When Beverly Hills, 90210 debuted on television in the early 90s, it gave teens and young adults a drama they could sink their teeth into. It’s one of the few teen series to successfully transition to the college years - and beyond - as it followed one group of friends who attended West Beverly High into their adult years.
Just when the series began to lose steam as its audience aged up, the new generation of teens was flocking to the book series Harry Potter. If there had been much crossover between the two camps of fans, they would have realized there were a lot of Slytherins in Beverly Hills.
Kelly Taylor
Slytherins are typically known for their ambition and their cunning. While Kelly didn’t seem to be particularly ambitious in the early days of the series, she certainly proved herself cunning. Kelly had no problem lying or cheating to get what she wanted - to a point.
Some of the earliest instances of Kelly’s Slytherin traits showing through occurred when Brenda Walsh started dating Dylan McKay. Kelly continually placed herself in the middle of the relationship, and even dated Dylan behind Brenda’s back, though she admittedly felt guilty about her actions after the fact. In later seasons, Kelly also hid drug use, addiction, and more from her friends.
Gina Kincaid
Introduced late in the series, Gina Kincaid seemed to make it her mission to stir things up. A former Olympic ice skating hopeful, Gina grew up believing she was Donna Martin’s cousin, but the two eventually discovered they were half-sisters.
Gina didn’t let a familial bond hold her back. She dated her way through Donna’s friend group - including all of the guys previously interested in Donna. Gina also went out of her way to spill secrets, spread rumors, and hide truths about herself. She resented being stuck without lofty aspirations of Olympic glory in her sights, and she resented feeling out of place, so Gina struck out in the most Slytherin ways she could.
Colin Robbins
Though most fans remember Kelly’s feelings ping-ponging back and forth between Dylan McKay and Brandon Walsh. They weren’t her only romantic interest in the decade long drama. Colin entered the picture in season six, though he didn’t stick around for long.
He and Kelly met while she interned in New York. An artist who also traded favors for support, Colin was willing to do just about anything to get his name on the map. It’s his ambition - and his tendency to skip out on any commitment that could cost him - that made him a Slytherin.
Valerie Malone
When Shannon Doherty’s Brenda left the series, producers wanted to bring another woman into the mix. Instead of bringing in another loyal Hufflepuff character, they brought in someone to really rival Kelly for going after what she wanted. Valerie was a definite Slytherin.
Tiffany Amber Thiessen was best known for Saved By The Bell’s good girl Kelly Kapowski at the time, so playing a scheming woman who went after her desires regardless of the consequences was against type for her. Valerie wanted to be a member of the group, but she just kept getting in the way of her own connections by placing her self interest first.
Ray Pruitt
When Ray was first introduced on the series, he actually had a lot in common with Dylan McKay. He liked to work with his hands, was a bit of a loner, and didn’t entirely understand the party lifestyle. That’s where the similarities ended, however. While Dylan’s Ravenclaw personality could be happy with solitude and a good book, Ray wanted the undivided attention of those closest to him, but he also wanted to be a successful musician.
It’s not just ambition that gets him on the list. Ray was also incredibly emotionally manipulative in his relationship with Donna. He selfishly continued to pursue her, stalking her after they were over, though he did eventually understand how he acted during their relationship and attempted to change his ways.
Susan Keats
The university years meant the influx of a lot of new characters for the series. One of those was Susan Keats, played by Emma Caufield, who would go on to become more famous for a Buffy The Vampire Slayer role.
Susan was the editor of the school paper. That might make some people think she would be more suited to Ravenclaw thanks to her inquisitive mind. Susan, however, placed her ambition above all else. Any time she was placed in a position to choose, Susan picked her career over personal relationships.
Lucinda Nicholson
While most of the Slytherins in Beverly Hills, 90210 were introduced as high school or college students, Lucinda was different. She was a professor who had her eye on Brandon Walsh.
Unhappy in her married life, Lucinda regularly had affairs with other faculty members and students. When Brandon discovered she was married, he refused a relationship, but she just kept pursuing him. Lucinda also encouraged him to have a “cover date” once she was divorced since students and faculty weren’t supposed to engage in relationships. Her duplicitous nature definitely falls in line with most of the other Slytherins in the series.
David Silver
When he first debuted on the series, David Silver wasn’t one of the popular kids. Way back at the beginning, he was a sophomore at West Beverly High who just wanted to play with the big kids. He took his shot whenever he could - and by any means necessary - in hopes of getting what he wanted.
David showed up at parties he wasn’t invited to, took his chance on upperclassman Donna Martin, and made himself the center of attention whenever he could. Though he had a lot of heroic Gryffindor traits as well, his social climbing and scheming to get there could make him a Slytherin at Hogwarts.
Clare Arnold
While the main characters were all starting their university days, Clare was introduced as a senior in high school. The daughter of the university chancellor, she set her sights on Brandon Walsh. Like Lucinda, Clare didn’t take no for an answer and she would do just about anything to get what she wanted. Some of that “anything” involved handcuffing herself to Brandon’s bed, but he just slept on the couch.
Unlike Lucinda, Clare didn’t continue pursuing someone who didn’t want her, though she wasn’t above scheming to get closer to either David Silver or Steve Sanders, both characters she ended up dating during the show’s run.
Steve Sanders
Steve’s Slytherin sort is largely born from his insecurities. He was both ambitious and cunning when he debuted, though fans didn’t learn exactly why until later in his arc.
Steve’s ambition surrounded maintaining the classic “big man on campus” position at West Beverly High. That meant he also wanted to romance the most popular girl in school. It just so happened that he had real feelings for Kelly Taylor, though she didn’t know that. His need to maintain his popular status was a result of wanting to make sure his friends didn’t move on without him. Steve had a lot of Hufflepuff in him for a Slytherin.