Jason Priestley tried to persuade Aaron Spelling to end Beverly Hills, 90210 while the show was still successful. When the producer refused, the actor decided it was time to leave.
Priestley, 57, revisited the decision with former costar Jennie Garth on the Oct. 16 episode of 90210MG. He had spent eight full seasons playing Brandon Walsh.
The Fox drama began in 1990 with Brandon and his twin sister Brenda, played by Shannen Doherty, moving from Minnesota to Beverly Hills. Garth’s Kelly Taylor was part of the Southern California social circle they joined.
Priestley recalled filming for 10 months of the year. Both remembered spending 13 or 14 hours a day on set, including time outside the actual shooting schedule.
Priestley Recalls Spelling’s ‘Body Bag’ Reply
By the end of season eight, Priestley felt the writing had moved too far toward daytime soap opera. He praised showrunner John Eisendrath’s talent but recalled plots involving comas and surprise twin brothers appearing at hospitals, as Entertainment Weekly reported.
He wanted the writers to build toward a deliberate conclusion, rather than keep inventing ways to continue. In Priestley’s recollection, Spelling’s response left little room for negotiation: “They’re going to pull me off this set in a body bag.”
Priestley wanted opportunities beyond the series and could not see how much longer it would run. Had he known that it would last only another season and a half after his departure, he told Garth, he would have stayed.
Brandon and Kelly’s Planned Future Changed When Priestley Left
Garth asked whether Brandon and Kelly should have married, and Priestley agreed. He remembered their eventual marriage as the general plan, although his departure prevented the writers from pursuing that future for the characters.
The two had already called off their wedding in the season eight finale. Garth had recently revisited the episode for her podcast rewatch and was frustrated that they abandoned the ceremony despite still loving each other.
Brandon instead accepted a newspaper job in Washington, D.C., leaving in the early season nine episode “Brandon Leaves,” which aired in November 1998. Asked in a 2019 interview with TV Insider why the character received so little of a farewell, Priestley said he believed Spelling expected him to return.
Garth Says She Was Angry and Missed His Support Behind the Scenes
Priestley regularly spoke with Spelling and the writers, Garth recalled, and his involvement helped her feel protected. “And I was mad at you,” she told him. The admission surprised Priestley, who remembered dealing with upheaval in his own life while making a difficult career decision.
While directing episodes involving Kelly’s cocaine use with her artist boyfriend, Colin, Priestley recalled fielding calls from Fox executives about footage of the characters snorting lines. He said the executives raised concerns about broadcast standards.
After he left, Garth felt too many people were trying to steer the series, with cast members becoming more involved in its direction. Doherty had already departed after season four, so neither Walsh sibling remained in the main cast.
They also compared memories of filming Brandon’s departure. Priestley remembered driving a black Mustang convertible away from the Walsh house, while Garth was less certain about the filming location. She had not yet reached that episode in her rewatch.
Priestley Has Returned to ‘Private Eyes’ With a New Setting
His current acting work also came up during the conversation. Private Eyes West Coast reunites Priestley and Cindy Sampson as investigators Matt Shade and Angie Everett, relocating their cases to Victoria, British Columbia.
Global commissioned 10 episodes of the spinoff following the original series’ five-season run from 2016 to 2021. Priestley is also an executive producer and one of its directors. The series airs Mondays on The CW, with episodes available to stream afterward.
His Series-Finale Cameo Was Filmed in London
Garth also wanted to know why Priestley had not returned to Los Angeles for the original 90210 finale, which aired May 17, 2000. Brandon appeared in a prerecorded video message instead of joining his former castmates in person.
Priestley explained that he was performing in a West End play and could not leave London. Missy Halperin flew over, recorded his contribution and brought it back to the production, carrying the camcorder herself on the flight home.
