American TV hits of old

Turn back the clock and enjoy our tribute to past American TV hits

Where were you the summer Brandon and Brenda Walsh of 90210 first moved to California? Or when Maddie and David first kissed on Moonlighting? Take a walk down memory lane and remember the dearly departed shows that we used to love, some more recently than others.

Ally McBeal
Beverley Hills 90210
Melrose Place
Moonlighting
Dallas
Dynasty

Ally McBeal
It's hard to say which caused more of a stir when Ally first aired: the show's hip fantasy sequences or Calista Flockhart's micro miniskirts. Since then, creator David E Kelley has provided plenty to gossip about the morning after. Who could forget the dancing Internet baby, the unisex toilets, the kiss between Ally and Ling and the countless quirky court cases in between?

First aired in US: 1997
Number of seasons: 5
Premise: A young lawyer with a freezer full of Ben & Jerry's and an office full of quirky co-workers.
Original cast: Calista Flockhart (Ally McBeal), Gil Bellows (Billy Thomas), Courtney Thorne-Smith (Georgia Thomas), Peter MacNicol (John Cage), Greg Germann (Richard Fish), Jane Krakowski (Elaine Vassal), Lisa Nicole Carson (Renee Raddick)
High point: Robert Downey Jr's run as Ally's boy toy.
Low point: Jon Bon Jovi's run as Ally's boy toy.
Famous guest stars: Tracey Ullman, Anne Heche, Christina Ricci
Lamest stunt to save the show: Ally discovers she's a mum. Turns out the eggs she'd donated in college were fertilised and her long-lost daughter tracks her down.

Beverly Hills 90210
Must-see TV for teens nationwide, Beverly Hills 90210 offered a glimpse of how the other half lived. While the rest of us were suffering through puberty (or adulthood, as the case may be), Brandon Walsh and crew were taking lunches at the beach club and partying it up at the Peach Pit. Oscar winner Hilary Swank got her start on this Aaron Spelling soap, appearing in the eighth season as single mum Carly Reynolds.

First aired in US: 1990
Number of seasons: 10
Premise: Dynasty set in high school.
Original cast: Jason Priestley (Brandon Walsh), Shannen Doherty (Brenda Walsh), Jennie Garth (Kelly Taylor), Ian Ziering (Steve Sanders), Gabrielle Carteris (Andrea Zuckerman/Vasquez), Luke Perry (Dylan McKay), Brian Austin Green (David Silver) and Tori Spelling (Donna Martin)
High point: When Dylan fell for Kelly while Brenda was away in France.
Low point: When Kelly was shot in a parking lot, triggering a case of amnesia.
Famous musical guests: Barenaked Ladies, Color Me Badd, Babyface, Debbie Gibson
Last ditch attempts to save the show: Resurrecting Dylan in the ninth season.