It's official. Brenda will be back for the upcoming season finale of 90210, and all we can say is, thank god. Truly, we've spent the whole season making a concerted effort to like these new kids, but, in the end, we really just care about the old cast. Which raises an interesting question: who's the most successful cast member from the original Beverly Hills, 90210? Obviously, there's a lot of things to consider (overall notoriety, acting career post-show, best fashion sense, and who you still consistently want to see naked).
We can pretty much rule out the adults (Joe E. Trata, James Eckhouse and Carol Potter) right away. As far as we're concerned, this is the only gig any of them have ever had -- we choose to forget the time Jim Walsh showed up as a teacher in a Hilary Duff movie.
Here's our breakdown:
Shannen Doherty -- While there was a fall off the radar period directly following her 90210 departure, her starring role on Charmed did put a second successful series under her belt. Sadly, her fashion sense and naked appeal have declined significantly since the days of her Rolling Stone cover shoot.
Jennie Garth -- Her post-90210 success with What I Like About You managed to eclipse the shame of her Lifetime movie appearances (can't say the same for Tiffani Thiessen). Also, her stint on Dancing With the Stars actually enhanced her already successful career rather marking her as a pathetic has-been (can't say the same for Ian Ziering).
Tori Spelling -- Arguably, the cast member with the most notoriety, however, two self-indulgent reality shows do not a successful acting career make, and we're not factoring in her autobiography no matter how much she begs us. Also, raise your hand if you want to see Tori Spelling naked. We rest our case.
Brian Austin Green -- Both fashion sense and naked appeal enhanced by his succession of impossibly hot girlfriends (Vanessa Marcil, Megan Fox). While he gets credit for still working consistently, we're not sure his time as Freddie Prinze Jr.'s sidekick or the low ratings of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles give us much hope that he can win this one.
Luke Perry -- Granted, he'll probably always be high on the naked meter, but fashion sense is largely not applicable, and overall notoriety is really just residual fame from his decade on 90210. Any momentum gained from a brief run on HBO's John from Cincinnati is negated by the half season that Windfall was on before getting cancelled.
Ian Ziering -- The last half of the 90210 run were good to Ian Ziering -- He lost the fuzzy hair, filled out nicely and gave us not one, but two of our all time favorite Beverly Hills couples (Steve and Hilary Swank; Steve and Janet). That said, the Dancing With The Stars appearance didn't quite catapult him back into the limelight, and his acting resume is a little sparse despite lending his voice to the animated version of Biker Mice From Mars.
Gabrielle Carteris -- No. Just, no.
Tiffani Amber Theissen -- Despite dropkicking the "Amber" in her stage name, Tiffani Theissen is certainly in the running for overall notoriety thanks to the Saved By the Bell years. And, even though we've never been big fans of her fashion sense, we can pretty much all agree that she'll always be hot. That said, her post-90210 string of B-list shows (Fastlane, Good Morning Miami, What About Brian) leave her in solid, but lackluster standing.
Lindsey Price -- Surprisingly, thanks to the high profile nature of Lipstick Jungle, La Price has jumped forward in the ranks in both fashion sense and legitimate acting gigs. If we factor in naked appeal (we wish we looked just like her) and the potential success of future television endeavors (i.e. Eastwick), Miss Lindsey is a contender. She came to play.
And the winner is....
Jennie Garth. Added to the above, she managed to return to the 90210 reboot without making it seem like she had to, and she's got the celebrity husband with a blockbuster movie franchise to sweeten the deal.
Honorable mention to Vincent Young and Vanessa Marcil for being simultaneously the hottest and most annoying cast members ever.
Previously:
90210: Not So Happy Accidents
90210: The Most Anticlimactic Teen Sex Ever
90210: Rock My Cradle