Beverly Hills, 90210 is an American drama series that originally aired from October 4, 1990 to May 17, 2000 on Fox and was produced by Spelling Television in the United States, and subsequently on various networks around the world. It is the first series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise. The show followed the lives of a group of teenagers living in the upscale, star-studded community of Beverly Hills, California and attending the fictitious West Beverly High School and, subsequently, the fictitious California University after graduation. The show was created by Darren Star and executive producers Aaron Spelling and E. Duke Vincent. The "90210" in the title refers to one of the city's five ZIP codes.

The original premise of the show was based on the adjustment and culture shock that twins Brandon (played by Jason Priestley) and Brenda Walsh (played by Shannen Doherty) experienced when they and their parents, Jim (played by James Eckhouse) and Cindy (played by Carol Potter) moved from Minneapolis, Minnesota to Beverly Hills. In addition to chronicling the friendships and romantic relationships of a close-knit group of teenagers, the show also addressed numerous topical issues notable among teens including, date rape, alcoholism, domestic violence, gay rights, anti-Semitism, gay parenting, drug abuse, teenage suicide, AIDS, teenage pregnancy, bulimia and abortion.

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, though Garth, Spelling, Ian Ziering and Brian Austin Green were regulars during its entire run.

The series began with the introduction of the Walsh family—Jim, Cindy, Brandon, and Brenda—who had recently moved from Minnesota to Beverly Hills, California as a result of Jim's job promotion. In the first episode, Brandon and Brenda began attending West Beverly Hills High School, where they were eventually introduced to several friends who composed the remainder of the cast: Kelly Taylor, Steve Sanders, Andrea Zuckerman, Dylan McKay, David Silver, Scott Scanlon, and Donna Martin. The show followed the dramatic lives of its characters through high school, college, and ultimately the adult world, while introducing several additional characters as its seasons progressed.