Jason Priestley is looking back on the success of “Beverly Hills, 90210” and comparing the teen drama to today’s “Euphoria”.
“That show was a very iconic show. And that show was a very important show to a lot of people, and at a very big time in their lives when they were growing up,” said the actor in an interview with Variety at the 61st Monte-Carlo Television Festival.
“And that show was a global phenomenon, back at a time when there weren’t as many channels,” he continued. “So it was an incredible experience for me to be a part of a show like that. I don’t know if I’ll ever be a part of a show like that again. So, I don’t mind talking about it.”
The actor went on to praise “Euphoria” for addressing issues that are relevant to teenagers today.
“What ‘Euphoria’ is doing now, we kind of did that back in 1992,” he noted. “They’re doing the modern day version of it now, 30 years later, which is talking to young people, talking about the issues of this time, which our young people are facing, but they’re just doing it in a much cooler, much more slick, sexy way than we were able to do on network television.”
On whether he’d take a role in “Euphoria” if he was a young actor, he said, “Yeah, of course. That’s the kind of storytelling that you look for, that would excite you, right? Because it’s visceral, right? And it feels real and that’s exciting.”
Priestley also discussed the reasons why “BH90210” was cancelled after just one season.
READ MORE: Jason Priestley, Brian Austin Green And Ian Ziering Have Mini ‘Beverly Hills, 90210’ Reunion
“Once we actually got into production, too many people thought they were running the show,” he admitted. “The network thought they were running the show, the studio thought they were running the show, the writers’ room in L.A. thought they were running the show, the executive producers we had in Vancouver thought they were running the show. Like, everybody thought they were running the show, and therefore nobody was running the show.”
Priestly added, “A a concept like that, that was that difficult to pull off, we really needed somebody with a super firm hand and a super clear vision of what the show was going to be to guide that show. And I think that, unfortunately, there were just too many people who had too much input on the show. And that’s why it didn’t work.”
