Brian Austin Green Says Joe E. Tata Was an ‘Amazing Man’ – & Why He Didn’t Think ‘BH90210’ Needed Season 2 [Exclusive]
Brian Austin Green from Beverly Hills: 90210 remembered co-star Joe E. Tata as an “amazing man” and someone he will never forget.
Tata, who died at age 85, played Peach Pit owner Nat Bussichio in the beloved coming of age ’90’s series, always had a quick wit and sage advice for teen characters like Green’s David Silver. In an interview with Showbiz Cheat Sheet about his partnership with Depend, Green recalled how working with Tata was a gift and a memory he will always cherish.
Brian Austin Green recalled his bond with Joe E. Tata
Green recalled Tata as a ray of sunshine. “Very amazing man. He left an amazing mark. And he’ll be missed, but not forgotten,” Green said thinking of back on the 10 seasons he appeared alongside Tata on Beverly Hills: 90210.
“From day one, anybody that’s ever seen anything that he’s done, he had a light to him. And he had that all the time, even on days for him that were difficult,” Green added. Tata was diagnosed with Alzheimers in 2018, The New York Times reports.
“And there were times where things [were] going on,” Green said. “And he chose to rise above it all and just be as kind and loving a person as he could be, and it showed. We felt that on set every day.”
Joe E. Tata did not join Brian Austin Green and others for the ‘BH90210’ reboot
Tata did not join the original cast in the 2019 Beverly Hills: 90210 revival. Like other beloved iconic series, some of the original Beverly Hills: 90210 cast reunited in a new series, but with a creative spin. Rather than follow David Silver, Donna Martin and others in the reboot, many of the same main actors played an exaggerated version of themselves as they tried to get a BH90210 reboot made.
The Curb Your Enthusiasm-esque construct seemed genius, but ultimately didn’t resonate with viewers. The series was highly anticipated and reflected in the initial ratings as the highest rated scripted show that summer, Variety reports. But the six-episode season had a quick drop in ratings, which Green acknowledged. The series only had a single season.
Brian Austin Green didn’t consider the 2019 series to be a reboot
“Some people didn’t like it, but I liked it a lot,” he said. Adding, “I never saw there being a season two. To me, the concept was always to do a really fun six-episode return, so people could see what it is we were doing.”
“I mean, we did 10 seasons of the show originally. So how many seasons are you supposed to do of a reboot?” he wondered. “I didn’t consider it a standard television reboot that way. I felt much more like it was a six part miniseries ‘movie of the week’ kind of thing. So, to me it was successful. I know some other people were disappointed and wanted a season two, but I don’t even know what a season two would’ve looked like. Because then at that point, the premise of the show has completely changed.”
The 2019 ‘BH90210’ series only needed 1 season
Green said the concept of getting the actors together to make a reboot and then finally getting to make the reboot was a story with a beginning, middle and end.
“I mean, it was supposed to be the making of a reboot,” he emphasized. “That was the premise to me. So it was like you get these actors together, who were the actors that played these characters on this famous show and what it would take for them to end up getting a reboot back on the air. And that’s what we accomplished.”
Green added, “I felt like the whole thing ended at the Fox upfronts, with the show being picked up and us getting ready to film another season of it. So it’s like, ‘Hey, you know, job well done.'”
