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00:00:08,592 --> 00:00:10,653
George H.W. Bush:
America and the world
drew a line in the sand.

2
00:00:10,677 --> 00:00:15,283
Mark McGrath:
As war rages overseas,
another war is declared at home.

3
00:00:15,307 --> 00:00:16,743
Charles Rosin:
Fox comes along, and says,

4
00:00:16,767 --> 00:00:18,536
"We want to get
some of that action."

5
00:00:18,560 --> 00:00:20,163
Bart Simpson:
Don't have a cow, Dad.

6
00:00:20,187 --> 00:00:22,123
Man: There's new rules, now,
and we're making them.

7
00:00:22,147 --> 00:00:23,958
Jason Priestly: I was America's
most famous teenager,

8
00:00:23,982 --> 00:00:25,460
but I was 24 years old.

9
00:00:25,484 --> 00:00:27,378
Mark McGrath:
But like in any war...

10
00:00:27,402 --> 00:00:29,172
Gabrielle Carteris:
"Don't touch him, Gabrielle."

11
00:00:29,196 --> 00:00:31,132
Stefania Marghitu: What will
the conservative advertisers,

12
00:00:31,156 --> 00:00:33,343
the regular folk
in the Midwest, think?

13
00:00:33,367 --> 00:00:35,553
Mark McGrath:
there will be casualties.

14
00:00:35,577 --> 00:00:37,805
Gabrielle Carteris:
I said, "You don't understand.
I will lose my job."

15
00:00:37,829 --> 00:00:39,807
I'll lose my job.

16
00:00:39,831 --> 00:00:47,831
{\an8}♪♪

17
00:00:48,840 --> 00:00:50,109
{\an8}[ Dial-up modems screeching ]

18
00:00:50,133 --> 00:00:58,133
{\an8}♪♪

19
00:01:02,813 --> 00:01:04,040
{\an8}Jan Brady: All I hear
all day long at school

20
00:01:04,064 --> 00:01:05,625
{\an8}is how great Marcia is at this,

21
00:01:05,649 --> 00:01:07,460
{\an8}or how wonderful
Marcia did that.

22
00:01:07,484 --> 00:01:09,796
{\an8}"Marcia, Marcia, Marcia."

23
00:01:09,820 --> 00:01:11,381
Carol Brady:
Now, sweetheart...

24
00:01:11,405 --> 00:01:13,633
Mark McGrath: For decades,
TV's portrayal

25
00:01:13,657 --> 00:01:15,510
of a typical American family

26
00:01:15,534 --> 00:01:17,512
was like staring at
a snow globe...

27
00:01:17,536 --> 00:01:20,056
Life in a bubble frozen in time.

28
00:01:20,080 --> 00:01:21,540
Danny Tanner:
Oh, my God.

29
00:01:23,125 --> 00:01:25,603
Oh, my God.

30
00:01:25,627 --> 00:01:29,148
Mark McGrath:
By the '80's, hit shows like
"Full House" and "Growing Pains"

31
00:01:29,172 --> 00:01:32,235
depict teenagers as mostly
deferential underlings

32
00:01:32,259 --> 00:01:34,737
to their wise
and benevolent parents.

33
00:01:34,761 --> 00:01:36,823
Mike Seaver: Dad.
Jason Seaver: Mike.

34
00:01:36,847 --> 00:01:38,950
It is Mike, isn't it?

35
00:01:38,974 --> 00:01:40,451
No, it couldn't be.

36
00:01:40,475 --> 00:01:43,121
My mike was supposed to
be home at 1:00 a.m.

37
00:01:43,145 --> 00:01:44,747
A lot of television history

38
00:01:44,771 --> 00:01:49,794
begins with this very White
suburban nuclear family.

39
00:01:49,818 --> 00:01:51,296
Father knows best.

40
00:01:51,320 --> 00:01:53,798
You know, maybe cheeky,
to some extent,

41
00:01:53,822 --> 00:01:56,551
but for the most part,
obedient children

42
00:01:56,575 --> 00:01:59,554
who listen to their parents.

43
00:01:59,578 --> 00:02:02,932
Jason Priestley: I came up
as an actor in the '80's.

44
00:02:02,956 --> 00:02:07,145
In shows that were about
real angsty teens,

45
00:02:07,169 --> 00:02:08,771
the heroic leads of the show

46
00:02:08,795 --> 00:02:12,233
were trying to help and save
from whatever troubles

47
00:02:12,257 --> 00:02:16,738
these angsty teens
had gotten themselves into.

48
00:02:16,762 --> 00:02:20,033
Man: Cut and dry stories.
Cut and dry characters.

49
00:02:20,057 --> 00:02:22,285
Nothing felt too challenging,
you know?

50
00:02:22,309 --> 00:02:24,287
It felt like, "We're gonna
have the good guy.

51
00:02:24,311 --> 00:02:25,872
We're gonna have
the bad kid."

52
00:02:25,896 --> 00:02:28,416
They were sort of just
products of their parents.

53
00:02:28,440 --> 00:02:31,919
And similarly, the parents,
if they had flaws,

54
00:02:31,943 --> 00:02:34,422
it was in that kind of,
like, "Oh, Dad"...

55
00:02:34,446 --> 00:02:37,592
Like, eye-rolly kind of
"parents just don't get us"

56
00:02:37,616 --> 00:02:39,302
kind of way.

57
00:02:39,326 --> 00:02:42,680
But it never really dug
beneath the surface of anyone.

58
00:02:42,704 --> 00:02:44,557
Elyse Keaton: Alex, do you want
to take a break an join us?

59
00:02:44,581 --> 00:02:46,184
Alex Keaton:
I'm really busy, Mom.

60
00:02:46,208 --> 00:02:47,648
Elyse Keaton:
We're playing Monopoly.

61
00:02:51,755 --> 00:02:54,192
Mark McGrath: And it was
happening on every channel,

62
00:02:54,216 --> 00:02:57,904
which, at the time,
pretty much added up to three.

63
00:02:57,928 --> 00:03:00,073
Charles Rosin: There was the
American Broadcasting Company,

64
00:03:00,097 --> 00:03:01,908
the National
Broadcasting Company,

65
00:03:01,932 --> 00:03:04,494
and the Columbia
Broadcasting System.

66
00:03:04,518 --> 00:03:06,954
And they all were
very fully developed.

67
00:03:06,978 --> 00:03:09,540
They had news divisions.
They had sports divisions.

68
00:03:09,564 --> 00:03:13,669
They were very successful
public companies.

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00:03:13,693 --> 00:03:16,798
Mark McGrath: Network TV
was a license to print money.

70
00:03:16,822 --> 00:03:19,592
And in the late '80's,
media magnate

71
00:03:19,616 --> 00:03:22,887
Rupert Murdoch decided
to belly-up to the trough.

72
00:03:22,911 --> 00:03:25,515
Owning TV channels
in a few big cities,

73
00:03:25,539 --> 00:03:28,101
Murdoch cobbled together
a nationwide group

74
00:03:28,125 --> 00:03:29,977
of small independent stations,

75
00:03:30,001 --> 00:03:34,232
and launches the Fox Network
to go to war with the Big Three.

76
00:03:34,256 --> 00:03:35,900
Fox comes along, and says,

77
00:03:35,924 --> 00:03:37,944
"We want to get
some of that action."

78
00:03:37,968 --> 00:03:41,739
Mark McGrath: Fox hits
the airwaves on April 5, 1987,

79
00:03:41,763 --> 00:03:44,575
with three shows... "The Late
Show with Joan Rivers,"

80
00:03:44,599 --> 00:03:48,121
"Married... with Children,"
and "The Tracey Ullman Show."

81
00:03:48,145 --> 00:03:50,289
{\an8}Stefania Marghitu: Who is this
Tracey Ullman, anyway?

82
00:03:50,313 --> 00:03:52,667
{\an8}Mark McGrath:
Ratings lag, but Tracey's show

83
00:03:52,691 --> 00:03:55,628
{\an8}features a cartoon
about an unusual family.

84
00:03:55,652 --> 00:03:57,505
It's so popular that Fox tries

85
00:03:57,529 --> 00:03:59,882
something not seen
on prime-time television

86
00:03:59,906 --> 00:04:03,970
since "The Flintstones"...
A half hour animated TV show.

87
00:04:03,994 --> 00:04:07,598
♪ The Simpsons ♪

88
00:04:07,622 --> 00:04:08,933
Homer Simpson: Doh!

89
00:04:08,957 --> 00:04:10,977
Bart Simpson:
Don't have a cow, dad.

90
00:04:11,001 --> 00:04:13,479
Mark McGrath:
A hilarious satirical take
on the family sitcom,

91
00:04:13,503 --> 00:04:15,356
"The Simpsons" and Bart-mania

92
00:04:15,380 --> 00:04:18,025
infiltrates high schools
and colleges.

93
00:04:18,049 --> 00:04:21,154
And teens everywhere
start quoting the 2-D boy

94
00:04:21,178 --> 00:04:22,864
they love to watch.

95
00:04:22,888 --> 00:04:25,116
Bart Simpson: I'm Bart Simpson.
Who the hell are you?

96
00:04:25,140 --> 00:04:28,411
Charles Rosin:
Fox was only programing
one or two nights a week

97
00:04:28,435 --> 00:04:31,706
and they decided, "Okay, we're
gonna move our entire network

98
00:04:31,730 --> 00:04:33,624
to be the young programing."

99
00:04:33,648 --> 00:04:35,751
Man: I can jam with you.
Lisa Simpson: Okay.

100
00:04:35,775 --> 00:04:38,087
Mark McGrath: Fox takes a
gamble, and moves "The Simpsons"

101
00:04:38,111 --> 00:04:41,215
to Thursday nights, pitting its
groundbreaking comedy

102
00:04:41,239 --> 00:04:44,677
directly against the
most successful family sitcom

103
00:04:44,701 --> 00:04:46,721
in television history.

104
00:04:46,745 --> 00:04:50,141
Heathcliff Huxtable:
Mrs. Huxtable and I love
to live dangerously.

105
00:04:50,165 --> 00:04:51,893
Homer Simpson:
Bart, could you get me
another beer, please?

106
00:04:51,917 --> 00:04:53,144
Marge Simpson:
In a second, Homer.

107
00:04:53,168 --> 00:04:54,520
Lisa had some good news.

108
00:04:54,544 --> 00:04:55,897
Lisa Simpson:
He doesn't care, Mom.

109
00:04:55,921 --> 00:04:57,315
Homer Simpson:
Sure, I do.

110
00:04:57,339 --> 00:04:59,400
I just want to have a beer
while I'm caring.

111
00:04:59,424 --> 00:05:02,487
Mark McGrath: The underdog wins
the first Bart vs. Bill battle

112
00:05:02,511 --> 00:05:06,324
with an estimated
33.6 million viewers.

113
00:05:06,348 --> 00:05:07,950
Homer Simpson:
We're proud of you, boy,

114
00:05:07,974 --> 00:05:09,911
Bart Simpson:
Thanks, Dad.

115
00:05:09,935 --> 00:05:11,704
Mark McGrath:
making it the highest
watched show that week.

116
00:05:11,728 --> 00:05:14,207
And as the country
enters a new decade...

117
00:05:14,231 --> 00:05:19,337
Ronald Reagan: Mr. Gorbachev,
tear down this wall.

118
00:05:19,361 --> 00:05:22,089
Mark McGrath:
television enters a new era

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00:05:22,113 --> 00:05:24,300
Stefania Marghitu: Once we
get into the '90's, right,

120
00:05:24,324 --> 00:05:27,595
we're in post-1989,
post-Cold War.

121
00:05:27,619 --> 00:05:32,099
Television is shifting
in a lot of ways.

122
00:05:32,123 --> 00:05:34,810
Man: Between the
grunge rock movement,

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00:05:34,834 --> 00:05:37,396
and things that were happening
sort of politically

124
00:05:37,420 --> 00:05:41,108
and socially, this younger
part of our population

125
00:05:41,132 --> 00:05:44,362
was demanding that
their voice be heard,

126
00:05:44,386 --> 00:05:47,573
saying, "We're not gonna play
by these old rules

127
00:05:47,597 --> 00:05:49,742
that you say we have to play by.

128
00:05:49,766 --> 00:05:52,370
There's new rules, now,
and we're making them."

129
00:05:52,394 --> 00:05:55,915
Once that teenage audience
became viable,

130
00:05:55,939 --> 00:06:00,002
and frankly, had some money
in their pockets to spend,

131
00:06:00,026 --> 00:06:04,840
and became a target, the next
sort of logical step was

132
00:06:04,864 --> 00:06:08,803
"How do they want
to be told stories?"

133
00:06:08,827 --> 00:06:12,181
Mark McGrath:
With a couple of solid
comedic hits on their schedule,

134
00:06:12,205 --> 00:06:15,268
Fox decides to go
where the Big Three hadn't...

135
00:06:15,292 --> 00:06:17,562
Dramas aimed at young people.

136
00:06:17,586 --> 00:06:19,272
In an effort to go young,

137
00:06:19,296 --> 00:06:21,816
Fox hires perhaps
the least likely person

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00:06:21,840 --> 00:06:25,820
to spearhead a campaign
to attract teens to prime time.

139
00:06:25,844 --> 00:06:29,574
Stefania Marghitu:
Aaron Spelling was television
gold, as far as a producer went.

140
00:06:29,598 --> 00:06:33,327
Everything he helped
produce became a success...

141
00:06:33,351 --> 00:06:36,205
"The Love Boat,"
"Charlie's Angels."

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00:06:36,229 --> 00:06:40,209
Every decade,
he was able to have a success.

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00:06:40,233 --> 00:06:42,878
Mark McGrath:
But Spelling made his career
mostly telling tales

144
00:06:42,902 --> 00:06:45,756
of the rich and famous
with first-world problems...

145
00:06:45,780 --> 00:06:49,760
{\an1}not exactly the resume of a guy
hired to bring The Simpsons edge

146
00:06:49,784 --> 00:06:51,178
to teen dramas.

147
00:06:51,202 --> 00:06:53,514
Now 67,
living in the largest house

148
00:06:53,538 --> 00:06:55,433
in L.A.'s nicest
neighborhood,

149
00:06:55,457 --> 00:07:01,147
Spelling seems an odd choice
for the upstart Fox network.

150
00:07:01,171 --> 00:07:03,482
Stefania Marghitu: Usually,
that's when producers retire,

151
00:07:03,506 --> 00:07:07,194
but Aaron Spelling chose not to,
and wanted to keep going.

152
00:07:07,218 --> 00:07:10,573
So, you look towards
his daughter, Tori Spelling.

153
00:07:10,597 --> 00:07:13,701
Mark McGrath:
Inspired by his daughter,
Spelling's first show for Fox

154
00:07:13,725 --> 00:07:17,121
is originally titled
"The Class of Beverly Hills."

155
00:07:17,145 --> 00:07:20,541
He sends the pilot script
to an up-and-coming producer.

156
00:07:20,565 --> 00:07:23,753
I was interested in meeting
a legend... Aaron Spelling.

157
00:07:23,777 --> 00:07:26,672
I took the meeting because
I wanted to meet Aaron Spelling.

158
00:07:26,696 --> 00:07:30,593
He had gone an entire year
without a show on the air,

159
00:07:30,617 --> 00:07:33,721
and he only had really one show
that went to pilot.

160
00:07:33,745 --> 00:07:36,349
And it was this,
this "Class of Beverly Hills."

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00:07:36,373 --> 00:07:38,476
Young Woman:
Nobody knows me here.

162
00:07:38,500 --> 00:07:40,686
I could be anybody.

163
00:07:40,710 --> 00:07:42,772
I could be somebody.

164
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My name is Charles Rosin.

165
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{\an8}My friends often
call me "Chuck."

166
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{\an8}And I was the executive producer
of "Beverly Hills, 90210."

167
00:07:49,469 --> 00:07:52,347
{\an8}from 1990 to 1995.

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00:07:54,974 --> 00:07:57,370
Mark McGrath: Early in
"90210" 's first season,

169
00:07:57,394 --> 00:07:59,955
it looks like Fox's swing
on a new kind of show

170
00:07:59,979 --> 00:08:01,957
for teens is a miss.

171
00:08:01,981 --> 00:08:03,751
Charles Rosin:
"Beverly Hills, 90210"

172
00:08:03,775 --> 00:08:06,879
debuted on October 4, 1990.

173
00:08:06,903 --> 00:08:10,883
It was, ratings-wise,
like a ski run.

174
00:08:10,907 --> 00:08:13,219
It just went downhill.

175
00:08:13,243 --> 00:08:15,471
And our ratings got lower
and lower.

176
00:08:15,495 --> 00:08:17,306
And we would have been replaced,

177
00:08:17,330 --> 00:08:21,018
except Fox had no replacement
for us.

178
00:08:21,042 --> 00:08:24,438
So, at that point,
they had to just say,

179
00:08:24,462 --> 00:08:25,856
"Okay, well, let's just let them

180
00:08:25,880 --> 00:08:30,528
finish out the 12
that we've ordered."

181
00:08:30,552 --> 00:08:34,013
But on January 17, 1991...

182
00:08:36,891 --> 00:08:38,536
Operation Desert Storm

183
00:08:38,560 --> 00:08:41,771
dramatically changes
the television landscape.

184
00:08:44,941 --> 00:08:50,297
George H.W. Bush:
America and the world
drew a line in the sand.

185
00:08:50,321 --> 00:08:53,843
Charles Rosin: What the three
big networks did is, they said,

186
00:08:53,867 --> 00:08:57,513
"Alright. We're at war now,
It's war time.

187
00:08:57,537 --> 00:09:01,475
We're going to suspend
all of our commercial ratings,

188
00:09:01,499 --> 00:09:03,436
at that point, and just focus on

189
00:09:03,460 --> 00:09:05,295
what's going on
in the Middle East.

190
00:09:07,464 --> 00:09:10,526
Mark McGrath:
The Gulf War makes history
by becoming the first war

191
00:09:10,550 --> 00:09:14,220
televised 24 hours a day live.

192
00:09:19,267 --> 00:09:23,038
Fox can't compete.

193
00:09:23,062 --> 00:09:26,083
Charles Rosin:
Fox had no news department.

194
00:09:26,107 --> 00:09:29,587
Hard to believe, I know,
but they had no news department.

195
00:09:29,611 --> 00:09:33,257
And they decided, "We'll just
run what we have on those days."

196
00:09:33,281 --> 00:09:38,637
And so, "90210" ran
some of those episodes.

197
00:09:38,661 --> 00:09:41,182
A couple of weeks go by,
the war ends,

198
00:09:41,206 --> 00:09:42,641
and they resume service,

199
00:09:42,665 --> 00:09:45,728
and all of a sudden,
"Beverly Hills, 90210"

200
00:09:45,752 --> 00:09:47,605
is not on
the bottom five anymore.

201
00:09:47,629 --> 00:09:49,732
And we're gaining
three quarters of a million

202
00:09:49,756 --> 00:09:51,901
to a million viewers
every episode.

203
00:09:51,925 --> 00:09:54,487
Crowd:
We don't want your stupid war!

204
00:09:54,511 --> 00:09:56,739
Mark McGrath:
As troops raced towards Baghdad,

205
00:09:56,763 --> 00:09:59,575
"90210" marches up
the ratings chart,

206
00:09:59,599 --> 00:10:02,453
becoming a home for teenagers,
who, for the first time,

207
00:10:02,477 --> 00:10:09,668
see people on network TV
who look and sound like them.

208
00:10:09,692 --> 00:10:11,337
Every character was relatable
in a very specific way

209
00:10:11,361 --> 00:10:13,714
without having these
shallow archetypes.

210
00:10:13,738 --> 00:10:16,133
That's really what Gen X
was looking for.

211
00:10:16,157 --> 00:10:17,802
Dylan McKay:
Hi. How are you?

212
00:10:17,826 --> 00:10:19,804
{\an8}Stefania Marghitu: My name is
Dr. Stefania Marghitu

213
00:10:19,828 --> 00:10:24,099
{\an8}and I'm a media studies scholar
with an expertise in television

214
00:10:24,123 --> 00:10:26,644
{\an8}and the intersections
of youth culture.

215
00:10:26,668 --> 00:10:27,978
Producer: Perfect.

216
00:10:28,002 --> 00:10:30,231
[ Laughs ]

217
00:10:30,255 --> 00:10:32,608
Brenda Walsh:
You're no better than Kelly.

218
00:10:32,632 --> 00:10:34,652
Brandon Walsh:
Hey. Don't overreact, here.

219
00:10:34,676 --> 00:10:36,821
All I'm saying is,
it doesn't matter to me

220
00:10:36,845 --> 00:10:38,322
whether you slept with him
or not.

221
00:10:38,346 --> 00:10:40,366
You're still my sister.

222
00:10:40,390 --> 00:10:42,743
Stefania Marghitu:
You have the outsiders,
Brenda and Brandon,

223
00:10:42,767 --> 00:10:46,247
from Minnesota,
coming into this unknown space

224
00:10:46,271 --> 00:10:48,499
of Beverly Hills, 90210.

225
00:10:48,523 --> 00:10:51,252
So, the typical
American audience,

226
00:10:51,276 --> 00:10:54,505
the suburban Midwestern
audience, can relate to them.

227
00:10:54,529 --> 00:10:57,258
Jason Priestley: I think that
our show was the first show

228
00:10:57,282 --> 00:11:01,053
that sort of depicted
a far more realistic version

229
00:11:01,077 --> 00:11:03,764
of American life.

230
00:11:03,788 --> 00:11:05,432
{\an8}My name is Jason Priestley,

231
00:11:05,456 --> 00:11:08,477
{\an8}and I played Brandon Walsh
on "Beverly Hills, 90210."

232
00:11:08,501 --> 00:11:10,271
Young Man:
You know what, man?

233
00:11:10,295 --> 00:11:11,897
You obviously got some kind of
problem with me, don't you? Huh?

234
00:11:11,921 --> 00:11:13,357
Right now's your chance.
Make your move. Come on.

235
00:11:13,381 --> 00:11:14,942
Brandon Walsh:
I'm not gonna hit you, man.

236
00:11:14,966 --> 00:11:16,861
You're like a brother to me.
I'm not gonna do it.

237
00:11:16,885 --> 00:11:18,404
Young Man: You have to.
Brandon Walsh: No,
I don't have to.

238
00:11:18,428 --> 00:11:19,780
But if you feel like
you want to hit me,

239
00:11:19,804 --> 00:11:21,055
why don't you go ahead.

240
00:11:25,894 --> 00:11:28,622
Jason Priestley: Our show
allowed for young people

241
00:11:28,646 --> 00:11:30,249
to watch other young people

242
00:11:30,273 --> 00:11:32,751
struggle with what they were
struggling with,

243
00:11:32,775 --> 00:11:36,863
and it allowed them to to feel
like they weren't alone.

244
00:11:39,032 --> 00:11:42,928
Charles Rosin:
Our mandate was pretty clear,
at that point...

245
00:11:42,952 --> 00:11:48,058
To find ways to entertain,
to be romantic,

246
00:11:48,082 --> 00:11:50,311
and once in a while
even try to be funny,

247
00:11:50,335 --> 00:11:53,272
but at the same time, really
deal with character-based

248
00:11:53,296 --> 00:11:56,775
stories that deal with the
social issues of our time.

249
00:11:56,799 --> 00:11:58,402
Donna Martin:
Andrea...

250
00:11:58,426 --> 00:12:01,280
what's the matter.
Why didn't you go with them?

251
00:12:01,304 --> 00:12:03,157
Andrea Zuckerman: Couldn't be
that much of a hypocrite.

252
00:12:03,181 --> 00:12:05,159
Gabrielle Carteris: It was one
of the first shows at that time

253
00:12:05,183 --> 00:12:07,494
that talked about
the real issues,

254
00:12:07,518 --> 00:12:10,915
and the confusion,
and the betrayals, and the pain,

255
00:12:10,939 --> 00:12:15,127
{\an1}and the love, having sex, drugs,
real things that were going on.

256
00:12:15,151 --> 00:12:18,547
And I think young people
felt respected.

257
00:12:18,571 --> 00:12:20,215
I'm Gabrielle Carteris.

258
00:12:20,239 --> 00:12:24,428
{\an8}I played Andrea Zuckerman
on "90210" many years ago.

259
00:12:24,452 --> 00:12:25,804
{\an8}Andrea Zuckerman: Who am I
to try to educate people

260
00:12:25,828 --> 00:12:28,557
about safer sex
when I've never...

261
00:12:28,581 --> 00:12:31,143
Gabrielle Carteris:
They used to say "Kids
are to be seen, and not heard."

262
00:12:31,167 --> 00:12:33,437
This was the transitional
period where,

263
00:12:33,461 --> 00:12:36,106
"No, actually.
They're young people.

264
00:12:36,130 --> 00:12:39,443
They have stories,
and they have real situations.

265
00:12:39,467 --> 00:12:41,552
And now, we're gonna
talk about that."

266
00:12:48,059 --> 00:12:50,371
Jason Priestley: Young people
just latched on to it,

267
00:12:50,395 --> 00:12:55,668
and went, "This is
prime-time TV for me.

268
00:12:55,692 --> 00:12:59,129
And it's not my parents'
TV anymore.

269
00:12:59,153 --> 00:13:04,760
This is my TV, that's on
at night, made for me."

270
00:13:04,784 --> 00:13:08,555
Charles Rosin:
When you've got something
that's that white-hot,

271
00:13:08,579 --> 00:13:10,957
what are you gonna do
to capitalize it?

272
00:13:13,543 --> 00:13:15,187
Mark McGrath: At a time
when the three networks

273
00:13:15,211 --> 00:13:19,775
spent the summer airing reruns,
reruns, and more reruns,

274
00:13:19,799 --> 00:13:21,652
Fox switches things up,

275
00:13:21,676 --> 00:13:25,364
and "90210" keeps going
with all-new episodes.

276
00:13:25,388 --> 00:13:27,783
Jason Priestley: That was gonna
be the coolest thing.

277
00:13:27,807 --> 00:13:29,952
All the kids are gonna
be home for the summer,

278
00:13:29,976 --> 00:13:32,371
and we're gonna give them
original programing.

279
00:13:32,395 --> 00:13:35,457
Is gonna be
super exciting, right?

280
00:13:35,481 --> 00:13:39,795
We were still in production when
that first summer episode hit.

281
00:13:39,819 --> 00:13:42,339
I think we were number 14
that week.

282
00:13:42,363 --> 00:13:47,052
{\an1}To, all of a sudden, be launched
up to number 14 was unheard of.

283
00:13:47,076 --> 00:13:49,638
Gabrielle Carteris:
Everything is serendipitous,
when you think about it.

284
00:13:49,662 --> 00:13:52,474
But the idea that
the show happened on Fox

285
00:13:52,498 --> 00:13:54,309
when FOX was not yet a network,

286
00:13:54,333 --> 00:13:57,396
so they didn't have money to go
and change shows in and out.

287
00:13:57,420 --> 00:13:59,690
They didn't have
as much fear of failure,

288
00:13:59,714 --> 00:14:02,401
because they had so little
out there.

289
00:14:02,425 --> 00:14:06,155
It was an amazing opportunity.

290
00:14:06,179 --> 00:14:08,949
Mark McGrath: But an opportunity
that comes with danger,

291
00:14:08,973 --> 00:14:12,494
both personal and professional.

292
00:14:12,518 --> 00:14:15,414
Gabrielle Carteris: I remember
calling my family, and I said,

293
00:14:15,438 --> 00:14:18,107
"I think my life
is about to change."

294
00:14:22,945 --> 00:14:27,968
{\an8}♪♪

295
00:14:27,992 --> 00:14:32,181
Mark McGrath:
As the new decade begins,
Fox launches "In Living Color,"

296
00:14:32,205 --> 00:14:34,349
a "Saturday Night Live" -ish
show,

297
00:14:34,373 --> 00:14:37,269
but one that's updated
with a '90's sensibility.

298
00:14:37,293 --> 00:14:39,646
It instantly hits
with young viewers.

299
00:14:39,670 --> 00:14:41,607
Let's start with a stretch.

300
00:14:41,631 --> 00:14:43,341
And down.

301
00:14:45,384 --> 00:14:49,156
Okay.
Now, you try.

302
00:14:49,180 --> 00:14:52,284
Mark McGrath:
Fox is also innovating
with brand new formats,

303
00:14:52,308 --> 00:14:55,537
including what will become
known as "reality TV"...

304
00:14:55,561 --> 00:14:57,915
A reaction to
a TV writers' strike

305
00:14:57,939 --> 00:15:01,627
that requires replacements
for scripted content.

306
00:15:01,651 --> 00:15:03,754
♪ Bad boys ♪

307
00:15:03,778 --> 00:15:06,006
Officer: Oh, my God.

308
00:15:06,030 --> 00:15:09,051
Mark McGrath:
"Cops" is a raw look inside
police forces across America.

309
00:15:09,075 --> 00:15:10,594
Man: You can't make
this shit up.

310
00:15:10,618 --> 00:15:13,347
♪ Bad boys, bad boys ♪

311
00:15:13,371 --> 00:15:16,725
Mark McGrath: While audiences
are experiencing reality TV,

312
00:15:16,749 --> 00:15:19,561
The cast of
"Beverly Hills, 90210"

313
00:15:19,585 --> 00:15:22,022
are experiencing
their new reality.

314
00:15:22,046 --> 00:15:24,858
[ Cheering ]

315
00:15:24,882 --> 00:15:26,652
Luke Perry: You cannot prepare
for something like this.

316
00:15:26,676 --> 00:15:28,779
I had no idea
how many people would come.

317
00:15:28,803 --> 00:15:31,740
{\an8}Jason Priestley: If Luke Perry
and I were out together,

318
00:15:31,764 --> 00:15:33,492
{\an8}all we heard was screaming.

319
00:15:33,516 --> 00:15:35,994
They thought I was,
you know, 16 or 17,

320
00:15:36,018 --> 00:15:38,378
and they thought I was still
in high school, like they were.

321
00:15:42,233 --> 00:15:44,837
Mark McGrath:
Although the characters
in "Beverly Hills, 90210"

322
00:15:44,861 --> 00:15:46,547
when they were all written
as 16,

323
00:15:46,571 --> 00:15:51,135
the actors playing them
are between 17 and 29.

324
00:15:51,159 --> 00:15:53,262
{\an8}Jason Priestley: I was America's
most famous teenager,

325
00:15:53,286 --> 00:15:55,889
but I was, you know,
24 years old,

326
00:15:55,913 --> 00:15:57,290
so, it was strange.

327
00:15:59,667 --> 00:16:03,230
Mark McGrath:
While most of the cast enjoyed
their newfound spotlight,

328
00:16:03,254 --> 00:16:05,649
some worry about
the extra attention.

329
00:16:05,673 --> 00:16:08,026
{\an8}Gabrielle Carteris: There is
a real age discriminatory

330
00:16:08,050 --> 00:16:09,653
{\an8}kind of aspect to our industry,

331
00:16:09,677 --> 00:16:12,156
{\an8}because it's about young,
beautiful people.

332
00:16:12,180 --> 00:16:14,908
Mark McGrath:
And when you're playing
a teenager on a hit show,

333
00:16:14,932 --> 00:16:17,870
age is definitely more
than just a number.

334
00:16:17,894 --> 00:16:19,538
It can mean your career.

335
00:16:19,562 --> 00:16:21,165
Gabrielle Carteris: I always
had to lie about my age.

336
00:16:21,189 --> 00:16:24,960
There was a very, very
well-known casting director.

337
00:16:24,984 --> 00:16:28,005
He did all, like,
the big commercials.

338
00:16:28,029 --> 00:16:29,423
He'd bring me in, and I'd work,

339
00:16:29,447 --> 00:16:30,883
and he'd "I love you,
Gabrielle."

340
00:16:30,907 --> 00:16:33,260
And one day, on camera, he said,
"How old are you?

341
00:16:33,284 --> 00:16:35,012
How old are you really?"

342
00:16:35,036 --> 00:16:36,305
And I thought,
"Oh. Okay."

343
00:16:36,329 --> 00:16:37,580
I told him.

344
00:16:39,457 --> 00:16:41,268
Never was called in again.

345
00:16:41,292 --> 00:16:42,853
"She's an old hag.
Don't even present her.

346
00:16:42,877 --> 00:16:46,190
I don't want to know."

347
00:16:46,214 --> 00:16:48,525
We are living in
an ageist culture.

348
00:16:48,549 --> 00:16:50,402
But I can't change
the way I look.

349
00:16:50,426 --> 00:16:52,779
I mean, you know,
what are you gonna do, right?

350
00:16:52,803 --> 00:16:55,157
So, during "90210,"
when I when I did...

351
00:16:55,181 --> 00:16:58,076
I was 29 doing the role
of a 16-year-old.

352
00:16:58,100 --> 00:17:01,914
And I already knew the stigma
attached to my age.

353
00:17:01,938 --> 00:17:03,498
So, I lied about my age

354
00:17:03,522 --> 00:17:05,125
when I auditioned
for "90210."

355
00:17:05,149 --> 00:17:07,836
And then, I was on set.

356
00:17:07,860 --> 00:17:10,672
People Magazine,
they had ask me a question,

357
00:17:10,696 --> 00:17:12,257
"By the way, Gabrielle,
how old are you?"

358
00:17:12,281 --> 00:17:15,469
And I said, "I don't play age.
I play character."

359
00:17:15,493 --> 00:17:17,012
Well, a couple of days later,

360
00:17:17,036 --> 00:17:19,181
that's when the writer
called, and said,

361
00:17:19,205 --> 00:17:22,476
"I want you to know
we know your real age."

362
00:17:22,500 --> 00:17:24,770
And I said, "You can't...
You can't share that.

363
00:17:24,794 --> 00:17:26,396
I'll lose my job."

364
00:17:26,420 --> 00:17:29,233
And "Well, I'm sorry.
I'm gonna be posting it."

365
00:17:29,257 --> 00:17:30,609
I said, "You don't understand.

366
00:17:30,633 --> 00:17:32,527
I will lose my job."

367
00:17:32,551 --> 00:17:36,990
{\an8}♪♪

368
00:17:37,014 --> 00:17:38,492
I was crying.
I was hysterical.

369
00:17:38,516 --> 00:17:40,410
I called my publicist.
I called my lawyer.

370
00:17:40,434 --> 00:17:42,037
I called my agent.
I called everybody.

371
00:17:42,061 --> 00:17:44,164
I said, "Please,
you have to call them,

372
00:17:44,188 --> 00:17:46,333
and tell them
not to post the story."

373
00:17:46,357 --> 00:17:49,294
But People Magazine felt
it was very important

374
00:17:49,318 --> 00:17:51,046
to go and put my age out.

375
00:17:51,070 --> 00:17:53,548
And I always say that I'm lucky,
because, in that moment,

376
00:17:53,572 --> 00:17:55,592
the show was actually
becoming a hit.

377
00:17:55,616 --> 00:17:57,427
So they did not take me off.

378
00:17:57,451 --> 00:17:59,513
But it shaded the way
they wrote for me.

379
00:17:59,537 --> 00:18:02,641
It really affected the way
that they dealt with me.

380
00:18:02,665 --> 00:18:07,479
It became crippling
to creative storytelling.

381
00:18:07,503 --> 00:18:10,816
Mark McGrath: Gabrielle's role
in the show gets reduced.

382
00:18:10,840 --> 00:18:13,610
But even up against hit shows
like "Cheers,"

383
00:18:13,634 --> 00:18:17,781
"90210" 's ratings
continue to grow on Fox.

384
00:18:17,805 --> 00:18:20,158
Stefania Marghitu: On the '90's,
there was no on demand.

385
00:18:20,182 --> 00:18:22,995
There was no streaming.
There was no direct access.

386
00:18:23,019 --> 00:18:26,540
{\an8}So, appointment viewing
was so important at the time.

387
00:18:26,564 --> 00:18:28,292
{\an8}If you wanted to watch a show,

388
00:18:28,316 --> 00:18:32,087
{\an8}you had to watch it at 7:00
or 8:00 p.m. that Thursday,

389
00:18:32,111 --> 00:18:34,881
or whenever,
to be able to watch it.

390
00:18:34,905 --> 00:18:38,468
Gabrielle Carteris: We were
very much driven, as a society,

391
00:18:38,492 --> 00:18:41,972
by the way in what was shown
on television, right?

392
00:18:41,996 --> 00:18:43,265
"7:00? Are you gonna watch
da da da?"

393
00:18:43,289 --> 00:18:44,766
"[Gasps] Did you see...?"

394
00:18:44,790 --> 00:18:46,101
But doing that with everything.

395
00:18:46,125 --> 00:18:47,978
There were no other options.

396
00:18:48,002 --> 00:18:51,023
So, there was... everybody was
talking about the same thing.

397
00:18:51,047 --> 00:18:53,150
Jason Priestley: It was a great
co-viewing opportunity.

398
00:18:53,174 --> 00:18:55,777
And I've had a lot
of young people,

399
00:18:55,801 --> 00:18:59,072
they've said to me that they
were struggling with something

400
00:18:59,096 --> 00:19:00,657
that we addressed on our show,

401
00:19:00,681 --> 00:19:02,451
and that they were watching
with their parents,

402
00:19:02,475 --> 00:19:04,828
and that watching it
on the show, you know,

403
00:19:04,852 --> 00:19:10,000
gave them the right entree to
start talking to their parents.

404
00:19:10,024 --> 00:19:12,085
Gabrielle Carteris: How
mind-blowing is that, right?

405
00:19:12,109 --> 00:19:14,713
For the first time, being open
to have a conversation

406
00:19:14,737 --> 00:19:17,174
with your child
about issues that,

407
00:19:17,198 --> 00:19:19,259
you know, you suspected
were happening,

408
00:19:19,283 --> 00:19:20,635
but how do you broach it?

409
00:19:20,659 --> 00:19:22,763
And now, you have a platform.

410
00:19:22,787 --> 00:19:25,974
Mark McGrath: Fox's willingness
to confront real-world issues

411
00:19:25,998 --> 00:19:28,226
resonates with
its teen audience.

412
00:19:28,250 --> 00:19:30,479
Brenda Walsh: Dylan,
this is so beautiful.

413
00:19:30,503 --> 00:19:32,564
Dylan McKay:
Yeah, I thought you'd like it.

414
00:19:32,588 --> 00:19:35,692
Mark McGrath:
But some parents object to
the show's story lines.

415
00:19:35,716 --> 00:19:37,986
Stefania Marghitu: Brenda losing
her virginity to Dylan

416
00:19:38,010 --> 00:19:40,364
was completely unprecedented.

417
00:19:40,388 --> 00:19:42,366
There were maybe
hints towards it,

418
00:19:42,390 --> 00:19:45,077
but you would never actually
go through with it,

419
00:19:45,101 --> 00:19:46,703
much less getting pregnant,

420
00:19:46,727 --> 00:19:49,039
You know, were huge issues

421
00:19:49,063 --> 00:19:51,666
that were either going to be
completely avoided,

422
00:19:51,690 --> 00:19:54,669
or only the bad girls
would get it.

423
00:19:54,693 --> 00:19:56,755
Brenda Walsh:
How many girls get to have sex
for the first time

424
00:19:56,779 --> 00:19:58,465
with someone they love?

425
00:19:58,489 --> 00:19:59,800
Dylan McKay:
I don't know.

426
00:19:59,824 --> 00:20:03,011
I didn't really take
an opinion poll

427
00:20:03,035 --> 00:20:05,347
Charles Rosin: In the episode
called "Spring Dance,"

428
00:20:05,371 --> 00:20:07,140
there was love all around.

429
00:20:07,164 --> 00:20:11,770
And they did indeed
go into a hotel room.

430
00:20:11,794 --> 00:20:14,856
Dylan McKay: I'm sorry.
I just can't control myself.

431
00:20:14,880 --> 00:20:16,900
Charles Rosin: Parents were
calling up the network.

432
00:20:16,924 --> 00:20:18,276
"How could you do this?

433
00:20:18,300 --> 00:20:20,404
There's gonna be
such backlash to this."

434
00:20:20,428 --> 00:20:23,657
All of these things
were happening in our society.

435
00:20:23,681 --> 00:20:26,451
And I turned to
the network people, and said,

436
00:20:26,475 --> 00:20:28,954
"What are you protecting
your viewers from?

437
00:20:28,978 --> 00:20:31,123
What are you protecting
these kids at 8:00 from

438
00:20:31,147 --> 00:20:34,126
that they can't know about
on the news at 6:30?"

439
00:20:34,150 --> 00:20:37,337
Woman [Voice breaking]:
And I was yelling, "No!"

440
00:20:37,361 --> 00:20:39,798
And "Stop!"

441
00:20:39,822 --> 00:20:43,176
Mark McGrath:
While parents are objecting
to discussions of consensual sex

442
00:20:43,200 --> 00:20:45,887
depicted on the show,
evening news anchors

443
00:20:45,911 --> 00:20:49,057
are discussing rape charges
against JFK's nephew,

444
00:20:49,081 --> 00:20:51,184
William Kennedy Smith...

445
00:20:51,208 --> 00:20:54,020
A story made all the more
disturbing by his connection

446
00:20:54,044 --> 00:20:56,565
to America's royal family.

447
00:20:56,589 --> 00:21:00,402
Woman: And I thought
he was gonna kill me.

448
00:21:00,426 --> 00:21:04,322
Mark McGrath:
Then, only months later,
Anita Hill accuses her boss,

449
00:21:04,346 --> 00:21:07,451
Judge Clarence Thomas,
of sexual harassment

450
00:21:07,475 --> 00:21:09,661
while in the middle
of his confirmation hearing

451
00:21:09,685 --> 00:21:13,081
for a coveted seat
on the Supreme Court.

452
00:21:13,105 --> 00:21:15,333
Anita Hill:
On several occasions,

453
00:21:15,357 --> 00:21:19,421
Thomas told me graphically
of his own sexual prowess.

454
00:21:19,445 --> 00:21:24,301
On other occasions, he referred
to the size of his own penis.

455
00:21:24,325 --> 00:21:29,014
Stefania Marghitu:
The sexualization in the news
was gonna somehow

456
00:21:29,038 --> 00:21:31,975
be influencing
other forms of media.

457
00:21:31,999 --> 00:21:36,021
If you're seeing it on the cover
of your popular newspapers,

458
00:21:36,045 --> 00:21:39,483
it's fair game.

459
00:21:39,507 --> 00:21:42,736
Mark McGrath:
It's against this backdrop
that Fox approves a script

460
00:21:42,760 --> 00:21:45,989
with a story line
about condoms in schools.

461
00:21:46,013 --> 00:21:48,283
Andrea Zuckerman:
I hereby propose that
the West Beverly Hills

462
00:21:48,307 --> 00:21:50,994
Board of Education
move to consider adopting a plan

463
00:21:51,018 --> 00:21:52,746
to make condoms available
to the students

464
00:21:52,770 --> 00:21:56,124
on the campus
of West Beverly High.

465
00:21:56,148 --> 00:21:58,752
Mark McGrath: When the episode
airs, it starts a debate

466
00:21:58,776 --> 00:22:01,671
in a real life high school
in Beverly Hills.

467
00:22:01,695 --> 00:22:05,675
Charles Rosin:
One of the feathers in our cap
was that, a week later,

468
00:22:05,699 --> 00:22:08,261
the Los Angeles Board
of Education

469
00:22:08,285 --> 00:22:10,013
considered the matter.

470
00:22:10,037 --> 00:22:15,185
And one woman changed her
mind... Roberta Weintraub.

471
00:22:15,209 --> 00:22:16,853
And when she was asked,

472
00:22:16,877 --> 00:22:20,381
she started quoting
some of the lines in "90210."

473
00:22:24,009 --> 00:22:27,280
Mark McGrath: Fox quickly
capitalizes on "90210" 's success

474
00:22:27,304 --> 00:22:30,325
by launching "Melrose Place"
and "The Heights,"

475
00:22:30,349 --> 00:22:32,661
two similar prime-time
soap operas

476
00:22:32,685 --> 00:22:36,957
designed to keep bringing in
the ever-elusive young audience.

477
00:22:36,981 --> 00:22:39,626
None of this goes unnoticed
by the Big Three,

478
00:22:39,650 --> 00:22:44,464
who quickly launched a search
for their own teen dramas.

479
00:22:44,488 --> 00:22:48,510
ABC tries to steal away
the Fox audience in 1994

480
00:22:48,534 --> 00:22:51,763
with a show titled
"My So-called Life."

481
00:22:51,787 --> 00:22:53,974
Not to be outfoxed by ABC,

482
00:22:53,998 --> 00:22:57,227
Fox counters by green-lighting
"Party of Five,"

483
00:22:57,251 --> 00:22:59,688
a series the network
originally envisioned

484
00:22:59,712 --> 00:23:04,150
as a feel-good drama about
the resilience of children.

485
00:23:04,174 --> 00:23:06,653
Julia Salinger:
So, tomorrow, we go to Mr. Gray,
and we ask him for an advance.

486
00:23:06,677 --> 00:23:08,029
Bailey Salinger: No.

487
00:23:08,053 --> 00:23:09,698
Julia Salinger: Why not?
It's an emergency.

488
00:23:09,722 --> 00:23:11,491
Bailey Salinger: Because we've
got to seem in charge.

489
00:23:11,515 --> 00:23:13,827
We've got to seem like we can
handle everything ourselves,

490
00:23:13,851 --> 00:23:15,328
like a normal family,

491
00:23:15,352 --> 00:23:17,497
or else they have an excuse
to split us up.

492
00:23:17,521 --> 00:23:20,250
{\an8}Scott Wolf: I'm Scott Wolf,
and I played Bailey Salinger

493
00:23:20,274 --> 00:23:22,210
{\an8}on "Party of Five."

494
00:23:22,234 --> 00:23:24,713
The original pitch
was very different.

495
00:23:24,737 --> 00:23:27,340
The first pitch was this kind
of, like, "Party of five."

496
00:23:27,364 --> 00:23:32,345
Like, "Parents are gone,"
like "not sure how."

497
00:23:32,369 --> 00:23:35,890
But "The kids are on their own,
and like, what happens."

498
00:23:35,914 --> 00:23:38,518
And then, they got
the "Party of Five" script,

499
00:23:38,542 --> 00:23:41,813
which was, like, kind of
what they asked for.

500
00:23:41,837 --> 00:23:45,150
But the parents were killed
in an automobile accident

501
00:23:45,174 --> 00:23:48,194
by a drunk driver, and they're
gonna get split up

502
00:23:48,218 --> 00:23:49,738
and put into foster care.

503
00:23:49,762 --> 00:23:52,574
And so, it was very not
the kind of good-timey

504
00:23:52,598 --> 00:23:56,494
kids-on-their-own show
I think the network envisioned.

505
00:23:56,518 --> 00:23:59,039
To their credit, they didn't go,

506
00:23:59,063 --> 00:24:01,082
"What are you guys doing?

507
00:24:01,106 --> 00:24:03,543
Kids can't be watching
this kind of thing,"

508
00:24:03,567 --> 00:24:04,961
or "They're not ready
for it."

509
00:24:04,985 --> 00:24:06,504
They stepped up, and said,

510
00:24:06,528 --> 00:24:08,548
"There's something
really special about this."

511
00:24:08,572 --> 00:24:09,948
And they did it.

512
00:24:12,409 --> 00:24:14,512
Mark McGrath: As the other
networks joined the battle

513
00:24:14,536 --> 00:24:18,642
over this young adult audience,
Fox decides to see how honest

514
00:24:18,666 --> 00:24:21,936
and raw they can go
before someone makes them stop.

515
00:24:21,960 --> 00:24:23,938
Scott Wolf:
An inside joke was,

516
00:24:23,962 --> 00:24:26,733
before we started every scene,
they would walk over,

517
00:24:26,757 --> 00:24:30,779
and they would say,
"Tears are not inappropriate."

518
00:24:30,803 --> 00:24:35,075
You know, you earn yourself
a lot of leg room with emotion

519
00:24:35,099 --> 00:24:38,244
when the premise of your story
is a group of orphans

520
00:24:38,268 --> 00:24:41,956
who have lost their parents
in an automobile crash.

521
00:24:41,980 --> 00:24:45,293
Mark McGrath:
But early on, it looks like
Fox executives are the ones

522
00:24:45,317 --> 00:24:48,963
who will be shedding tears
over a failed show.

523
00:24:48,987 --> 00:24:51,758
Scott wolf:
We would come to work
the day after our show aired,

524
00:24:51,782 --> 00:24:54,386
and just kind of, like,
flick the light switch,

525
00:24:54,410 --> 00:24:55,970
like, "Do they still work?"

526
00:24:55,994 --> 00:24:58,264
"Okay. power's on.
We can keep making the show."

527
00:24:58,288 --> 00:25:00,874
It was that kind of sketchy
for a while.

528
00:25:06,255 --> 00:25:08,775
♪ How do you talk
to an angel? ♪

529
00:25:08,799 --> 00:25:10,735
Mark McGrath: During the first
season of "The Heights,

530
00:25:10,759 --> 00:25:14,406
the theme song hits number one
on the Billboard charts.

531
00:25:14,430 --> 00:25:18,576
But while teens love the song,
it seems to be all they love.

532
00:25:18,600 --> 00:25:22,205
Fox soon drops the show.

533
00:25:22,229 --> 00:25:24,916
Over at ABC,
despite rave reviews,

534
00:25:24,940 --> 00:25:26,876
"My So-called Life" is canceled,

535
00:25:26,900 --> 00:25:30,779
leaving a season-one cliffhanger
forever unresolved.

536
00:25:33,449 --> 00:25:36,052
All of this has the cast
of "Party of Five"

537
00:25:36,076 --> 00:25:40,432
wondering if they'll survive
to the end of season one.

538
00:25:40,456 --> 00:25:42,475
{\an8}Scott Wolf: Really, throughout
the course of our first season,

539
00:25:42,499 --> 00:25:45,395
{\an8}there was no,
"Take a deep breath.
We're okay."

540
00:25:45,419 --> 00:25:46,896
{\an8}You know, we were, you know,

541
00:25:46,920 --> 00:25:49,733
TV Guide's "Best Shows
You're Not watching."

542
00:25:49,757 --> 00:25:52,360
That's, like, a weird
backhanded award to win.

543
00:25:52,384 --> 00:25:53,987
[ Laughs ]

544
00:25:54,011 --> 00:25:55,572
Charlie Salinger: I'm
responsible for this family,

545
00:25:55,596 --> 00:25:57,574
and I'm gonna take
that responsibility seriously.

546
00:25:57,598 --> 00:25:59,033
Bailey Salinger:
Oh, give me a break, Charlie.

547
00:25:59,057 --> 00:26:02,036
You're the one
who lost the money, not me.

548
00:26:02,060 --> 00:26:04,372
Mark McGrath: For Scott Wolf,
the opportunity to play

549
00:26:04,396 --> 00:26:07,500
Bailey Salinger
is the role of a lifetime.

550
00:26:07,524 --> 00:26:09,627
Scott Wolf:
I really was ready.

551
00:26:09,651 --> 00:26:14,799
I was so hungry to find myself
in the middle of a story

552
00:26:14,823 --> 00:26:17,761
where I could actually be
a full human being.

553
00:26:17,785 --> 00:26:19,804
Mark McGrath:
But were audiences ready?

554
00:26:19,828 --> 00:26:22,056
Early ratings
for "Party of Five"

555
00:26:22,080 --> 00:26:24,350
suggested they were not.

556
00:26:24,374 --> 00:26:27,812
Claudia Salinger:
This wouldn't have happened
if mom and dad were here.

557
00:26:27,836 --> 00:26:29,397
Scott Wolf: In this day and age,
frankly,

558
00:26:29,421 --> 00:26:33,026
if that show premiered
last fall,

559
00:26:33,050 --> 00:26:35,612
we'd have gotten canceled
after a couple of episodes.

560
00:26:35,636 --> 00:26:37,906
And so, knowing how easy
it would have been

561
00:26:37,930 --> 00:26:40,492
for the network
to either cancel us,

562
00:26:40,516 --> 00:26:44,454
or make wholesale changes,
and give up on the faith

563
00:26:44,478 --> 00:26:47,832
that this was the right show
at the right time,

564
00:26:47,856 --> 00:26:51,044
they stuck with it, and they
let us keep telling our story,

565
00:26:51,068 --> 00:26:52,879
and the audience came to us.

566
00:26:52,903 --> 00:26:54,822
And once they did,
they never left.

567
00:26:57,324 --> 00:27:02,013
Matthew Fox and I got sent to
New York to do some publicity.

568
00:27:02,037 --> 00:27:06,142
We went out there,
and they went bananas.

569
00:27:06,166 --> 00:27:08,144
And they were, like,
tearing our clothes off.

570
00:27:08,168 --> 00:27:10,146
It was very much, like, our,
you know,

571
00:27:10,170 --> 00:27:12,440
Beatles "Hard Day's Night"
moment.

572
00:27:12,464 --> 00:27:13,733
I remember looking across them.

573
00:27:13,757 --> 00:27:15,193
Like, I was being pulled
in one direction,

574
00:27:15,217 --> 00:27:16,486
he was being pulled
in the other.

575
00:27:16,510 --> 00:27:19,656
And we were like,
"What is happening?"

576
00:27:19,680 --> 00:27:23,576
And that was the first
dawning of,

577
00:27:23,600 --> 00:27:27,664
"Oh, people do know who we are,
and what we're doing.

578
00:27:27,688 --> 00:27:34,379
And it matters to them enough
to, like, rip my jacket off."

579
00:27:34,403 --> 00:27:35,964
Heading into our second season,

580
00:27:35,988 --> 00:27:38,299
we got nominated
for a Golden Globe Award,

581
00:27:38,323 --> 00:27:41,594
which really kind of lended
a credibility

582
00:27:41,618 --> 00:27:43,471
to what we were up to.

583
00:27:43,495 --> 00:27:45,056
Mark McGrath:
At the Golden Globes,

584
00:27:45,080 --> 00:27:47,225
"Party of Five" is up against
heavyweight dramas

585
00:27:47,249 --> 00:27:49,644
like CBS's "Chicago Hope,"

586
00:27:49,668 --> 00:27:53,022
ABC's "Murder One"
and "NYPD Blue,"

587
00:27:53,046 --> 00:27:56,359
as well as NBC's
mega hit "ER."

588
00:27:56,383 --> 00:27:58,862
Scott Wolf: We were sitting,
basically, in the parking lot.

589
00:27:58,886 --> 00:28:00,947
We were, like, by the bathrooms.

590
00:28:00,971 --> 00:28:03,241
And our category came up,
and it was like,

591
00:28:03,265 --> 00:28:05,785
"well, we'll get that over with,
and enjoy our meal."

592
00:28:05,809 --> 00:28:07,871
And then, we kind of
shocked the world,

593
00:28:07,895 --> 00:28:10,832
and won the thing,
which nobody expected.

594
00:28:10,856 --> 00:28:12,750
And the winner is...

595
00:28:12,774 --> 00:28:14,043
"Party of Five."

596
00:28:14,067 --> 00:28:16,612
[ Cheering ]

597
00:28:18,572 --> 00:28:20,383
Mark McGrath: The success
of "Party of Five"

598
00:28:20,407 --> 00:28:23,428
has critics asking
whether Fox is irresponsibly

599
00:28:23,452 --> 00:28:27,181
portraying teen problems
simply as a ratings grab.

600
00:28:27,205 --> 00:28:29,475
Scott Wolf: To the point where
other writer-producers

601
00:28:29,499 --> 00:28:31,311
were contacting
our writer producers,

602
00:28:31,335 --> 00:28:35,815
as the show is airing,
saying, "I hope, please tell me,

603
00:28:35,839 --> 00:28:37,650
there's a design around
what you're doing

604
00:28:37,674 --> 00:28:39,068
with Bailey's character,

605
00:28:39,092 --> 00:28:40,528
because it's, like,
wildly irresponsible

606
00:28:40,552 --> 00:28:42,906
if he's just drinking,
and he's underage."

607
00:28:42,930 --> 00:28:45,074
And they're like,
"Wait for it. Wait for it.

608
00:28:45,098 --> 00:28:47,201
Wait for it."

609
00:28:47,225 --> 00:28:48,661
Claudia Salinger: Bailey.
Julia Salinger: What's going on?

610
00:28:48,685 --> 00:28:51,539
Charlie Salinger:
He's ripped.

611
00:28:51,563 --> 00:28:52,916
Mark McGrath:
By the mid-90s,

612
00:28:52,940 --> 00:28:54,876
underage drinking
is on the rise,

613
00:28:54,900 --> 00:28:56,210
and drunk drivers are killing

614
00:28:56,234 --> 00:28:59,029
more than 300 Americans
every week.

615
00:29:02,199 --> 00:29:07,013
In the past, TV often
normalized excessive drinking.

616
00:29:07,037 --> 00:29:08,431
Alex Keaton:
Yo, Uncle Ned, are you okay?

617
00:29:08,455 --> 00:29:10,725
Uncle Ned: I'm fine.
I'm fine. I'm fine.

618
00:29:10,749 --> 00:29:12,310
Let's see.

619
00:29:12,334 --> 00:29:16,314
There ought to be some alcohol
in here somewhere.

620
00:29:16,338 --> 00:29:18,775
Mark McGrath: Or straight out
played it for laughs.

621
00:29:18,799 --> 00:29:21,861
Man: Phone call for Al...
Al Coholic.

622
00:29:21,885 --> 00:29:23,863
Is there an Al Coholic here?

623
00:29:23,887 --> 00:29:25,722
[ Laughter ]

624
00:29:27,766 --> 00:29:29,243
Everything will be OK.

625
00:29:29,267 --> 00:29:31,162
I just need one of these.

626
00:29:31,186 --> 00:29:33,081
Zack Morris:
Pills?

627
00:29:33,105 --> 00:29:34,582
Stefania Marghitu:
"Saved by the Bell,"
the famous episode

628
00:29:34,606 --> 00:29:37,126
where there's a pill addiction.

629
00:29:37,150 --> 00:29:38,795
{\an8}And that is solved
within the course

630
00:29:38,819 --> 00:29:41,214
{\an8}of less than 30 minutes.

631
00:29:41,238 --> 00:29:45,009
Mark McGrath: Fox shows deal
more honestly with addiction.

632
00:29:45,033 --> 00:29:48,012
But will it prove too much
for audiences?

633
00:29:48,036 --> 00:29:49,639
Charlie Salinger: This is it.
This is your last chance.

634
00:29:49,663 --> 00:29:52,600
You're checking yourself in.
Bailey Salinger: Or what?

635
00:29:52,624 --> 00:29:54,435
What are you gonna do, Charlie?

636
00:29:54,459 --> 00:29:56,312
Send me to bed without dessert?

637
00:29:56,336 --> 00:29:58,147
Cut off my allowance?

638
00:29:58,171 --> 00:29:59,816
Charlie Salinger: Do you want me
to cut you off financially?

639
00:29:59,840 --> 00:30:01,150
Fine. It's done.
Bailey Salinger: Fine.

640
00:30:01,174 --> 00:30:02,986
Who cares?
I don't need your money.

641
00:30:03,010 --> 00:30:04,320
I could go get a job

642
00:30:04,344 --> 00:30:06,072
And I already got
my own place to live.

643
00:30:06,096 --> 00:30:08,866
All I need is for you
to get the hell out of my way.

644
00:30:08,890 --> 00:30:11,035
I mean it, Charlie.
Charlie Salinger: No.

645
00:30:11,059 --> 00:30:13,287
Bailey Salinger:
Get out of my way.

646
00:30:13,311 --> 00:30:14,580
Man: Come on.

647
00:30:14,604 --> 00:30:15,873
Bailey Salinger:
You son of a bitch.

648
00:30:15,897 --> 00:30:17,583
[Screams]

649
00:30:17,607 --> 00:30:21,611
Claudia Salinger: Oh, my God.
Julia Salinger: Bailey.

650
00:30:24,489 --> 00:30:26,384
Announcer:
This is drugs.

651
00:30:26,408 --> 00:30:29,721
This is your brain on drugs.

652
00:30:29,745 --> 00:30:31,848
Any questions?

653
00:30:31,872 --> 00:30:35,309
Mark McGrath:
During the mid '90's,
drugs, alcohol, and teenagers

654
00:30:35,333 --> 00:30:38,354
are mixing in even
more dangerous ways.

655
00:30:38,378 --> 00:30:41,524
The heavy-handed "just say no"
approach of the '80's

656
00:30:41,548 --> 00:30:45,486
no longer holds weight
with their intended audience.

657
00:30:45,510 --> 00:30:48,031
Stefania Marghitu:
Traditionally, family shows
that would feature

658
00:30:48,055 --> 00:30:51,576
predominantly teen characters,
like "Growing Pains,"

659
00:30:51,600 --> 00:30:55,621
{\an7}You would have a kind of public
service announcement at the end.

660
00:30:55,645 --> 00:30:58,916
{\an8}So, these would be "a very
special episode," right?

661
00:30:58,940 --> 00:31:00,543
Young Man: Everybody's not
doing drugs,

662
00:31:00,567 --> 00:31:02,462
and you don't have to try
and be cool.

663
00:31:02,486 --> 00:31:04,047
Stefania Marghitu:
"Don't do drugs.

664
00:31:04,071 --> 00:31:05,548
Call this number."

665
00:31:05,572 --> 00:31:08,342
And you would see
"This is your brain on drugs,"

666
00:31:08,366 --> 00:31:11,095
that edu-tainment, right?

667
00:31:11,119 --> 00:31:13,973
Man: Who taught you
how to do this stuff?

668
00:31:13,997 --> 00:31:16,184
Boy: You, alright?

669
00:31:16,208 --> 00:31:17,977
I learned it by watching you.

670
00:31:18,001 --> 00:31:19,645
Charlie Rosin:
While they meant well,

671
00:31:19,669 --> 00:31:21,522
{\an8}it kind of like was, then,
the equivalent, I say,

672
00:31:21,546 --> 00:31:23,900
{\an8}looking at a Lifetime TV movie.

673
00:31:23,924 --> 00:31:25,693
{\an8}It kind of,
yes, it has all the moves,

674
00:31:25,717 --> 00:31:28,237
{\an8}but it's really not moving you,
the audience.

675
00:31:28,261 --> 00:31:31,115
We made the move with the shows
to entertain people,

676
00:31:31,139 --> 00:31:32,492
and have them think.

677
00:31:32,516 --> 00:31:33,743
Claudia Salinger:
Bailey's got a problem,

678
00:31:33,767 --> 00:31:35,995
and he's too afraid
to deal with it.

679
00:31:36,019 --> 00:31:37,914
Bailey Salinger:
Claudia?

680
00:31:37,938 --> 00:31:39,957
Scott Wolf:
the alcoholism story line
on "Party of Five is,

681
00:31:39,981 --> 00:31:41,417
{\an8}to this day, one of the things

682
00:31:41,441 --> 00:31:43,544
{\an8}I'm most proud
of having been part of.

683
00:31:43,568 --> 00:31:45,338
Bailey Salinger:
I don't have a problem.

684
00:31:45,362 --> 00:31:47,715
Scott Wolf: We were telling
Bailey's alcoholism story line

685
00:31:47,739 --> 00:31:49,717
before anyone knew
it was a story,

686
00:31:49,741 --> 00:31:55,473
where he would just have a beer,
and nothing else would happen.

687
00:31:55,497 --> 00:31:57,850
As if someone in your life
had a beer, and you go,

688
00:31:57,874 --> 00:31:59,352
"Should I...
Well, I guess they're not

689
00:31:59,376 --> 00:32:01,270
having a beer all the time,
so they're fine."

690
00:32:01,294 --> 00:32:04,690
Bailey Salinger: And yeah,
yeah, way too much partying.

691
00:32:04,714 --> 00:32:08,945
So, I'm gonna pull myself
together, not drink for a while.

692
00:32:08,969 --> 00:32:12,073
Hey, what did you expect?
I've never done this before.

693
00:32:12,097 --> 00:32:14,992
You expect a first-time clown
not to make any mistakes?

694
00:32:15,016 --> 00:32:17,203
Huh?
Boy: I want my mom!

695
00:32:17,227 --> 00:32:19,831
Oh, God. Don't cry.
He's crying.

696
00:32:19,855 --> 00:32:21,624
Charlie Salinger:
Come on. Let's get out of here.

697
00:32:21,648 --> 00:32:23,042
Bailey Salinger: I'm teaching
him how to be a man.

698
00:32:23,066 --> 00:32:24,919
Scott Wolf: The fact that
there was purpose

699
00:32:24,943 --> 00:32:29,215
in putting this story into
the hands of our young audience

700
00:32:29,239 --> 00:32:30,675
says everything you need to know

701
00:32:30,699 --> 00:32:33,261
about what "Party of Five"
was trying to do.

702
00:32:33,285 --> 00:32:35,638
Jason Priestley: We tackled
subjects that were difficult,

703
00:32:35,662 --> 00:32:37,140
and that were painful.

704
00:32:37,164 --> 00:32:38,683
Dylan McKay:
This is Kelly.

705
00:32:38,707 --> 00:32:40,601
Jason Priestley: Watching
the roller coaster ride

706
00:32:40,625 --> 00:32:42,645
that was Dylan McKay, you know,

707
00:32:42,669 --> 00:32:45,815
dealing with his addiction,
and falling off the wagon,

708
00:32:45,839 --> 00:32:47,191
{\an8}and then getting back
on the wagon,

709
00:32:47,215 --> 00:32:49,735
{\an8}and you know...
It was craziness, right?

710
00:32:49,759 --> 00:32:51,195
{\an8}Dylan McKay:
Where's the coke, Kelly?

711
00:32:51,219 --> 00:32:53,364
Kelly Taylor: I don't know.
Check the box.

712
00:32:53,388 --> 00:32:56,284
And then, Kelly Taylor's
whole cocaine addiction.

713
00:32:56,308 --> 00:32:58,703
As a society,
we can't just pretend

714
00:32:58,727 --> 00:33:00,288
all these things
aren't happening.

715
00:33:00,312 --> 00:33:03,374
And I think, the more that we do
talk about these things,

716
00:33:03,398 --> 00:33:06,460
the less people will try
to hide from the truth.

717
00:33:06,484 --> 00:33:09,130
I think we we really tried
to make a difference,

718
00:33:09,154 --> 00:33:12,258
and hopefully we did.

719
00:33:12,282 --> 00:33:15,636
Julia Salinger: You're a thief,
and a liar, and a drunk.

720
00:33:15,660 --> 00:33:18,931
Scott Wolf: I heard from people.
We got letters from people.

721
00:33:18,955 --> 00:33:20,850
People came up to me at the
time, and come up to me since,

722
00:33:20,874 --> 00:33:23,811
saying, "My brother
was an alcoholic.

723
00:33:23,835 --> 00:33:25,062
I was an alcoholic.

724
00:33:25,086 --> 00:33:27,315
My best friend
was a drug addict.

725
00:33:27,339 --> 00:33:30,067
And seeing that story helped us.

726
00:33:30,091 --> 00:33:32,403
It helped me understand
what the disease is.

727
00:33:32,427 --> 00:33:34,071
It helped me understand
how to deal with it.

728
00:33:34,095 --> 00:33:35,489
It helped us through it."

729
00:33:35,513 --> 00:33:37,366
Or, "It went badly for us,

730
00:33:37,390 --> 00:33:40,328
but at least seeing the show
helped me feel connected,

731
00:33:40,352 --> 00:33:41,829
and like I wasn't
alone in it."

732
00:33:41,853 --> 00:33:47,210
There's no overstating
how much that means.

733
00:33:47,234 --> 00:33:49,503
Mark McGrath: Fox successfully
pushes boundaries

734
00:33:49,527 --> 00:33:52,298
with their fearless approach
to youth programing.

735
00:33:52,322 --> 00:33:56,677
But there is a limit
to how far the network will go.

736
00:33:56,701 --> 00:33:59,889
Gabrielle Carteris:
People say that our industry is
really liberal,

737
00:33:59,913 --> 00:34:02,141
{\an8}but our industry
is just a thing,

738
00:34:02,165 --> 00:34:04,477
{\an8}and the people in it
are diverse.

739
00:34:04,501 --> 00:34:06,562
{\an8}Some are liberal,
and some are not.

740
00:34:06,586 --> 00:34:09,148
What I'm trying to say is that
there's a lot of prejudice

741
00:34:09,172 --> 00:34:11,984
that's also imposed
on the performer.

742
00:34:12,008 --> 00:34:16,864
Young Man: Listen,
about yesterday, I'm sorry.

743
00:34:16,888 --> 00:34:18,616
I didn't mean
to hurt your feelings.

744
00:34:18,640 --> 00:34:21,285
Gabrielle Carteris: "90210"
was very forward-thinking.

745
00:34:21,309 --> 00:34:24,038
On the other side of that,
it actually was not.

746
00:34:24,062 --> 00:34:26,249
I mean, it was television
at that time.

747
00:34:26,273 --> 00:34:28,042
Andrea Zuckerman: You know,
it was bad enough being reminded

748
00:34:28,066 --> 00:34:31,128
how inexperienced I am,

749
00:34:31,152 --> 00:34:34,298
but hearing you
apologize for it,

750
00:34:34,322 --> 00:34:36,259
it's even worse.

751
00:34:36,283 --> 00:34:37,843
Gabrielle Carteris:
A lot of things that we're asked

752
00:34:37,867 --> 00:34:40,096
to actually mirror
the very prejudice

753
00:34:40,120 --> 00:34:41,597
that the people
who are sometimes

754
00:34:41,621 --> 00:34:44,058
creating projects carry.

755
00:34:44,082 --> 00:34:46,769
I'm Jewish,
and I wear Jewish star,

756
00:34:46,793 --> 00:34:48,729
you know,
and my character was Jewish.

757
00:34:48,753 --> 00:34:51,065
And I get a call
from the studio,

758
00:34:51,089 --> 00:34:53,109
and they said,
"You know, Gabrielle,

759
00:34:53,133 --> 00:34:55,987
you really can't wear
the Jewish star."

760
00:34:56,011 --> 00:34:58,739
And I said, "But why?
My character is Jewish."

761
00:34:58,763 --> 00:35:00,199
You know, and they said,

762
00:35:00,223 --> 00:35:01,993
"Well, middle America
doesn't want to see it."

763
00:35:02,017 --> 00:35:04,078
And I said, "Really? Because
then nobody can wear crosses,

764
00:35:04,102 --> 00:35:06,122
because Middle America
does want to see that, either."

765
00:35:06,146 --> 00:35:09,667
Mark McGrath:
And then, she makes a demand
that could mean her job.

766
00:35:09,691 --> 00:35:15,697
Gabrielle Carteris:
"Everybody can take off their
religious stuff, or I'm not."

767
00:35:20,785 --> 00:35:22,513
Mark McGrath:
After being asked to remove
her Star of David necklace,

768
00:35:22,537 --> 00:35:25,433
actor Gabrielle Carteris
objects.

769
00:35:25,457 --> 00:35:27,435
In response, the Fox network

770
00:35:27,459 --> 00:35:31,397
bans all religious symbols
on any actor.

771
00:35:31,421 --> 00:35:33,357
Gabrielle Carteris: And only
now, I have to tell you,

772
00:35:33,381 --> 00:35:34,984
I say that with pride.

773
00:35:35,008 --> 00:35:37,403
I really do, because I think
that was a scary time

774
00:35:37,427 --> 00:35:40,489
to be able to speak out on it.

775
00:35:40,513 --> 00:35:43,034
Scott Wolf: You know,
in these big machines, you know,

776
00:35:43,058 --> 00:35:45,703
the...
The entertainment industry,

777
00:35:45,727 --> 00:35:48,956
it can be sort of fleet of foot,
and it can be dexterous

778
00:35:48,980 --> 00:35:50,916
but can also be a dinosaur.

779
00:35:50,940 --> 00:35:53,586
It can be very slow to react.

780
00:35:53,610 --> 00:35:56,589
Stefania Marghitu: Television
is still a supply and demand.

781
00:35:56,613 --> 00:36:00,384
So, it's a medium that has
to evolve with its audiences.

782
00:36:00,408 --> 00:36:03,262
And if its audiences
are changing their ideas

783
00:36:03,286 --> 00:36:06,098
about not only
marginalized groups

784
00:36:06,122 --> 00:36:07,933
but even the way people talk,

785
00:36:07,957 --> 00:36:10,936
that you can start adding
that one swear word

786
00:36:10,960 --> 00:36:13,397
or that one sexual contact,

787
00:36:13,421 --> 00:36:15,358
you see these lines
being pushed.

788
00:36:15,382 --> 00:36:17,693
And, of course, on the creative,
on the writers' side,

789
00:36:17,717 --> 00:36:20,404
they're gonna push it
as far as possible.

790
00:36:20,428 --> 00:36:22,198
But the nature of commercial art

791
00:36:22,222 --> 00:36:25,076
is that there always
is gonna be a push-back to

792
00:36:25,100 --> 00:36:27,745
what will the conservative
advertisers think?

793
00:36:27,769 --> 00:36:30,247
What will the conservative
regular folk

794
00:36:30,271 --> 00:36:32,375
in the Midwest think?

795
00:36:32,399 --> 00:36:35,836
Scott Wolf:
At the end of the day,
we are part of a giant network,

796
00:36:35,860 --> 00:36:40,049
and there's branding, and
there's a lot of money at stake.

797
00:36:40,073 --> 00:36:42,593
And so, you know,
things have to kind of work

798
00:36:42,617 --> 00:36:45,096
for everyone along
that food chain.

799
00:36:45,120 --> 00:36:46,931
Leslie Nielsen:
Ladies and gentlemen...

800
00:36:46,955 --> 00:36:50,976
Dixie Carter: The "Circus of
the Stars" high-wire team.

801
00:36:51,000 --> 00:36:52,603
[Cheers and applause]

802
00:36:52,627 --> 00:36:54,855
Mark McGrath: While Fox's shows
try to be current,

803
00:36:54,879 --> 00:36:56,649
other networks keep pumping out

804
00:36:56,673 --> 00:36:58,567
good old-fashioned
entertainment,

805
00:36:58,591 --> 00:37:01,612
like "Circus of the Stars"
on CBS.

806
00:37:01,636 --> 00:37:04,865
Gabrielle Carteris is
brought on as a trapeze artist,

807
00:37:04,889 --> 00:37:06,742
but when she's paired
with another young star

808
00:37:06,766 --> 00:37:08,828
from "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,"

809
00:37:08,852 --> 00:37:13,374
she performs a high-wire act
CBS isn't expecting.

810
00:37:13,398 --> 00:37:16,293
[Applause]

811
00:37:16,317 --> 00:37:19,463
{\an1}Gabrielle Carteris: I walked the
high wire with Alfonso Ribeiro,

812
00:37:19,487 --> 00:37:21,924
{\an8}and it's death-defying because
you have a net down there,

813
00:37:21,948 --> 00:37:24,802
but I-I carry weight,
and it's very dangerous.

814
00:37:24,826 --> 00:37:26,971
We had been training
for months and months,

815
00:37:26,995 --> 00:37:30,599
and for the dress rehearsal,
the network came to watch us.

816
00:37:30,623 --> 00:37:33,102
This is really fun,
but it's also, um,

817
00:37:33,126 --> 00:37:34,937
the scariest thing
I've ever done.

818
00:37:34,961 --> 00:37:37,690
Alfonso, because he had
done such a great job

819
00:37:37,714 --> 00:37:39,358
in making me feel safe,

820
00:37:39,382 --> 00:37:42,278
I gave him a big hug,
and the producers said,

821
00:37:42,302 --> 00:37:45,281
"That was unbelievable,
Gabrielle.

822
00:37:45,305 --> 00:37:47,450
Tomorrow when we, you know,
do it live,

823
00:37:47,474 --> 00:37:50,661
the only thing we're gonna ask
is please don't hug Alfonso."

824
00:37:50,685 --> 00:37:52,872
And I said, "But why?"

825
00:37:52,896 --> 00:37:56,083
And they said, "Well, you know,
he's Black, and you're white."

826
00:37:56,107 --> 00:37:57,710
And middle America...
I got to tell you,

827
00:37:57,734 --> 00:37:59,920
middle America is blamed
for everything... everything.

828
00:37:59,944 --> 00:38:01,881
They said, "They don't
want to see, uh...

829
00:38:01,905 --> 00:38:03,549
You know,
they can't accept that."

830
00:38:03,573 --> 00:38:07,511
And so, I was so pissed
that I said, "Oh, of course.

831
00:38:07,535 --> 00:38:09,680
And so I told Alfonso,
and I said,

832
00:38:09,704 --> 00:38:12,725
"So tomorrow when we do
the show, I'm gonna kiss you."

833
00:38:12,749 --> 00:38:15,060
And so, when we did the show,
I did.

834
00:38:15,084 --> 00:38:19,297
[Cheers and applause]

835
00:38:21,257 --> 00:38:25,446
Mark McGrath:
Even the once edgy "90210"
falls prey to the idea

836
00:38:25,470 --> 00:38:28,908
that America isn't always ready
to see change.

837
00:38:28,932 --> 00:38:30,284
Gabrielle Carteris:
Aaron... God bless him, right...

838
00:38:30,308 --> 00:38:33,162
He wanted to be hip
and happening

839
00:38:33,186 --> 00:38:37,541
{\an1}and yet still was kind of locked
in the constraints of the time.

840
00:38:37,565 --> 00:38:41,212
For instance, my character
at one point dates a Black man.

841
00:38:41,236 --> 00:38:42,963
"But don't touch him,
Gabrielle."

842
00:38:42,987 --> 00:38:45,591
Literally I put my arm
around him. We were walking.

843
00:38:45,615 --> 00:38:47,510
"Oh, no, no. You're not
supposed to touch him."

844
00:38:47,534 --> 00:38:49,178
"Why?"

845
00:38:49,202 --> 00:38:51,597
"Well, because middle America,
they can't, you know?"

846
00:38:51,621 --> 00:38:54,517
"Well, I'm sorry. Because,
like, this isn't real?"

847
00:38:54,541 --> 00:38:57,686
And I was just talking
to Chuck Rosin

848
00:38:57,710 --> 00:39:01,190
the other day about this and how
they really wanted so much

849
00:39:01,214 --> 00:39:04,276
to be able to be open
and how many things stopped them

850
00:39:04,300 --> 00:39:07,720
from really being able
to tell the real story.

851
00:39:10,390 --> 00:39:12,743
Charles Rosin:
The most important thing
I learned from Aaron Spelling,

852
00:39:12,767 --> 00:39:14,578
and I think it's
the other reason why

853
00:39:14,602 --> 00:39:18,040
you're talking to me today,
30 years after the fact,

854
00:39:18,064 --> 00:39:22,378
is you make a TV show
for its audience.

855
00:39:22,402 --> 00:39:26,048
Jason Priestley:
To try to reach some people

856
00:39:26,072 --> 00:39:28,384
and make us
make some statements,

857
00:39:28,408 --> 00:39:31,679
I think, is what
made our show work

858
00:39:31,703 --> 00:39:36,767
{\an1}and what made our show stand out
and last for as long as it did.

859
00:39:36,791 --> 00:39:38,477
Charles Rosin: We win
a Critics', darling.

860
00:39:38,501 --> 00:39:41,730
So many people started making
TV shows to win awards

861
00:39:41,754 --> 00:39:44,692
or to get a nice review
in "The New York Times."

862
00:39:44,716 --> 00:39:47,987
But I liked
what Spelling's idea was.

863
00:39:48,011 --> 00:39:51,448
Mark McGrath: Well, "90210" and
"Party of Five" remain popular.

864
00:39:51,472 --> 00:39:53,117
As the decade wears on,

865
00:39:53,141 --> 00:39:56,120
Fox is no longer
the new flashy network.

866
00:39:56,144 --> 00:39:58,455
Once a destination for teens,

867
00:39:58,479 --> 00:40:01,750
their loyalties
are about to shift.

868
00:40:01,774 --> 00:40:03,586
Claudia Salinger: You're
just upset or something.

869
00:40:03,610 --> 00:40:05,504
Bailey Salinger:
I'm not upset.

870
00:40:05,528 --> 00:40:08,257
I just don't want to hear
your stupid, whiny voice.

871
00:40:08,281 --> 00:40:10,158
Now, get the hell out.

872
00:40:15,246 --> 00:40:17,808
Mark McGrath: Fox wins the
initial war for teenage viewers

873
00:40:17,832 --> 00:40:19,977
in its infancy as a network,

874
00:40:20,001 --> 00:40:24,231
forever changing how young
people are represented on TV.

875
00:40:24,255 --> 00:40:27,818
Stefania Marghitu: If you have
a history of baby boomer teen TV

876
00:40:27,842 --> 00:40:30,696
and a history
of millennial teen TV,

877
00:40:30,720 --> 00:40:34,617
not including '90s teen TV
or Gen X TV,

878
00:40:34,641 --> 00:40:37,578
is like not having
the bridge in between

879
00:40:37,602 --> 00:40:40,956
that is necessary
to take you from the '50s

880
00:40:40,980 --> 00:40:43,250
to what the new millennium
was about.

881
00:40:43,274 --> 00:40:45,628
It was about an age
of transition

882
00:40:45,652 --> 00:40:48,464
and an age of defiance
of baby boomers,

883
00:40:48,488 --> 00:40:49,882
which is still going on.

884
00:40:49,906 --> 00:40:51,342
Andrea Zuckerman: Definitely.

885
00:40:51,366 --> 00:40:52,593
Girl: Definitely.

886
00:40:52,617 --> 00:40:53,886
Donna Martin: Definitely.

887
00:40:53,910 --> 00:40:55,620
Brenda Walsh: Definitely.

888
00:40:57,872 --> 00:40:59,892
Mark McGrath: But in the second
half of the decade,

889
00:40:59,916 --> 00:41:03,437
with the birth of new networks
like UPN and WB

890
00:41:03,461 --> 00:41:06,899
stealing away millions
of young viewers from Fox,

891
00:41:06,923 --> 00:41:11,111
it's what's happening on cable
that truly displaces Fox's role

892
00:41:11,135 --> 00:41:14,156
as TV's most innovative home.

893
00:41:14,180 --> 00:41:17,660
Channels like HBO and FX
are getting a reputation

894
00:41:17,684 --> 00:41:20,746
for constantly putting out
critically-acclaimed series,

895
00:41:20,770 --> 00:41:22,748
including
"The Larry Sanders Show,"

896
00:41:22,772 --> 00:41:26,210
"The Sopranos,"
and "Sex in the City."

897
00:41:26,234 --> 00:41:27,628
Carrie Bradshaw: Do you think
I can get away with

898
00:41:27,652 --> 00:41:29,463
a "hang in there,
baby," halter top?

899
00:41:29,487 --> 00:41:30,798
Miranda Hobbes: I don't think
anybody can get away with

900
00:41:30,822 --> 00:41:33,217
a "hang in there, baby"
halter top.

901
00:41:33,241 --> 00:41:35,219
Mark McGrath: Fox is
still able to come up

902
00:41:35,243 --> 00:41:38,180
with youth-focused hits like
"That '70s Show,

903
00:41:38,204 --> 00:41:43,060
"The O.C." and, later in 2009,
break another mold with "Glee."

904
00:41:43,084 --> 00:41:44,478
Both: ♪ Oh-oh ♪

905
00:41:44,502 --> 00:41:50,901
♪ Open your heart with a key ♪

906
00:41:50,925 --> 00:41:54,488
Mark McGrath: The competition
in our current so-called

907
00:41:54,512 --> 00:41:56,240
golden age of television

908
00:41:56,264 --> 00:42:00,309
has drastically changed
what it means to have a hit.

909
00:42:01,686 --> 00:42:05,082
And many viewers still long
for those '90 shows

910
00:42:05,106 --> 00:42:08,585
and a time when we were all
watching TV together.

911
00:42:08,609 --> 00:42:10,671
Charles Rosin: Every show now
is having reboots

912
00:42:10,695 --> 00:42:12,464
because the people
who develop television

913
00:42:12,488 --> 00:42:14,383
don't have that much
of an imagination.

914
00:42:14,407 --> 00:42:16,760
So they take titles
that they knew and do that

915
00:42:16,784 --> 00:42:18,846
rather than try
to break new ground.

916
00:42:18,870 --> 00:42:20,764
Some work out really great,

917
00:42:20,788 --> 00:42:23,809
you know, an exciting show like
"Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist.

918
00:42:23,833 --> 00:42:26,186
But that's the exception,
not the rule.

919
00:42:26,210 --> 00:42:30,107
Jason Priestley:
It was a moment in time that has
come and gone in a lot of ways.

920
00:42:30,131 --> 00:42:32,776
Claudia Salinger:
Look! [Gasps]

921
00:42:32,800 --> 00:42:35,946
Scott Wolf:
I've always felt like
the stories we were telling,

922
00:42:35,970 --> 00:42:38,532
the interactions
between characters

923
00:42:38,556 --> 00:42:41,869
weren't bound by that period of
time or to that period of time.

924
00:42:41,893 --> 00:42:43,162
You know, they're human.

925
00:42:43,186 --> 00:42:44,413
Julia Salinger: Bailey!

926
00:42:44,437 --> 00:42:46,582
Claudia Salinger: Bailey!

927
00:42:46,606 --> 00:42:53,213
{\an8}♪♪

928
00:42:53,237 --> 00:42:56,425
The music would be different.
The hair would be different.

929
00:42:56,449 --> 00:42:58,552
Definitely the clothes
would be different.

930
00:42:58,576 --> 00:43:02,139
But you could plop those story
lines into 2021,

931
00:43:02,163 --> 00:43:05,350
and this audience wouldn't
be insulted by any of it.

932
00:43:05,374 --> 00:43:08,479
And that says a lot.

933
00:43:08,503 --> 00:43:10,481
Charles Rosin:
In the last few years,

934
00:43:10,505 --> 00:43:13,317
we realize how important
the show has remained

935
00:43:13,341 --> 00:43:17,362
to a real core of...
Of super-fans around the world.

936
00:43:17,386 --> 00:43:20,699
When we asked them why,
they talked about the fact

937
00:43:20,723 --> 00:43:23,619
that the show had a big heart.
I think we cared.

938
00:43:23,643 --> 00:43:26,163
We cared, and we wanted
the audience to care.

939
00:43:26,187 --> 00:43:29,082
We wanted the audience
to feel good about themselves.

940
00:43:29,106 --> 00:43:30,817
Andrea Zuckerman: Thank you.

941
00:43:32,443 --> 00:43:34,838
Gabrielle Carteris:
It's not about "90210," right?

942
00:43:34,862 --> 00:43:37,883
That just becomes the vehicle
to tell the story.

943
00:43:37,907 --> 00:43:40,594
And if the story is relatable
and the story's real

944
00:43:40,618 --> 00:43:44,431
and it's about real issues,
it will always do well.

945
00:43:44,455 --> 00:43:48,519
{\an8}Scott Wolf:
I think audiences in general,
especially younger audiences,

946
00:43:48,543 --> 00:43:50,938
{\an8}now, uh, have an expectation

947
00:43:50,962 --> 00:43:52,940
{\an8}that you are going to
meet them where they are.

948
00:43:52,964 --> 00:43:56,068
{\an8}And I think you can draw a line
directly back to the...

949
00:43:56,092 --> 00:44:00,239
{\an8}those shows from the '90s
that began to honor that.

950
00:44:00,263 --> 00:44:03,200
{\an8}And I'm proud
to have been around

951
00:44:03,224 --> 00:44:05,327
{\an8}for... for the beginnings
of that.

952
00:44:05,351 --> 00:44:09,105
{\an8}♪♪