Luke Perry thought Season 4 sucked

[TMC]

He says 90210 was "in trouble" and "not great" since high school graduation, and expected the show to end after Season 5.

He also compares Shannen Doherty leaving the show to Michael Jordan leaving the Chicago Bulls.

He didn't want the college/school aspect to overshadow the show, and it looks like he was already concerned that the show either was, or could, head into "soap"/Melrose Place territory.

https://ew.com/article/1994/03/11/luke-perry-grows/2/

What Perry does want from what will likely be his final season is more realism. ”I wouldn’t want it to become like Melrose Place — who’s sleeping with who. I want it less of a Harlequin romance novel and more of a serious contemporary look at what it means to be the ages of these characters. I don’t want it to revolve around any college. That’s a bunch of s—. Anyhow, my character’s quitting college — this might come as a news flash to everybody. I don’t think that’s a fair representation of life, that you have to go to college and do well to get anywhere. And the bottom line is, why does a kid with over $100 million need to go to college?”