Beverly Hills, 90210
Strike the Match
TV Flash files “Strike the Match” as hour 171 of 293 in the TV Flash guide — Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990–2000) on Fox, season 6, episode 27, aired 1996-04-10, 60 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S06E27: listed hour 171 of 293 in the Beverly Hills, 90210 guide, hour 27 of 32 in season 6. It aired 1996-04-10 (60 min). The listed hour before it is “Flirting with Disaster” (S06E26). Next is “The Big Hurt” (S06E28).

Catalog log
Broadcast listing — not a TV Flash recap.
Kelly tries to coax Tara into moving out, as the hospital has found her a place to live. Tara retrieves some belongings, including her photography equipment, from a friend. Kelly does not realize that Tara has a gun in her suitcase. After Kelly speaks of her hatred for Valerie, Tara sneaks out during the night and keys "Die Val" on the side of Valerie's car. Val believes that Kelly is responsible, while Colin gets into a fight with David (who had earlier given him a lot of attitude). Tara freaks everyone out by copying Kelly's hair style and color. Donna and David film a music video for an up and coming band. Donna must appear in the video after the female star fails to show. Joe is unhappy to see her dancing around in a revealing outfit. The Boston Globe offers Brandon a summer internship and chance at a great post-college job. He rejects the offer because he and Susan had already planned a cross-country trip for the summer. Clare stays with Steve while cramming for the graduate school entry test with Brandon, Susan and Joe. Steve accidentally ruins her beloved shawl--a keepsake of her mother's--in the wash.
Viewer FAQ
Where does Strike the Match sit in the Beverly Hills, 90210 guide?
S06E27 is listed hour 171 of 293 — hour 27 of 32 in season 6, season 6 episode 27.
When did Beverly Hills, 90210 S06E27 air?
Strike the Match aired 1996-04-10 and is listed at 60 minutes.
Where should I start?
The original 1990–2000 run, from high school into adult career and family arcs — later 90210 reboot attempts are a separate brand lap.
In the series
Why this series still plays
Minnesota twins drop into Beverly Hills High and teach Fox that teens will show up weekly. Darren Star and Aaron Spelling built zip-code soap from peach-pit romance, Luke Perry heartthrob mythology, and Very Special Topics — then aged the courtyard into adulthood without ever leaving the brand. The teen-drama industrial complex starts here, spinoffs included.
So about the ZIP code. Minnesota twins Brandon and Brenda Walsh land at Beverly Hills High and Fox learns, in public, that teens will show up every week for peach-pit romance, pool-party lighting, and a curriculum of Very Special Topics. Darren Star created it; Aaron Spelling produced it (1990–2000). Luke Perry's Dylan, Shannen Doherty's Brenda, Jason Priestley's Brandon, Jennie Garth's Kelly, Tori Spelling's Donna — the original ensemble that made appointment TV out of adolescent melodrama. (I said spoiler-free.…
Filed against
- Jason Priestley as Brandon Walsh
Jason Priestley’s Brandon Walsh dropped Minnesota morals into Beverly Hills, 90210 and taught Fox that teens would show up weekly — peach-pit romance, zip-code soap, Very Special Topics, a courtyard that aged into adulthood without…
- Shannen Doherty as Brenda Walsh
Shannen Doherty’s Brenda Walsh dropped Minnesota twins into Beverly Hills, 90210 and taught Fox that teens would show up weekly — peach-pit romance, Luke Perry mythology, Very Special Topics — then spelled sisterhood as Prue on Charmed.…
- Luke Perry as Dylan McKay
Luke Perry taught Fox a zip code as Dylan McKay on Beverly Hills, 90210 — peach-pit romance, Minnesota twins in a courtyard, heartthrob mythology with Very Special Topics, then adulthood without ever leaving the brand. Darren Star and…
- Jennie Garth as Kelly Taylor
Jennie Garth’s Kelly Taylor made Beverly Hills, 90210 a blonde weather system — Minnesota twins in the zip code, peach-pit romance, Luke Perry mythology, Very Special Topics aging a courtyard into adulthood. Fox teen soap as a weekly…
- Ian Ziering as Steve Sanders
Ian Ziering's Steve Sanders taught Beverly Hills, 90210 that the rich kid could be the plot — Minnesota twins dropping into a zip-code soap, Darren Star and Aaron Spelling, peach-pit romance, Luke Perry mythology, Very Special Topics.…
- Tori Spelling as Donna Martin
Tori Spelling’s Donna Martin made Beverly Hills, 90210 feel like a courtyard you could actually live in — peach-pit romance, zip-code soap, Minnesota twins dropping into a high school Fox taught teens to visit weekly. Darren Star and…