She's Back!

Jennie Garth returns to the small screen on the new 90210 and reprises the role that turned her into a television icon.



By Rachel Bowie


Kelly Taylor has been through a lot. During her time at West Beverly, the fictional high school she attended on the television series Beverly Hills, 90210, she saved her mother from a cocaine addiction, slept with her best friend’s boyfriend and overdosed on diet pills, all before graduation! But with age comes wisdom and Kelly is all grown up now. In fact, so is Jennie Garth, Kelly’s real-life alter ego. This fall, Garth returns to the zip code that made her famous, reprising the role she played for 10 years on the new (and much-buzzed-about) teen drama 90210, a spin-off of Aaron Spelling’s original series. Although her character is the same, this time, Garth roams the halls of West Beverly with a different purpose, playing a guidance counselor and helping her students through the challenges they will undoubtedly face growing up in L.A.’s wealthiest zip code. As gossip swirls around which cast members will be back from the original series and whether or not 90210’s second generation will be able to achieve what the first did, Garth makes one thing clear ­— she can’t wait to return to her roots.
Resident: 90210 has to be one of television’s favorite zip codes. Did you ever imagine that the day would come where you would get to reprise your role as Kelly Taylor?
Jennie Garth: I never thought that the show would come back from the dead. For me, it was tucked away nice and neat and it had a beginning, a middle and an end. I really didn’t foresee this happening. At first, I was in shock and not OK with it, but once I finally warmed up to the idea, I thought, “why not have it come back?” It was such a great show and so many people loved it so much. If the viewers want to watch it, then why not?
The original series definitely had an impact. It was a show that succeeded when so many other teen dramas of its kind didn’t …
The show meant so much for television history because it paved the way for so many teen dramas, but it didn’t always get the credit at the time. In retrospect, people say and think that, but when we were doing the show, it wasn’t critically received and there was no mention of it in that respect. I think now maybe the show will have a second chance to make another difference in the history of television.
You play a guidance counselor on the show, a perfect fit for your character’s psychology background. Tell me about your role on the show.
So many terrible things happened to Kelly. She has so many dramatic memories from all her story lines that I figured she could put all of her wisdom to good use. As the guidance counselor, I’m right in there with the kids. I’m friends with the new principal at West Beverly and play one of the backbones of the school because I’m an alum there. One of the young girls on the show ends up being my half-sister and I end up getting involved possibly with one of the other faculty members. There is a lot that is going to be happening. For me, I wanted to really pay homage to the first show and keep giving the viewers little bits of things they want to see from the original series.
How has the new show evolved from the first generation? What similarities can we expect to see?
It’s about a family — fish out of water, moves to L.A. with two kids — very similar to the Walsh family. They come into this high school where everybody is seemingly more advanced and fancier than they are and they have to sink or swim. The show is also really about the relationship of the kids with their parents. The show jumps right into finding out why these characters are the way that they are, looking at the way they were raised and how that has affected who they are.
When we last left off, Kelly seemed on the path to romance with Dylan, played by Luke Perry. How does he fit into the picture now — is he mentioned at all?
There is a chance that Brandon [played by Jason Priestley] or Dylan are still in the picture for Kelly. You’ll see that in the first episode. I don’t want to give it away. It’s at the end of the first episode and it will keep the old fans really intrigued and wondering what’s going to happen. I myself don’t even know how it’s going to end up.
Not only are you returning to the show, but a few of your former cast-mates are as well. Did you discuss this opportunity with any of them before officially signing on?
I spoke with Tori [Spelling]. I think that a few of the other cast members might be a little wary of going back to this. My feeling is that Beverly Hills, 90210 is the show that made me who I am today. It gave me so many opportunities in this business so why would I turn my back on it? My career positioning is that I have a family now — I have no aspirations to travel the world and be a movie star. I want to raise my family and work if I can. For me, this just worked out. I have no ego issues with going back to the show or playing the same character — I’m proud of it. I know that Tori shares the same feelings that I do.
Tori Spelling and Shannen Doherty are both returning. What is it like to be back on set with a few familiar faces?
So far I’ve worked with Ann Gillespie who played my mom [Jackie Taylor] on the original series. It was great to reconnect with her. She left the business and she’s now a minister in West Virginia. She came back and did one day of shooting last week and it was wonderful to see her and it felt good. For the most part, 90210 feels like a whole new