Let’s be real, Lifetime’s Unauthorized Stories for the most part are really bad. Strangely enough, they finally got one right. The Unauthorized Beverly Hills, 90210 Story is pretty entertaining, so you should check it out at 8p tonight.
The telemovie starts out with the network pitching the show to Aaron Spelling (Dan Castellaneta) and him saying no. That is until his daughter Tori (Abby Ross) convinces him to do it. Now it is time to cast to lead roles, and Tori again helps him with that when she suggests he hires Shannen Doherty (Samantha Munro) and Jason Priestley (Max Lloyd-Jones ). Tori auditions for Kelly, but the network wants Jennie Garth (Abbie Cobb), so she gets Donna. Somehow Ian Ziering (David Lennon), Gabrielle Carteris (Michele Goyns) and Brian Austin Green (Ross Linton) are also cast on the show.
Now it is time to the shoot the pilot and they share the studio with porn stars. Did you know that? After the pilot is shot and they watch it, they think the show will never get picked up. As we know it did, but initially it bombed.
Darren Star (Adam Korson) and Aaron think the show is missing something and that something is Luke Perry (Jesy McKinney). But even he couldn’t save the show from poor ratings. That is until something happens that helps it become the hit that became. What, you will have to tune in to find out.
After the show is a hit, it is the I hate Shannen show. The movie ends with her firing and Tiffani-Amber Thiessen’s (Alyssa Lynch) hiring. Lynch also played her in Lifetime’s Saved By the Bell movie.
Even though the telemovie only covers the first four seasons, it is just enough. I don’t know how to explain how they got it right, but when you see it, you will see how they did.
I mean, the only actors who look like the people they are playing are Munro and Cobb, but you quickly forget that because the story is interesting enough to keep you entertained.
