Well, this is it. My last "On TV" column of the 1999-2000 school year. Over the last eight months, I hope I've kept you entertained. I know I've kept myself entertained. I'd like to say that knowing that I've amused myself is all that matters, but I'd be lying. After all, this column is for you, the would-be couch potatoes that help to make up the Marist community. So, I thought that in this column for you, I'd do a tribute to a show that I know many of you have watched since the time you got your very first zit. I'm talking about Beverly Hills, 90210, which is leaving the airwaves after ten years.

I doubt there is a student on campus who isn't at least somewhat familiar with Beverly Hills, 90210 (which is commonly known as 90210). The show debuted in 1990, when most of us were just finishing up grammar school or just starting junior high. Though I had seen bits and pieces of it before, my personal introduction to 90210 came in 1991, when I watched a dubbed-in-Spanish version of it in my Spanish class. That was during the show's early years, when twins Brandon (Jason Priestly) and Brenda (Shannen Doherty) Walsh were the main characters on the show. The two had moved to Beverly Hills (quick; guess the zip code) from Minnesota with their parents Cindy. At their new high school, Brandon and Brenda quickly make friends, and the dramatic misadventures begin.

The 90210 gang graduated high school in 1993 and went on to college. In the type of wonderful coincidence that only happens in television land, they all wind up at the same college together (except, of course, for Dylan, the James Dean-ish loner, played by Luke Perry). Things don't stay that way for long, though. Who doesn't remember at least some of Shannen Doherty's alleged troubles on the set? Well, at the close of the fourth (1993-94) season, Brenda got shipped off to London, and Doherty left the show. Taking her place was Valerie Malone (Tiffani-Amber Thiessen), the wild girl with a taste for pot and men. Several original characters, including Dylan and the parents Walsh, left the series at the end of the fifth season. The gang graduated college in 1997, and Brandon and Valerie both left Beverly Hills in 1998, at the start of 90210's ninth season. Dylan returned to the series around this time.

I have to admit that, throughout the 1990s, I was never a big fan of 90210. Though I am a self-confessed soap opera fan (All My Children; it's my vice), 90210 could be sometimes too melodramatic for my tastes. And let's face it: the show wasn't going to win any acting Emmys (although I was surprised to find that it was nominated for two Golden Globes for acting; Jason Priestley, arguably the best actor on the show, was the one nominated both times). However, I recently viewed an early episode of the series and found myself enjoying it in spite of myself (and also laughing at the dorky 1990 fashions and music, before I realized that that was the way it really was). Then it hit me: 90210 is the ultimate guilty pleasure.

Come on, who doesn't remember when Dylan's dad blew up (which, it was recently divulged), or when his new bride was gunned down the day after their wedding? Who didn't shake their head in disapproval when Kelly got hooked on cocaine? But do people admit to knowing all this? Many don't. Most of those in denial are guys, who don't want it known that they watch a prime-time soap that can sometimes be relentlessly cheesy. But at the same time it's captivating, partly because of the fact it's been on for ten years. It's become a part of every 18-25 year-old's teenage memories. Whether you want to admit it or not, you've probably watched the show.

90210 has been a very important show in the history of television. There had been many prime-time soap hits in the past, but there was never a hit prime-time soap opera that centered around high school students. Its popularity inspired several other prime-time teen soap operas. Ironically, it was a teen soap opera that helped seal 90210's fate. This season, it was scheduled up against WB's hit teen angst drama Dawson's Creek, and its ratings took a dip. Also, original cast members Brian Austin Green and Tori Spelling were set to exit the show at the end of the season. It seemed like a good time for the cast and crew of 90210 to call it a decade.

FOX is heavily hyping the series finale of 90210. Mum's the word as to what will happen, although Tiffani Thiessen (who recently has dropped "Amber" from her name) and original cast member Gabrielle Carteris (who played Andrea Zuckerman for the show's first five years) will return. Rumor has it that David (Green) and Donna (Spelling) will tie the knot. There's only one way to know for sure what will happen, and that's to tune in. The finale airs May 17th, and by that time finals will be over, so you'll have no legitimate excuse for missing the show. Yeah, yeah, it's right in the middle of Senior Week. Cry me a river, seniors. That's no excuse for missing the finale. Come on, it's 90210. Let's bid it, and the other members of the Graduating Class of 2000, a fond farewell.

And now it's time for me to say farewell for a few months. But don't worry. I'm only a junior, so you'll have another year of "On TV" columns to look forward to. Like I said in the opening paragraph, I hope you've enjoyed my columns this year. Maybe now you're a choosier TV viewer. Or maybe you think I need to get a life. Whatever the case, it's been a fun year. Peace out.