What Happened on the Final Episode of ‘Beverly Hills, 90210?’
If you were a teenager in the ’90s, there was only one zip code that you wanted to visit every week on your TV screen: 90210. Beverly Hills, 90210 — which aired its final episode 25 years ago today — was one of the still-new Fox Network’s earliest success stories, a teen show with a twist: it followed a group of friends as they navigated high school, college, relationships, and the challenges of growing up, all while they were immersed in the glamourous, high-end world of their wealthy Southern Californian families. Blending soap-opera-style drama and topical storylines, the series addressed issues such as teen pregnancy, drug and alcohol abuse, suicide, racism, and mental health—subjects rarely explored on teen TV at the time.
Mario Casilli/TV Guide/Fox Network./Courtesy Everett Collection
The show initially focused on Brandon (played by Jason Priestley) and Brenda Walsh (the late Shannen Doherty), a pair of teenage twins who relocate with their parents from Minnesota to Beverly Hills and try to fit into a very different social world. Over time, the ensemble cast expanded to include iconic characters like Kelly Taylor (Jennie Garth), Dylan McKay (the late Luke Perry), Donna Martin (Tori Spelling), Steve Sanders (Ian Ziering), David Silver (Brian Austin Green), and others.
Running for a full 10 seasons (from 1990 to 2000), Beverly, Hills 90210 became a defining series of the 1990s, launching the careers of several of its stars and creating a blueprint for teen dramas that followed. It spawned a hugely successful spinoff in Melrose Place, a 2008 reboot, and even a 2019 meta-revival (BH90210) that featured the core cast playing fictional versions of themselves. So why did the show come to an end?
Why was Beverly Hills 90210 Cancelled?
After 10 decade-defining seasons, Beverly Hills, 90210 was ultimately cancelled in 2000 due to a combination of declining ratings, rising production costs, and a shift in audience interests. A cultural phenomenon in the earlier part of the ’90s, the series was struggling to maintain the same level of popularity at the turn of the millennium. Key original cast members such as Shannen Doherty and Jason Priestley had departed, and their replacements failed to resonate as strongly with longtime viewers.
Ron Tom/Fox Network./Courtesy Everett Collection
As storylines grew far-fetched and the cast aged out of their high school and college years, the show lost much of its original charm and relatability, contributing to a steady drop in viewership. Meanwhile, newer teen dramas like Dawson’s Creek and The O.C. were beginning to change in tone and style, offering a more modern, introspective approach to teen-focused storytelling that made 90210 feel like an artifact from another time.
With the show losing some steam, Fox executives and 90210 producers mutually decided to end the series rather than continue investing in a show that had passed its peak in both critical and commercial appeal.
What Happened in the Beverly Hills, 90210 Series Finale?
Carin Baer/Fox Network./Courtesy Everett Collection
The final episode of Beverly Hills, 90210, titled “Ode to Joy,” aired on May 17, 2000, and thankfully brought the iconic teen drama to a proper heartfelt finale. The episode centered around the long-awaited wedding of Donna Martin and David Silver, the everlasting couple (albeit with plenty of breaks) who had grown up together on the show, developing from high school sweethearts to adults ready to commit for life. Their wedding becomes the emotional core of the episode, bringing together plenty of familiar faces from the series to witness a touching ceremony that signifies our favorite characters’ collective evolution. The kids from West Beverly High were all grown up!
Leading up to the wedding, the characters reflected on how much they’ve changed and what the future might hold. There are moments of nostalgia as friends reconnected and reminisced about their shared past, from their days at West Beverly High to all the drama and milestones they’ve experienced together. Kelly Taylor and Dylan McKay — whose on-again, off-again romance was a centerpiece of the series — shared a quiet, meaningful exchange that hinted at lingering feelings and the possibility of a future together. Their moment didn’t wrap everything up neatly, but it respected their complicated history and left the door open for the imaginations of romantic longtime fans to run wild.
Saeed Adyani /Fox Network./Courtesy Everett Collection
The episode also touched on the journeys of other characters like the once-sophomoric Steve Sanders, who had matured significantly and become a family man. Even Brandon Walsh, though absent from the finale in person (Jason Priestley was gone from the show at this point), was honored in spirit through memories and references.
Instead of delivering an overabundance of forced drama, the series finale’s final moments were filled with dancing, laughter, and toasts to the future, symbolizing a fresh start for everyone involved. As the camera panned out for the final time, the audience was left with the feeling that life will continue for these characters beyond the screen, even if their stories would no longer be followed week to week. The characters we watched and loved for a full decade got to go out on their own terms, Other than a mansion in Beverly Hills and a burger from “The Peach Pit,” who could ask for anything more?
Remind 
February 2021
1990s Rom-Coms
Pop some popcorn and cozy up to feel-good movies and TV shows from a generation ago.
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