The Party is over.


	THE PARTY IS OVER

Release Date: January 24, 2000

Press Release: Mr. Showbiz - ABC News

The kids, er, adults of Beverly Hills, 90210 are moving on to ZIP codes unknown. After a 10-year run, Fox is pulling the plug on the long-running SoCal soaper.

Another death sentence was handed down to the Salingers of San Francisco: ratings-challenged Party of Five will depart Fox airwaves at the end of this, its sixth season.

Suffering a disastrous fall season, Fox looks to be starting off fresh, clearing the deadwood from its schedule.

According to Variety, as recently as two weeks ago, Fox execs said 90210 would likely air as many as 12 new episodes in the summer, and return for an 11th season. But execs were apparently unwilling to continue to pay the growing license fees on the Aaron Spelling-produced show, which runs approximately $2.2 million per episode.

Both 90210 and Party, two Wednesday workhorses, have stumbled in the ratings since being separated this season. So far this season, 90210 has averaged 8.4 million viewers, while PO5, which moved to Tuesdays this season, has averaged 6.8 million viewers.

90210, whose logo could have included a revolving door, saw the exits of Shannen Doherty in 1994 (she's now on the WB's Charmed) and Jason Priestley and Tiffani-Amber Thiessen in 1998. Word had it that Brian Austin Green and Daddy's girl Tori Spelling were also eyeing the series eject button. Luke Perry left the Beverly Hills gang behind in 1995, to return in 1998. Start prepping the "where are they now" episodes for some of these kids, all, that is, except for 90210-alum Hilary Swank, who just nabbed her first Golden Globe Sunday night for her breakout role in Boys Don't Cry. Swank played Carly Reynolds from 1997 to 1998.

Over at Party of Five, Scream star Neve Campbell had announced her intention to leave at the end of this season, while Jennifer Love Hewitt has already jumped to her own spin-off, Time of Your Life.

And don't hold your breath for a 90210 spin-off, reports Variety.

No final word yet on whether Fox stalwart and fan fave The X-Files will also shuffle off the television schedule at season's end, as David Duchovny's and Chris Carter's contracts expire.