Now that Beverly Hills, 90210 is back with a reboot this month, it’s time to take a look back at this fun and dramatic teen drama. For ten seasons, the series discussed everything from intimacy, dating, friendship, class issues, teen/young adult pregnancy, and more. The gang stuck together through it all: siblings Brenda and Brandon Walsh (played by Shannen Doherty and Jason Priestley) along with their friends Kelly Taylor (Jennie Garth), Donna Martin (Tori Spelling), David Silver (Brian Austin Green), Dylan McKay (Luke Perry), Steve Sanders (Ian Ziering), and Andrea Zuckerman (Gabrielle Carteris). Later, Valerie Malone (Tiffani Theissen) joined the group.
When a series airs for a whole decade, there are bound to be some excellent seasons and some which leave a lot to be desired. Here is every season of Beverly Hills, 90210, ranked.
Season 10
As is the case with many TV dramas, the tenth and final season of Beverly Hills, 90210 is definitely the worst. It was clear that it was the right time to end the show and that perhaps it would have even been a good idea to end at season 9. Brandon Priestley even chose to exit a little bit into the ninth season and has said that he “regrets” it.
There are a lot of strange storylines in this season which felt melodramatic and not up the rest of the show’s standards. The character of Gina Kincaid (Vanessa Marcil) isn’t very interesting and she’s pretty nuts as she schemes and manipulates others (even pretending that her car tire has been ruined so David will be there for her). Watching Steve plan his wedding to Janet Sosna (Lindsay Price) who is also expecting their baby, isn’t that much fun either. Fans love seeing Steve as the funny guy and it was weird to see him have a more serious plotline. The absence of Brandon was definitely felt.
Season 9
The ninth season of the show is a tiny bit better than the final one, but still fairly bland, so it’s up next. It was a shame that Brandon was only in four episodes and then he was gone, and that really changed things.
Now the dynamic of the show had shifted and while Brandon had been the main character for so long (basically since the beginning when he and his family moved to Beverly Hills), the others had to fill the space left behind. Gina (Donna’s cousin) is in this season and it just doesn’t feel like the show that fans loved. 90210 was about the core group of pals, not random people such as Gina and Noah Hunter (Vincent Young).
Season 6
Season 6 comes next on this list because while it’s a lot better than the final two seasons, it had some tough storylines for fans to watch. Donna and Ray Pruit (Jamie Walters) are in an abusive relationship, and although this is a very sensitive and important subject, it was handled in a “movie of the week” kind of way. It didn’t feel like it was really discussing the subject properly and felt melodramatic.
There isn’t a lot to write home about in this season, mostly because it’s a very depressing and dark one. Valerie’s dad took his own life, Brandon finds out that his mom and dad might get divorced, and Toni Marchette (Rebecca Gayheart) ends up in a hitman’s line of fire and passes away right after she and Dylan get married. It’s a lot.
Season 5
The fifth season feels Brenda’s absence as she moves to London to study acting. Love her or not, she was a solid character and her love triangle with Kelly and Dylan was great.
This season is ranked at number 7 because it’s still the classic show that everyone knows and loves but doesn’t have enough stand-out storylines and episodes to make it into the top five. Kelly and Brandon start dating seriously in this season and while they might be a surprising couple, they are sweet together.
Season 7
Season 7 isn’t the very best of 90210 but it did have some episodes which stand out, so it’s ranked at number six.
This season is memorable because Donna Martin finally experiences her first time. Fans know that this was always a big deal for the character since in high school, she said that she was saving herself. Kelly also has a lot of air time and her character develops a lot in this season as she starts seriously growing up. She discovers that she’s expecting and then has a miscarriage and then learns that biological kids might not be in her future. It’s heartbreaking to watch, and Jennie Garth is a great actress.
Season 4
This is Brenda’s last batch of episodes and it’s great to see the main characters start college. This season is ranked at number five so it’s right in the middle.
It’s fun to watch the characters live on their own and start growing up. There are two particularly great episodes, “Radar Love” and “Emily,” when Brandon and his ex-girlfriend Emily Valentine (Christine Elise) start dating once again. It’s fun nostaglia for fans who remember her.
Season 8
The eighth season of Beverly Hills, 90210 balanced some logical real world stuff along with the juicy and dramatic storylines that fans of the show had come to expect.
Fans were curious to see what types of paths the main characters would go down, and there was a lot of talk about who was getting what job. Those types of logistics are invietable in real life, but not that fascinating to watch on TV. Thankfully, the season was saved because there was enough crazy stuff happening (like Kelly getting shot) to hold fans’ interests.
Season 1
The first season of a show (and the pilot) should be the best since that’s where it all starts. In the case of Beverly Hills, 90210, the show builds and gets better as it goes on.
The first season introduces Brandon and Brenda as they meet their new friends and figure out their new universe of wealthy kids and beautiful Beverly Hills, and it talks about some important young adult issues, too. It’s ranked at number three on this list.
Season 3
The third season comes in at number two and features the main characters in their last year of high school. This is always prime time for teen drama and that was definitely the case here.
Brenda really shines here: she tries to live with Dylan but realizes she’s too young for that, she goes to Paris with Donna, and then she realizes that Kelly and Dylan have been together behind her back. Their love triangle is a classic one and so fun to watch.
Season 2
The second season of Beverly Hills, 90210 is ranked at number one because it’s the juciest and most interesting of all. This is when things really get good and when the show shines like the memorable and praiseworthy teen drama that it is.
There are so many great episodes here, from “My Desperate Valentine” when Emily goes crazy because she’s so into Brandon and “Camping Trip” (when the characters go on, well, a camping trip). There’s romance (Dylan and Brenda and their obstacles) and family drama (Donna’s mom and dad might get divorced and Kelly’s mom is getting married). It’s a truly great season of TV.
