Jason Priestley Begged Aaron Spelling to End 'Beverly Hills, 90210'
The actor wanted the show to conclude before its storylines became too outlandish.
Jason Priestley expressed a desire for "Beverly Hills, 90210" to conclude its run much earlier than its eventual end in May 2000, according to an interview on his former co-star Jennie Garth’s podcast, "9021OMG." Priestley, who portrayed Brandon Walsh, stated he urged producer Aaron Spelling to end the series due to increasingly absurd plotlines.
"There was lots of crazy stuff that happened in that eighth season," Priestley said. He explained that the show, which also starred Garth, Shannen Doherty, Luke Perry, Ian Ziering, Tori Spelling, Brian Austin Green, and Gabrielle Carteris, shifted direction under new showrunner John Eisendrath. The storylines, which included characters falling into comas and unexpected sibling appearances, began to feel overly dramatic, reminiscent of a soap opera.
Priestley recalled approaching Spelling about ending the show while it was still popular. "Aaron, man, let’s end this. Let’s go out on top," Priestley reportedly told the producer. However, Spelling was reportedly resistant to concluding the series, with Priestley recounting Spelling's response: “They’re going to pull me off this set in a body bag.”
Spelling's alleged insistence on continuing the show led Priestley to make the decision to leave. "I was like, well, I need to leave then. I want to go do other things with my career and in my life," he explained.
Priestley departed the series in its ninth season in 1998. His character, Brandon Walsh, left Beverly Hills to pursue a journalism career in Washington, D.C. Priestley later reflected that he might have stayed with the show if he had known it was nearing its end. "If I’d have known the show was only going to go for another year and a half after I left, I would have stayed," he confessed.
His departure also impacted the show's narrative, altering plans for Brandon to marry Garth's character, Kelly Taylor. Garth acknowledged that Priestley's absence, following Shannen Doherty's exit in Season 4, significantly changed the show's dynamic.
The original "Beverly Hills, 90210" aired its final episode on May 17, 2000. Aaron Spelling died in June 2006 at the age of 83.