Why I Am Team Steve

Beverly Hills 90210 fans, represent!  (I'm talking the OG, not that ridiculous reboot.)  I got to thinking about the show after attending a talk and book signing with Randy Spelling and Tori Spelling this past weekend and Tweeting that Steve was always my favorite character.  (To which Ian Ziering, the actor who portrayed Steve, not only favorited my Tweet but Retweeted!  Yes!  Week made!)

While it's true that I was not exactly Fox's target demographic when the show aired (I was either at the tail end of college or just post-college but not Andrea Zuckerman territory), I quickly became addicted to the Walsh clan and their new circle of SoCal friends.  Yes, I did name my cat Dylan after Dylan McKay -- although I would tell people he was named after Bob Dylan or Dylan Thomas.  Hey, 90210 wasn't huge at first and then it became somewhat cheesy.   Brandon was supposed to be the All-American boy (played by Canadian Jason Priestley, he he) to identify with and sure, he was cute if you could look past the ever-present honking watches he wore, the never-moving-even-in-a-tsunami shelfy hair and the pocket pool he was always playing.

Steve Sanders was the man.  Why Steve when Brandon was preaching righteousness when not flipping burgers at the Peach Pit and exposing something with The Blaze and/or The Condor and Dylan was moodily driving around in his James Dean-esque Porsche and, we assume, shopping for many, many white t-shirts?

Despite a few fashion fuckeries (Steve, I forgive you for the blindingly loud shirt you wore in the opening credits for years and the cutoff shirt you wore while playing volleyball and we just won't even dwell on the post-mullet situation), Steve would be the guy you'd want to hang out with.  He was fun.  He wasn't going to get all judgy on you like Brandon, who might spout off the statistics on teen drinking if you chose to have a glass (or two) of celebratory champagne or Hunch Punch.  (Two words, Brandon:  Emily. Valentine.) 

He also wasn't moody, if you look past the episode where he told the rest of the crew that he was adopted.  Take that, Dylan McKay.  Steve wouldn't disappear for days because the surf was up or go on a bender because he was pissed at his dad. 

Other than a pre-series romance that happened with Kelly (while she was still trampy, vapid Kelly and not Saint Kelly) and Valerie Malone, which I will overlook, Steve actually dated outside the little circle of Hill-sters.  Amazing, right?  He also had friends, albeit frat house keg-loving boneheads for the most part but he branched out.

He was not just fun but funny and not at the expense of his intelligence (looking at you, Donna Martin.)  Speaking of Donna, and not to digress too far from Steve, I loved Tori Spelling's comedy and thought she did it very well but at times the dialogue she had to repeat made her seem like a downgraded Lucille Ball.  On crack.  After a weekend with Dylan McKay off the wagon.

Steve and his 'Vette (notice the I8A4RE custom plate) -
living the dream!

While he did stupid things like stealing the high school key (and getting caught), cheating and plagarizing (and getting caught), I think Steve as a character grew the most through the series.  In 1990, he was a somewhat frivilous rich kid whose biggest worry seemed to be dating and his 'Vette.  By 2000, he had married Janet - - a woman who challenged him - - traded in his 'Vette for a minivan (okay, so I still cry about that) and was a devoted dad to their daughter Maddie. 

In short, Steve was the most real, fully formed and best character on 90210 in my humble opinion.  I would much rather have hung out with him, where we would be certain to ride around town in a classy 'Vette (screw you, Darla Diller for telling Steve you don't do Corvettes! - - I'll go to the dance with you, Steve.) or watch back to back episodes of The Hartley House.  Steve would never judge me for poor choices in partners or having a little too much fun at the party.  Steve is the party.

Ian Ziering today - - hubba hubba!

And let's just be honest.  It helps that Ian Ziering portrayed Steve.  Raaaawwwwrrr.  I flove Ian Ziering.  He's smart (as evidenced on Celebrity Apprentice), he's fit (Chippendales, ya'll!) and he knows that Sharknado is campy goodness and is down with that.

Hit me back.  Are you Team Steve?