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Just what are the beautiful people of "Beverly Hills, 90210" to do?

Find other work, since the Fox series is ending after 10 years of pregnancies, drug and alcohol addiction, car wrecks, cheating, rapes and umpteen different hair colors for Tori Spelling.

"It's amazing the show lasted as long as it did," said Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, who wreaked havoc from 1994 to 1998 as bad girl Val Malone. She and former castmates Jason Priestley and Gabrielle Carteris return for the series finale, which airs Wednesday night.

"It's sad. It's like a dog that you love that's suddenly taken away from you, and I mean dog in the best sense of the word," said series creator (and Tori's father) Aaron Spelling. "It's been a long run, a good run and I loved every minute of it."

"Beverly Hills, 90210" was part of a new wave of teen series that hit TV in the early '90s, including "Fresh Prince of Bel Air," and quickly proved the big winner.

In its heyday, the series won the adoration of fans (Priestley and Luke Perry being particular targets), was No. 1 among young viewers, and captured the cover of magazines such as Rolling Stone and People. There were T-shirts, calendars, trading cards, backpacks, pillows and dolls.

The series also helped the fledgling Fox Broadcasting Co. establish itself as a fresh alternative to the big three networks.

In the finale, don't look for Shannen Doherty (Brenda) to revisit her former ZIP code. Doherty left in '94 after four tantrum-filled seasons, a move she calls "the best decision I ever made."

"I started getting stagnant and stale in my second season," she said. "I would be a walking corpse if I were still on there."

Hmm, never mind.

In the two-hour wrapup, David (Brian Austin Green) and Donna (Spelling) marry, while Kelly (Jennie Garth) must decide between her engagement to Matt (Daniel Cosgrove) and her longtime feelings for Dylan (Perry).

David and Donna's nuptials may be the most overdue in the history of television. For those scoring at home, David dumped Donna in '93 when she wouldn't have sex with him. He proposed in '97, but she never said yes despite losing her virginity to him. Late that year, David took up with Val. This season, he dumped Camille to get back with Donna. Got that?

"My daughter got sick of being a virgin for seven years," said Spelling, whose kids Tori and Randy really did grow up in the biggest mansion in Beverly Hills.

Of the 10 main characters, only Brenda, Steve (Ian Ziering) and Andrea (Carteris) escaped run-ins with booze and drugs. Cocaine became the temporary downfall of Kelly, Valerie, David, Dylan and Noah (Vincent Young). Brandon, Dylan and Noah became alcoholics, while Kelly downed diet pills and Val rolled joints.

"It wasn't like `Melrose Place.' That was sheer camp and sexual camp," Spelling said of his now-defunct Fox show. "We've done more issues on this show than any I've been connected with."

Suicide, AIDS, cancer and bulimia befell the teen-agers, who first cavorted through the halls of West Beverly High on Oct. 4, 1990. Fox picked up only 13 episodes at the start, then asked for more in batches.

"We thought we were going to lose it after 13 episodes," Spelling said.

Eventually, the rich kids graduated from high school, went on to California University and got jobs. In between, there was sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll (The Rolling Stones, Collective Soul, Christina Aguilera and Goo Goo Dolls were among the show's musical guest stars).

"Our kids started as sophomores in high school. At least we were honest about it," Spelling said. "I know some shows where they'll spend eight years in college."

When Doherty left the show, she was replaced by Thiessen. Thiessen settled in quickly as Val, who slept with David, got arrested for gambling, faked a pregnancy, attempted suicide and had an HIV scare.

"She gets to do all the dirty deeds which people loved," Thiessen said. "It wasn't bad doing all those love scenes with all the guys on the show. I was with everybody by my second season."

Ziering is one of four actors who stayed for the entire 10-year run. He is going to miss his character, Steve Sanders, who was always up for a good-looking woman or an excuse to party.

"That shameless hussy," Ziering said, laughing, "and I'm talking about Steve. I got to walk on his wild side, yet go home at the end of the day without having to pay for his misdeeds."

Aaron Spelling, whose career was revived by "90210," sees a future for the Beverly Hills gang in a follow-up TV movie.

Ziering has the perfect title: "Beverly Hills 90210: The Geriatric Years."

"`Hey, Brandon. Pass me the Geritol,"' he cracked.