Priestley Begged '90210' to End Early

Jason Priestley, a star of Beverly Hills, 90210, expressed a desire for the series to end after its eighth season. He found the storylines in Season 8, under new showrunner John Eisendrath, to be overly dramatic and "daytime-y," citing plot points like characters in comas and hospital visits. Priestley approached the late executive producer Aaron Spelling, urging him to end the show while it was still popular. He wanted to "go out on top" with a planned ending.

However, Aaron Spelling was insistent on continuing the show, reportedly stating he would only leave the set "in a body bag." Consequently, Priestley made the decision to leave the drama midway through its ninth season, with his departure marked by the episode "Brandon Leaves." Priestley has since stated that if he had known the show would only run for approximately eighteen more months after his exit, he would have remained with the series.