Vancouver is Lifetime’s go-to location for its tell-alls of classic 1990s TV series — from Saved By The Bell to Full House to Beverly Hills 90210 to the upcoming Melrose Place. Most of the fun of these TV movies is seeing if the new unknown actors look anything like the casts did back when they became famous shooting these hit shows. Who will Lifetime cast as Beverly Hills 90210’s Shannon Doherty or Tori Spelling or Jason Priestley and Melrose Place’s Heather Locklear?
Kitsilano and Crescent Beach have played Los Angeles and a CBC Vancouver studio has been the venue for faux-tapings of these shows in front of 1990s-styled backgrounders.
Melrose Place – 1992-1999
Sudser Melrose Place was a melodrama about aspiring 20-somethings living in a West Hollywood apartment complex with Courtney Thorne Smith as Alison who worked at D&D Advertising; Heather Locklear as Alison’s ambitious boss Amanda who moved in after she bought the complex; Doug Savant as gay social worker Matt, Thomas Calabro as Dr. Michael Mancini; Josie Bissett as his fashion designer wife Jane; Laura Leighton as Jane’s sister Sydney; Andrew Shue as writer Billy; Grant Show as labourer Jake; Daphne Zuniga as photographer Jo and Marcia Cross as Dr. Kimberly Shaw. The Unauthorized Melrose Place Story is expected to film in metro Vancouver from July 7th to 29th.
Beverly Hills 90210 — 1990-2000.
One of America’s zeitgeist shows of the 1990s, with Vancouver’s own Jason Priestley and Shannon Doherty as twins Brandon and Brenda Walsh, who move from Minneapolis to one of the most expensive zip codes in America where they attend West Beverly Hills High and hang out at the Peach Pit. Other famous cast included Tori Spelling (whose Dad, Aaron Spelling, owned the show) as Donna; Jennie Garth as Kelly; Luke Perry as Dylan; Ian Ziering as Steve; Brian Austin Green as David; and Tiffani Thiessen as Valerie. Unauthorized Beverly Hills 90210 Story began filming in metro Vancouver on July 1st and is expected to wrap July 21st.
90210 signs at 33rd and Namaimo. That production sign needs no explaining lol #yvrshoots @yvrshoots pic.twitter.com/PQIThgT1ug
— Sean Koo (@scoobykoo) July 2, 2015
@yvrshoots think this was where they were filming yesterday. My guess is it’s the Beach house or Beach club! pic.twitter.com/MIoK9n24CS
— jax (@jaxsaid) July 4, 2015
Full House – 1987-1995
One of America’s favourite family sitcoms Full House starred Bob Saget as widowed father Danny Tanner who asks two male friends to move in and help him raise three young daughters after his wife dies — John Stamos as his brother-in-law and party boy Jesse and Dave Coulier as his stand-up comic pal Joey. What do you think of Lifetime’s casting?
The tell-all hopes to tap into a tsunami of buzz as the original cast reunites for Netflix’s upcoming Fuller House, with the exception of the Olsen twins. Lifetime shot its backstory in metro Vancouver from mid-May to mid-June and it premieres August 22nd on Lifetime.
Related: Casting of Lifetime’s The Unauthorized Full House Story
Saved by the Bell – 1989-1993
Saved by the Bell was a popular drama about a sextet of Bayside High School students with Mark Paul Gosselaar as leader Zach; Mario Lopez as jock A.C. Slater; Tiffani Amber Thiessen as cheerleader Kelly; Elizabeth Berkley as over-achieving bookworm Jessie; Lark Voorhies as aspiring fashionista and shopaholic Lisa; and Dustin Diamond as the nerd Screech.
Lifetime cast.
Based on a book by Dustin Diamond, Behind The Hit: The Unauthorized, Untold Story of Saved By the Bell filmed in metro Vancouver last summer and aired Labour Day on Lifetime but did not prove popular. Perhaps it was too negative for a show and cast that many remember with affection.
