Everyone knows Beverly Hills, 90210 as the show that Aaron Spelling, produced. His daughter, Tori Spelling, played a big role as Donna Martin. While Donna is very ditzy in season 1 of the show, she evolves and becomes more comfortable speaking up and being her quirky self.
90210 is credited with being an important and influential part of the teen drama landscape, but the show aired so many decades ago that not every storyline or character arc has aged well. There are a lot of things Donna did and said that would make people uncomfortable in this day and age.
Drinks At Prom (And Still Graduates)
Teen dramas often have at least one prom episode and Beverly Hills, 90210 is no different. Donna does something that wouldn't fly today at her prom: she drinks — a lot.
This gets her in trouble, sure, as it doesn't seem like she will be able to be graduate. But when the other students come to her defense, the high school agrees to let her get her diploma. This seems really odd. Wouldn't there be a bigger consequence?
Cares Too Much About What Others Think
Donna is the kind of person who worries a lot about what other people think. When she has a crush on David Silver (Brian Austin Green), she freaks out that everyone is going to wonder why she wants to date a younger guy.
Donna does move on from this idea and dates David, and fans love these two together. But she shouldn't act this way at first. David isn't that much younger than her. Nowadays, it's cool when someone is truly themselves and doesn't worry like this.
Throws Parties At Her House When Her Parents Are On Vacation
It wouldn't be a high school TV show if there weren't some house parties, but that doesn't mean that this is something that would go over well now.
Donna throws a lot of parties at her house when her parents are on vacation, and it seems like today, she would have more respect for her parents' space and realize the many ways that this could go wrong. There is a lot more discussion today of just how out-of-control and dangerous these gatherings can get.
No One Notices She Has A Learning Disability
Donna has a learning disability, but it takes her forever to realize this, which means that absolutely no one around her notices.
Sure, parental figures can be pretty absent on teen shows, unless they're getting their own storylines, which does happen on series like Dawson's Creek and The O.C.. But on Beverly Hills, 90210, a teacher or Donna's parents should step in and realize that she's having so much trouble.
Wants To Enter The Stock Market
Steve Sanders (Ian Ziering) and Donna want to enter the stock market, which is a totally ridiculous idea. How can two teenagers actually expect to do this? It doesn't make sense.
It's hard to see this happening today, even if two high schoolers did get interested in stocks after taking a class.
Doesn't Call David Out For His Behavior
David is obsessed with sex and pressures Donna on many occasions. While Donna and David are considered one of the best pairings on the show, it's hard to ignore this problematic part of their romantic history.
There's more focus today on consent, and Donna would likely feel more confident about telling David to back off.
Doesn't Think For Herself
Overall, Donna doesn't think for herself and relies too much on what Brenda Walsh (Shannen Doherty) and Kelly Taylor (Jennie Garth) are doing.
This isn't an attractive quality by today's standards and it seems like Donna would be written differently if the show aired today (or got another reboot that featured the original characters back in high school).
Dates Ray
Ray Pruitt is one of the worst characters on the show. He is incredibly abusive to Donna and definitely the worst person for her to be with.
If this storyline aired in 2020, it wouldn't fly at all as Donna wouldn't go back to him. She would realize what was going on and her friends and family would step in a lot sooner and save her. It takes people way too long to understand that he's bad news.
Relies Too Much On Her Parents (And Is So Timid About Being An Adult)
When Donna wants David to live with her in her apartment by the beach, she says that she's not going to let her parents in on the news. She also says that she and David should have their own rooms.
Donna not only relies too much on her parents, as she should be able to tell the truth about living with David, but she's so timid about being an adult. It's very strange that a grown-up college graduate cares so much about what her parents think.
Nervous About Being In Paris
It definitely seems like today, people are more well-traveled than they were just a few decades ago, and this is particularly true for teens. It doesn't make sense that when Donna and Brenda go to Paris, Donna is so nervous about it. She acts like she's in a completely different world.
This wouldn't fly today. Instead, Donna would approach this trip in a much more worldly and sophisticated way, especially since she's from a rich family so of course she would be used to travel. It's odd for her to act like Paris is so weird when it's such a wonderful, popular city.