In meta series BH90210, the main cast from the original series Beverly Hills, 90210 play exaggerated versions of themselves (the real actors, not the characters they played) trying to get a reboot of the show off the ground. The first season, which consisted of just six episodes, has left viewers anxious to find out if a second season will be underway.
Along with all main cast members, with the exception of the tragically-departed Luke Perry, several other former stars and guest stars from the original show have made appearances. First was Carol Potter, who played Cindy Walsh and returned to play a therapist. Jamie Walters (Ray Pruit) also appeared in a small cameo, while Christine Elise, who played Emily Valentine, is now the big studio head in this fictional world.
Should BH90210 come back for Season 2, who else do we want? Here are some former cast members who we’d love to see come back in cameos as exaggerated versions of their real selves.
Vincent Young (Noah Hunter)
A regular member of the cast from Season 8 through 10, Hunter was a supposed poor young man with a boat, whom the gang later found out was filthy rich. He ended up buying and running the Peach Pit After Dark, and having many on-again, off-again relationships.
On the show, he was a troubled character who ended up losing all of his money and was a recovering alcoholic. In real life, actor Vincent Young hasn’t acted since the early-to-mid ‘00s, so this would be a perfect way for him to get back onto the scene by re-joining his old castmates looking to reinvent the show he was once on.
Lindsay Price (Janet Sosna)
She played Steve’s girlfriend, business partner, and eventual wife. Today, actor Lindsay Price continues to act and is married to chef Curtis Stone. This provides a perfect reason for her to make a cameo in Season 2: Curtis is hired to cater a wrap party for the fictional show’s first season, for example, and naturally, he brings his wife along seeing as she had a role on the show way back when.
Sosna could also make mention of her latest gig, a role on the single-camera sitcom Splitting Up Together, which was cancelled by ABC this past May after two seasons, and use that as a reason she’s trying to get a job on the reboot.
Daniel Cosgrove (Matt Durning)
Daniel Cosgrove played Matt Durning, a lawyer and Kelly’s boyfriend in Season 9 and 10, who had a wife who was in a mental institution. After his wife was released, he and Kelly broke up. But the wife realized the medication wasn’t helping and she decided to leave Matt so he could pursue a relationship with Kelly.
It would be funny to have Cosgrove come onto the new show, perhaps playing someone with whom Kelly had a real relationship while filming. Or perhaps revealing that he had become a lawyer in real life after playing one on the show who helped the group through everything from drunk driving to weapons charges. (Really, he’s still an actor who last appeared in the Lifetime thriller series You.)
Tiffani Thiessen (Valerie Malone)
The initial replacement as the token villain on the series following Shannen Doherty’s departure, Tiffani Thiessen played this role from Season 5 through 9 as well as a special guest in Season 10. Malone was a family friend of the Walshes who came to live with them after her father was found dead from an apparent suicide.
Thiessen continues to act, appearing in Netflix sitcom Alexa & Katie and once had her own cooking show. We’d love to see her, Doherty, and Vanessa Marcil all come together as the series’ three female villains, and show them hanging out and having fun as they talk about their awful, mean girl roles.
Vanessa Marcil (Gina Kincaid)
Playing another villain, Gina Kincaid was Donna’s evil cousin who moved into town and wreaked havoc wherever she went. Played by Vanessa Marcil, it would be hilarious to have the actor come back and be the complete opposite of the character she played.
Marcil dated Brian Austin Green in real life and they share a child together. And while the families on the show are played by actors with slight differences (and similarities) with their real spouses and families, it would be fun to bring Marcil in and mention that she and Green dated way back when.
Joe E. Tata (Nat Bussichio)
No Beverly Hills, 90210 reboot, spin-off, or project of any kind would be complete without an appearance from Joe E. Tata who played Nat, the owner of the 1950s style diner the Peach Pit, through the series’ entire run.
Not only was Nat a boss and friend to the kids, he also walked Donna down the aisle after the passing of her father. He reprised the role for the spin-off series 90210, and it would be great to see Tata come back again, this time as himself to spill the beans about what it was like working with a bunch of entitled kids who let fame get to their heads.
Kathleen Robertson (Clare Arnold)
Played by Kathleen Robertson, Claire, entered the scene as a high school senior when the group was in college. Smart and wild, Claire was first most interested in getting her hands on Brandon, then later became friends and roommates with the girls and got into a serious relationship with Steve.
Appearing in Canadian series Northern Rescue on CBC in her native country, it might be funny to have Robertson reunite with fellow Canadian Jason Priestley, and watch the group make fun of their Canadian roots.
Hilary Swank (Carly Reynolds)
Given that she went on to become a big film star, it would be tough to imagine that Hilary Swank would return to reprise this minor role from early on in her career. But she was a main cast member on Season 8, playing a single mom who ended up dating Steve.
Interestingly, Swank revealed that she was actually fired from the show because the character wasn’t connecting to the show’s audience. So wouldn’t it be awesome to see her come back to the set as an exaggeratedly snobbish version of herself, rubbing her success and two Academy Awards in everyone’s faces?
Rebecca Gayheart (Antonia “Toni” Marchette)
While the series did make mention of Luke Perry, and had a small moment to reflect on the actor’s death, there’s still room to show how much they are missing him on the fictional reboot. One way could be through an appearance from Rebecca Gayheart, who played the recurring character of Toni, Dylan’s wife.
When Toni’s mobster father hires a hitman to kill Dylan, the bullet accidentally hits Toni instead and she perishes. What a sweet tribute it would be to have her come back and reflect on her time on the show working closely with Perry as a way to bring him back into the fold.
James Eckhouse (Jim Walsh)
We know that, in the fictional universe in which the show exists, Carol Potter, who played mom Cindy Walsh, became a therapist. But what about dad Jim? Played by James Eckhouse, having the actor appear on the series to shed light on what it was like working with so many young’uns would be hilarious.
What is he doing today? Still acting, he also has some experience directing. What if he were to come in as a famous director meant to oust Priestley from his post as director of the reboot? It would be fun to watch Priestley spiral as his TV dad takes his job.
