Beverly Hills, 90210

A special behind-the-scenes look at the FOX series "Beverly Hills, 90210" as well as interviews with the series regulars by Katie Wagner, an MTV guest veejay.

The stars of the Fox television series "Beverly Hills, 90210" share their holiday spirit by shopping, devoting time to charities, and celebrating with family and friends.

A retrospective including crucial turning points, steamy romances, funny escapades and scenes with departed cast members.

Twins Brandon and Brenda begin school at trendy West Beverly High after moving from Minnesota. Brandon joins the newspaper and meets Andrea Zuckerman, the intelligent and devoted editor. Brenda is befriended by snobbish Kelly, who picks her as a chemistry lab partner to avoid being paired with a fat girl. A rich but reclusive girl invites the entire school (except the freshmen) to a party at her house, complete with a live rock band. Freshmen David and Scott crash the party, and the drunken Steve asks David to drive him home. David accidentally damages the car, prompting Steve to begin a frantic search for the culprit. Brandon connects with the hostess, Marianne, and goes on a date with her. He insinuates that they slept together, prompting rumors to fly at school. Andrea is disappointed in him. Brandon clears the air about Marianne over the campus radio station. He follows Andrea home to explain himself, and discovers that she lives out of district. Brenda and her friends get fake IDs

Brandon meets Dylan McKay, a mysterious loner who stops some jocks from harassing Scott in tech class. Dylan takes Brandon surfing and introduces him to his friends, including a troubled young woman named Sarah.

Brenda goes on several shopping trips with Kelly and Tiffany, Kelly's best friend from junior high school. Brenda cannot afford the merchandise, and considers stealing because she is envious of her classmates' wardrobes.

After a home pregnancy test is inconclusive, Dylan and Kelly take Brenda to a gynecologist. The pregnancy scare turns out to be a false alarm, but Brenda is badly shaken by the experience. Cindy and Jim confront her after finding the pregnancy test box in the trash. Brenda breaks it off with Dylan because she is overwhelmed by the issues that their relationship has forced her to confront. Hoping to earn extra cash during the Peach Pit's summer lull, Brandon tries out for lifeguard at the Beverly Hills Beach Club. He fails, but is offered a cabana boy position. He feels guilty when he must quit the Peach Pit without leaving notice. Brenda, Donna, Andrea and David enroll in a summer school acting class. Music: ""Rockin' Robin"" by Bobby Day (#2, 1958); ""Tell It Like It Is"" by Aaron Neville (#2, 1967); ""Wake Up Little Susie"" by the Everly Brothers (#1, 1957); ""Losing My Religion"" by R.E.M. (#4, 1991)

Brandon befriends Jerry Rattinger, an influential sports promoter and member of the beach club. At the same time, he looks to romance Sandy, a beleaguered co-worker who is many years his senior. Dylan warns Brandon that Sandy is not the right woman for him. Jerry wishes to hire Brandon as his gopher and loan him money for a new car. Brandon does not understand why Jim disapproves. Jerry asks Brandon to drive his wife home; Mrs. Rattinger reveals that her husband wanted her out of the way so that he could spend time with his mistress, Sandy. Brandon severs all ties with Jerry, who tries to have him fired from the club. Sandy decides to leave town in the hopes of getting her life in order. As an acting class assignment, Brenda tries to recreate the experience of being lost in a mall as a child.

Dylan's father is taken into custody, and all his assets are frozen. Dylan refuses to spend the summer in Hawaii with his flaky mother. He is injured in a surfing accident, and Cindy agrees to take care of him during his recovery. Jim and Brenda are unhappy with this arrangement. Jim catches Brenda and Dylan kissing, and orders Dylan to leave in two days. He sneaks out in the middle of the night and sleeps in a cabana at the beach club. Brandon finds him and convinces him to return to the Walsh house, where Jim helps him deal with his feelings about his father. Kelly gets a date with an attractive classmate, but is stung when he won't make a move on her. He admits that he is confused about his sexuality. Donna and David must perform a scene from Romeo and Juliet for their acting class. Music: ""You Are the Everything"" by R.E.M.

Brenda drives her parents crazy with her constant sulking, and sneaks around with Dylan behind their backs. Dylan wants someone other than Jim to handle his trust, but Jim refuses to break his deal with Iris. Jim and Cindy join the beach club and catch Brenda making out with Dylan. Jim screams at Brenda and makes a scene. She packs up her belongings and moves in with Dylan. Brandon bets Steve that he cannot hold down a job for a week. Steve takes Brandon's position at the Peach Pit, as Brandon has left for his summer job at the club. Nat fires Steve because he is completely incompetent. Brandon is wary of Andrea's new job as a children's camp counselor at the beach club. However, she has gotten over her crush on him and is seeing a successful West Beverly alum. Donna's parents get back together. Jackie goes into labor. Music: ""Summertime Blues"" by Eddie Cochran (#8, 1958); ""Working in a Coal Mine"" by Lee Dorsey (#8, 1966)

Kelly bonds with her baby sister, Erin. She bows out of a six-week trip to study in Paris with Donna because she wants to spend time with her family. Brenda and Dylan clash over their new living arrangements. Cindy and Brandon realize that Brenda is unhappy, but she is too stubborn to give in. Jim threatens to freeze Dylan's account unless he helps convince Brenda to accept a trip to Paris. Dylan persuades Brenda to go because he believes it is a great opportunity for her. Jim makes amends with Brenda before she and Donna leave for Paris. Steve and Brandon get dates with visiting identical twins. Steve's date experiences a series of health problems (food poisoning, allergies), so he tries to dump her for her sister. The girls switch places to get revenge on him.

Brenda and Donna have difficulty adjusting to life in France. Donna constantly complains about missing David, and Brenda soon begins to long for Dylan. They accidentally order brains at a restaurant, and Donna later spends an entire party eating pastries because she can't carry on a conversation in French. Andrea's boyfriend invites her to join him at the Republican Convention in Houston, where he is working for CNN. Brandon becomes jealous and kisses Andrea in an attempt to dissuade her from leaving. An outraged Andrea observes that Brandon is only interested in her because she has a boyfriend. Andrea decides to skip the convention because she is enjoying her work at the camp--especially with Cameron, a deaf boy whom she helped bring out of his shell. Jack goes up for parole, and asks Dylan to write a letter on his behalf. He reluctantly does this, but Jack's parole request is denied. Dylan and Kelly begin to flirt rather obviously.

Steve is taken off the waiting list and accepted to California University. A producer hoping to entice Samantha to star in a sitcom allows Steve, Brandon and Celeste use of his beach house for a few weeks. The gang throws a blow-out bash the night before Brenda is to leave for Minnesota. Kelly comes home early from Europe--without Dylan. She claims that all is well, but later confesses to Donna that the couple broke up. Jill, the producer's daughter, finds Brandon in her father's trashed house and believes that he is a burglar. Steve has had a crush on Jill for years, and annoys Celeste by falling all over her. However, Jill is actually attracted to Brandon. Brenda's friends in Minnesota constanly pepper her with questions about Beverly Hills. She fears she has made a terrible mistake, but Cindy insists that the situation will improve. Dylan tries to call Brenda from Europe, but she is not in her room. David has difficulty finding an apartment after he fails to get into a dormitory. Ke

Brandon and Steve become very competitive over a tennis match, and nearly come to blows when Steve purposely hits Jill with the ball. Jill pushes Brandon away. She confesses that she was recently raped. Brandon agrees to sleep beside her because she is not ready for sex, but cannot talk her out of returning to New York. Dylan returns to the U.S., and Kelly avoids him. She explains to Donna that Dylan became extremely moody after UC Berkeley rejected him. Kelly returned from a shopping trip to find him flirting with a girl, and responded by going out with a bartender before leaving for the States. Kelly finally goes to see Dylan and they quickly make up. Donna's parents are moving to Houston for a year. Kelly and Donna struggle to prevent Felice from finding out that they are living with David. David believes that Donna will now sleep with him, but she has other ideas. Brenda cannot get into any of her desired classes. Darla (her roommate and best friend from junior high) monopolizes th

Jim and Cindy are shocked when Brenda returns from Minnesota. Brandon considers moving out because he can no longer use Brenda's bedroom as a rec room. Brenda announces that she is not interested in returning to college. Dylan grows tired of waiting to register and also chooses to forego college, much to Kelly's chagrin. Brenda and Dylan spend a relaxing day fishing, and elect to enroll in California University after all. Andrea tries out for the college paper and must review the Peach Pit. She catches Nat on a very bad day and writes a scathing review. Andrea decides to pass on the paper and enroll in pre-med courses. Josh Richland, editor of the Condor, asks Brandon to run for Student Senate for the Progressive party. David and Donna interview for the campus radio station, and he is furious when she lets their aircheck tape melt in the car. Musi

Brenda decides to stay in London for the entire year. Valerie Malone, the daughter of the Walshes' good friends, comes to live with them. Her father has just committed suicide. Steve reveals that Celeste dumped him during their Hawaiian vacation when she ran into her high school boyfriend. He settles on Kelly as his true love, and is shocked to learn that she is with Brandon. Steve gets over his broken heart by spending time with Valerie. Valerie seems to be a nice girl, but smokes pot and insults everyone during a phone conversation with a friend. Dylan returns to Los Angeles after a two-month-long drinking binge in Mexico. David fills Kelly in on his summer, which found him receiving--then losing--a chance to tour with Babyface, and getting a venereal disease from Ariel. Donna tries to avoid David. Andrea and Jesse finally bring Hannah home from the hospital, after a nearly tragic mishap. Music: ""Back & Forth"" by Aaliyah (#5, 19

Donna plans to take a semester off to become a debutante in Houston. Kelly realizes that Donna is hiding behind her mother to shield herself from David. Brandon tries to tell the drunken Dylan about Kelly and him, but chickens out. Nat inadvertently reveals the truth to Dylan. He shows up at an affair organized by Felice and gets into a scuffle with Brandon. Kelly goes to Dylan's house to talk with him; she finds him with a bimbo. Donna reconsiders becoming a debutante after her mother makes a big deal about her dancing with D'Shawn. Dylan apologizes to her and agrees to join her at registration, but never shows up. Andrea balks at entrusting Hannah to the campus day care center. Clare enrolls at California University (as a sophomore because of AP credit). Josh talks Brandon into being his running mate in the student body elections. Music: ""Faded Love,"" performed by band; ""Make It Right"" by Lisa Stansfield (from the 90210: The College Years soundtrack)

Brandon must make a speech at the campus debates when Josh fails to show because of car trouble. He is such a success that the duo's campaign takes off. Alex Diaz, a student senator and manager of another campaign, tries to force them out of the race by threatening to expose an unpublished article in which Josh accused Brandon of taking tests for D'Shawn. Andrea fears that Brandon no longer values her opinion, but her advice proves crucial. D'Shawn defends Brandon's character at a senate meeting. As they await the results from the Peach Pit, a nervous Josh decides to go for a ride. He crashes his car into a delivery truck and dies, as Brandon looks on in horror. Kelly tells Brandon that they won the election. Valerie digs for info on Dylan and begins hanging around the pool hall. After sleeping with Val, Dylan is stunned to learn that she lives at the Walsh house. Music: ""Low Rider"" by War (#7, 1975); ""Celebr

Kelly returns from a modeling stint in New York. She brings home an artist boyfriend named Colin, who rents a loft in Los Angeles. Brandon comes home from a summer job at the Boston Herald to discover that Val's obnoxious friend Ginger is staying at the house. Val and Brandon agree that they should not get involved, so Ginger comes on to him. Steve, Brandon and David consider renting a penthouse apartment together. David reveals that he and Clare have broken up. The real estate agent tells Brandon that the buyers plan to tear his house down, so the gang throws a party and trashes the place. She then informs Brandon that the house has fallen out of escrow, meaning that his parents still own it. Donna enjoys her summer with Ray, who has made an effort to make up for his past mistakes. A woman's valuable ring disappears during a party on the Martins' boat, and Felice believes that Ray stole it. Dylan tells Kelly about his obsession with tracking down his father's killer. She helps him sor

The house is fixed up, and Steve decides to move in with Brandon. Donna finds Mrs. Korman's ring in Ray's jacket pocket. Everyone believes that he stole it (although he points out that he would have to be an idiot to leave the ring in his pocket for days, then let Donna discover it). The house's petty cash and Steve's gold watch turn up missing, and Steve blames Ray. Steve and Ray nearly get into a fight, and Donna decides to give up on Ray. Valerie exposes Ginger as the actual thief and orders her to leave town. Val pays off Ginger at the airport; they actually staged the entire incident so that Valerie could prove herself to the rest of the gang. Brandon tries to bring Kelly flowers for her birthday, only to find Colin in her bedroom. Colin angers Kelly by refusing to show for her birthday party; he later reveals that he spent the time creating a special painting for her. Donna gets drunk at the party and tries to throw herself at Ray. Brandon gives Dylan information about businessma

Dylan heads for the C.U. campus in the hopes of striking up a friendship with Marchette's son. Marchette actually has a beautiful daughter, Toni; she agrees to go out with Dylan. Brandon notices that Toni really likes Dylan, and disapproves of his friend's actions. Brandon expresses an interest in a columnist job with the school paper. Editor Susan Keats turns him down and seems to loathe him. Brandon writes a sexist column about women as a counterpoint to Susan's similar column about men. They go to the After Dark to ""research"" behavior of the opposite sex, and Susan decides to hire him. Steve's advisor finally realizes that he cheated on his math placement test as a freshman. He ruins Steve's cushy schedule by forcing him to enroll in remedial math. Steve cannot find a suitable tutor, so he reluctantly accepts an offer from Clare. Kelly feels uncomfortable when she learns that Colin and Valerie once toured Europe together as part of a teen group.

Steve attends the Olympics with Brandon, who spent most of the summer travelling alone. Their car breaks down in Hadley City, a small town in Texas. Steve decides to catch a bus to Houston and fly home to surprise Clare. He discovers that Clare has already left for San Antonio to surprise him. He flies back to San Antonio; thanks to a weather delay, they are able to find each other. Brandon meets a young black woman, who quits her job as assistant librarian after her boss hassles her for talking to him. Brandon's friendship with Mariah riles many of the townspeople; they have confrontations with two redneck mechanics, and her ex-boyfriend and a cohort. Mariah decides to move to New York and write a book about angels. She thanks Brandon for encouraging her to change her life. David constantly criticizes Donna as they try to complete a video shoot with a temperamental singer. Their boss is fired, and David panics at the prospect of losing his contract. Donna ends the partnership after le

The Beverly Hills Beach Club holds its annual reunion. Steve reminisces about his relationship with Kelly, as he lost his virginity to her on the beach in 9th grade. Clare is disturbed to learn of the couple's history, and comments on the ""incestuous"" nature of the group. Steve confesses that he spread rumors about Kelly after their break-up, causing her to gain a reputation as a slut. Kelly is hurt, but eventually decides to forgive him. Ryan blows a chance at a date when Austin convinces him to spy on the girl as she undresses. Steve gives the boys a lecture about treating women with respect. David continues to dump all over Donna for quitting the music video business. He harasses her when she talks and dances with another guy, and they decide to break up. Kelly goes to work at an AIDS hospice to complete her summer school credits. Mark Reese, the general manager of the campus television station, recruits Brandon and flirts with Kelly.

Joan's daughter Lily comes to town to serve as maid of honor, and seduces best man Brandon. Nat, Brandon and Steve discover that Lily is an exotic dancer. Nat and Joan's wedding comes to a halt when she goes into labor. She refuses to have the baby until she is a married woman, so they tie the knot in the hospital hallway. Joan gives birth to a son, Frankie. Clare insists that she will never get married, as she couldn't bear to walk down the aisle without her mother. Touched by Joan and Nat's romance, she decides to be more receptive to the idea of marriage. Kelly befriends Jimmy, a hospice resident with an upbeat attitude. David moves into Mark's luxurious home. He tries to get another video contract after being dropped by MZA, and refuses to help Donna film the wedding. Valerie sees Kenny having lunch with his family and suspects that he has lied about his marital status. Music: ""Wedding Bell Blues"" by The Fifth Dimension

The gang has trouble finding work after graduating from college. Steve accepts a position as alumni representative for his fraternity (for a dollar a year). Valerie runs through a series of odd jobs. She tries to convince David to let her manage the club; although the After Dark is in dire straits, he turns her down. David refuses to move in with Donna until she reveals the true nature of their relationship to her mother. Steve alienates Carly Reynolds, the single mother of one of Erin's soccer teammates. She gets fired from her waitress job after a run-in with Steve and his date. Brandon and Kelly struggle to adjust to their new living arrangement. They decide to relax by taking a Hawaiian vacation, although Kelly doesn't want to postpone her new job. Donna seeks work as a second assistant for a designer, and winds up as the woman's only assistant. She is asked to help with a photo shoot in Hawaii, so everyone decides to take a vacation. Kelly backs out of the trip after catching Bran

Kelly undergoes successful surgery and begins to recover from her injuries. Brandon picks the shooter out of a police lineup. Kelly suffers complications and must undergo surgery for a blood clot in her lungs. She wakes up with amnesia. Donna gets a job as a personal shopper for a designer. She tells her mother that David is going to move in with her. Naturally, Felice is not thrilled by the news. Noah and Valerie sleep together, but he has second thoughts the following morning. Carly reconsiders her opinion of Steve after he gets her a job at the Peach Pit. He declares himself to be a sports agent and tries to woo the star of the C.U. women's basketball team. Carly sees Steve with his client and gets the wrong idea. Music: ""First Time I Met the Blues"" by Buddy Guy

Brandon is heartbroken when Kelly is unable to remember their relationship. Kelly develops a crush on Noah, whose blood donation saved her life. Noah takes Kelly for a stroll on the beach, and she regains some of her memories. Brandon confronts Noah and warns him to stay away from Kelly. The identity of Kelly's shooter comes under scrutiny because the man Brandon picked out did not have gun residue on his hands. Brandon considers a job offer from the Seattle Times. Steve's career as a sports agent comes to an end after he nearly puts Charlotte's career in jeopardy with an illegal gift. Rush gives Steve his own business, a defunct newspaper. Steve wants Brandon to be his editor, but he initially turns him down. Brandon accepts Steve's offer so that he can write, yet remain close to Kelly. Donna panics when she loses her boss's beloved dog en route to the veterinarian. Valerie helps organize Donna when she has trouble keeping track of her clients. Donna decides to make Val her business p

Brandon and Kelly sleep together the night of the aborted wedding. Brandon considers their night together a mistake, while Kelly realizes that she wishes they had married after all. A lonely Brandon goes to Kelly's apartment in search of comfort and ends up staying the night. He then rejects Kelly's suggestion that they go on their honeymoon, and declares that he wants to move on. After her HIV test comes back negative, Valerie annoys everyone with her new policy of brutal honesty. David takes her cue and issues an ultimatum to his boss, who cuts him loose. David suspects that Val is pushing everyone away to punish herself for some reason. Valerie makes a stunning confession about her father's death. He did not commit suicide; she murdered him. Donna goes against Noah's wishes by accepting an invitation to have dinner with his parents on Mr. Hunter's birthday. The evening proves to be a disaster, just as Noah had predicted. His father later visits the club and reveals that his company

After learning that the clinic may lose funding, Kelly asks Brandon to write a story to generate publicity. They try to collaborate on the article, but find that working together is too painful. Kelly organizes an auction to raise money for the clinic. She models her wedding gown in the fashion show portion of the event, and Brandon outbids everyone for a date with her. Brandon and Kelly take a walk on the beach and decide that they are through. The clinic must still cut back its staff (even after the fundraiser), so Kelly resigns. Although David believes that Valerie killed her father in self-defense and should move on, she insists on bringing her mother to town to discuss the situation. When Val tries to confess, she learns that Abby knew of the abuse prior to her husband's death. She did not take any action because she believed that Victor would seek help. Valerie finds a connection with Abby's fiancé, an ex-policeman.

Abby announces that she and Carl are planning to elope in Las Vegas, and asks Val to be her maid of honor. Valerie bonds with Carl during an evening at the casino, and sleeps with him the night before the wedding. A depressed Kelly begs Val to let her tag along on the trip because she believes that Brandon is seeing someone else. She has a good time gambling and hanging out with a stranger, until the sight of a woman in a wedding dress brings her back to reality. Noah develops an obsession with his father's gun after the police return it to him. He drinks heavily and causes an embarrassing scene at the Martins' 25th wedding anniversary party. While working on Mr. Hunter's obituary, Brandon begins to fear that he will never have any meaningful accomplishments. He meets with a reporter from a New York paper, who sets up a job interview. A woman helping Donna pursue an account poses as her business partner, then steals her designs to get an in-house position with the client. Steve catches

Joe dies of gunshot wounds. Kelly is arrested and held overnight until the shooting is ruled a justifiable homicide. The police consider charging her with possession of an unlicensed firearm, but Matt appeals to the department's sense of decency. David asks Dylan to move out. Dylan takes up residence at a hotel, and Gina joins him after Donna boots her out for talking to reporters about Kelly. Wayne annoys Donna with his cavalier attitude, particularly when he fails to show sensitivity toward Kelly. She realizes that they do not have a future together. Noah ignores Donna and fools around with one of his employees. Janet's erratic behavior confuses Steve. She secretly applies for a job with another newspaper, and tells Steve that she isn't sure if their relationship will work out. Janet confesses to Kelly that she is four months pregnant.

Kelly and Donna invite Janet to move into the apartment. She tries to tell Steve that she is pregnant, but stops when he mistakenly assumes that she has gotten breast implants. When Janet finally reveals the truth, Steve becomes outraged that he had been kept in the dark for so long. He avoids Janet and whines about the situation to the other guys and Gina. Janet tells Steve that he can choose how much involvement he wants with the child; he is unsure of what to do. Kelly and the gang throw a surprise birthday party for David at the After Dark. The uninvited Gina foils their plans by slashing her own tire and calling David for help. After patching things up with David, Gina takes him to the club and drops him off without spoiling the surprise. A young woman whom Dylan knows from his years at the hotel gets busted for drug possession. He pays for her legal services, and encourages her to get clean and find some direction for her life. He agrees to return to college if she also enrolls.

Steve tells Janet that he wants to raise the baby with her. He later upsets her by expressing uncertainty. Kelly considers a career change. Matt pays Gina to help out with preparations for the boutique's re-opening. She tries to burn a prominent fashion critic's invitation, and accidentally starts a fire. She ruins Donna's new men's wear line with the fire extinguisher. Although Gina blames faulty lighting, Matt catches her with the burnt invitation. He forces her to bring the critic to the re-opening to make amends, while everyone chips in to help Donna put together new outfits. Cherise breaks up with Noah for postponing their weekend getaway and spending too much time with Donna. Steve suddenly proposes to Janet during the fashion show. She accepts, but then changes her mind because she fears they would be marrying for the wrong reasons. California University denies Dylan's application, citing his brazen essay. They refuse to give him a second chance. David pulls the revised essay ou