Claim: Drug abuse was addressed in Beverly Hills, 90210.

Beverly Hills , 90210 is an American drama television series that ran for ten seasons -- originally airing from October 4 , 1990 , to May 17 , 2000 , on Fox , and was produced by Spelling Television in the United States -- and subsequently on numerous networks around the world . It is the first of five television series in the Beverly Hills , 90210 franchise . The show follows the lives of a group of friends living in the upscale and star-studded community of Beverly Hills , California as they make their way through high school to college and into the adult world .   The show was created by Darren Star and executive producers Charles Rosin -LRB- originally -RRB- followed in later seasons by Aaron Spelling , E. Duke Vincent , Paul Waigner , Steve Wasserman , and Jessica Klein . The `` 90210 '' in the title refers to one of the city 's five ZIP codes .   The initial premise of the show was based on the adjustment and culture shock that twins Brandon -LRB- Jason Priestley -RRB- and Brenda Walsh -LRB- Shannen Doherty -RRB- experienced when they and their parents , Jim -LRB- James Eckhouse -RRB- and Cindy -LRB- Carol Potter -RRB- moved from Minneapolis , Minnesota to Beverly Hills . In addition to chronicling the friendships and romantic relationships of the characters , the show also addressed numerous topical issues such as date rape , gay rights , animal rights , alcoholism , drug abuse , domestic violence , sex , antisemitism , racism , teenage suicide , teenage pregnancy , and AIDS . Beverly Hills , 90210 was named one of the Best School Shows of All Time by AOL TV .   After a poor start in the ratings during its first season , the series gained popularity during the summer of 1991 , when Fox aired a special `` summer season '' of the show while most other series were in reruns . The series became one of Fox 's top shows when it began its next season that fall . Viewership increased dramatically and the cast members , particularly Jason Priestley and Luke Perry , became teen idols , while the series would make actresses Shannen Doherty , Jennie Garth and Tori Spelling household names in the US . The show also had many cast changes , with Garth , Spelling , Ian Ziering and Brian Austin Green being the only actors to appear during its entire run .