, Beverly Hills, 90210) had picked up on some “Beverly Hills, 90210” clues, but wrongly thought it was Ziering under the mask.

• James Van Der Beek (Dawson, Dawson’s Creek) will appear on the February 2 installment of the “Bret Easton Ellis Podcast Book Club” to discuss The Rules of Attraction, of which he starred in the movie adaptation. (Twitter)

• “Freaks and Geeks,” which starred Busy Philipps (Audrey, Dawson’s Creek) and Seth Rogen (Bob, Dawson’s Creek), is now streaming on Hulu, but executive producer Judd Apatow had to lobby the streaming service to put the episodes in their correct order. (Uproxx)

• I enjoyed reading this: “‘Dawson’s Creek’ superfans on the worst storylines, how the series holds up 23 years later and that controversial ending” (Metro)

  • This article was published on January 20, the very day “Dawson’s Creek” premiered in 1998.

• This piece about the 19th anniversary of A Walk to Remember (one of my favorite movies, no lie) notes, “The movie was shot in Wilmington, North Carolina, and a lot of the set pieces from ‘Dawson's Creek’ were used because the popular show was being filmed there at around the same time.” (People)

• “Hollywood icons: 6 Wilmington-area sites defined by film appearances” includes filming locations for “Dawson’s Creek” and “One Tree Hill.” (StarNews)

• This article declares, “Summer Roberts From ‘The O.C.’ Was The Best Character On 00s Television.” (Grazia)

  • The piece concludes with references to two other teen drama brunettes.

• Hookups from “The O.C.,” “One Tree Hill,” “Gossip Girl,” and “90210” are included in “19 Of The Worst Decisions TV Characters Made About Sex.” (BuzzFeed)

• “Wilmington welcomes Bernie Sanders — well, in meme form” includes one of the memes that incorporated “One Tree Hill.” (StarNews)

  • Hilarie Burton (Peyton, One Tree Hill) and Sophia Bush (Brooke, One Tree Hill) also shared this same meme on their respective Instagram accounts.

• The executive producers of “Everyone Is Doing Great,” which was created by and stars James Lafferty (Nathan, One Tree Hill) and Stephen Colletti (Chase, One Tree Hill), opened up about the making of the show and getting it picked up by Hulu. (WKYC)

• Lafferty is still making the interview rounds to promote the series. (KTLA)

  • And here’s a good review: “‘Everyone Is Doing Great’ Is A Stealth Exploration Of Male Friendship” (Decider)

  • And another one: “The Sweet, Charming Simplicity of ‘Everyone Is Doing Great’ on Hulu” (Paste)

• Taylor Momsen (Jenny, Gossip Girl) is highlighted in “25 Times Hollywood Cast The Perfect Person To Play The Live-Action Version Of An Animated Character.” (BuzzFeed)

• “Gossip Girl” is included in “25 of the best TV shows about high school,” along with several shows that featured teen drama stars. (Insider)

  • The list is based on Rotten Tomatoes scores.

• “I Think About These 2008 ‘Gossip Girl’ Ads a Lot” takes a look at the show’s infamous advertising campaign from the perspective of one young girl coming of age at the time they were plastered around New York. (The Cut)

  • I previously wrote about those ads and how they helped “Gossip Girl” take off. (TDW)

• “Watching ‘Gossip Girl’ at the End of the World” is a reflection on watching the series amidst the pandemic. (Medium)

• Something a little lighter: “36 ‘Gossip Girl’ Jokes That’ll Make Every Fan Laugh.” (BuzzFeed)

• Tavi Gevinson, who stars on the “Gossip Girl” spinoff, discussed the new show in two recent interviews, the second of which contains a lot of astute observations about the original series and the new one.

  • “Tavi Gevinson on Rookie, Regrets, and Reboots” (Nylon)

  • “Tavi Gevinson Talks New Podcast, ‘Gossip Girl,’ and Karlie Kloss” (TeenVogue)

• Matt Lanter (Liam, 90210) and Shantel VanSanten (Quinn, One Tree Hill) participated in a virtual “Timeless” reunion benefiting Feeding America. (Twitter)

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