2000’s Grosse Pointe from Darren Star [Shows Time Forgot]

Grosse Pointe hilariously makes fun of the behind-the-scenes drama on the set of the original Beverly Hills, 90210. Check it out!

After Beverly Hills, 90210, and before Sex and the City, Darren Star produced a little one-season-wonder called Grosse Pointe. Based on the behind-the-scenes antics on 90210, the series never quite caught on, but it was seriously entertaining.

It’s well known that the original 90210 was a massive success in its prime and that the drama behind the scenes was ridiculous. So ridiculous that it resulted in Shannen Doherty’s first hostile departure from an Aaron Spelling series (the original Charmed being the second). Darren Star (creator of 90210, Melrose Place, and Sex and the City) decided to turn the behind-the-scenes drama into a 30-minute comedy. The result was Grosse Pointe.

Satire centers on the off-camera antics of five actors who star in a fictional high school drama called “Grosse Pointe”.

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What went right?

A lot went right, actually. The show within a show follows the actors and actresses as they film the kind of teen drama that Fox was known for back in the 1990s and early 2000s. Supposedly the characters are combined traits from many of the shows Star worked on, but let’s be honest, it’s not hard to figure out who most of the characters are really based on, at least in the beginning. Hunter is obviously the diva Doherty was known to be. Quentin King is clearly mocking Luke Perry, who was too old to be playing a teenager (but damn, did I love Dylan McKay anyway). And it doesn’t stop there.

The cast is super fun, and while some of them are recognizable, it’s not a group of future superstars. Possibly the most known actor today is Nat Faxon, but the guest star list has a decent roster of television staples. Here are just a few:

• Lisa Edelstein (House, 9-1-1: Lonestar)
• Leslie Bibb (Popular, God’s Favorite Idiot)
• Jason Priestly (OG 90210, Private Eyes)
• Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Masters of the Universe: Revelation)
• Elizabeth Berkeley (Saved by the Bell)
• Kristin Davis (Sex and the City, And Just Like That…)
• Rachael Harris (Suits, Lucifer)
• Ted Danson (Cheers, The Good Place)

Overall thoughts:

I liked Grosse Pointe… but it did go on a bit long. Back then, any network show ran for around 20 episodes each season. This show could’ve stuck around a bit longer if shorter seasons were an option back then. Still, that one season is super fun to watch. I can’t promise this is for all age groups, I think Gen X and older Millennials will get it, but I don’t know about anyone else. But why not give it a try?!

You can catch the entire series here for as long as the playlist stays up on YouTube:

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