Tori Spelling nears a '90210' return

Tori Spelling

Credit: Matt Sayles/AP

Two, four, six, eight... Donna Martin negotiate!

According to the Los Angeles Times, Tori Spelling is darned close to a deal to bring her Donna Martin character into the new millennium on The CW's "90210."

Media reports are saying that if a deal gets hammered out swiftly, Spelling could be back in the 90210 zip code for multiple episodes by the end of the show's first season.

Of course, we've heard this all before. Back at the July Television Critics Association press tour, the "90210" creative team was boasting that Spelling was all set to return, along with Shannen Doherty and Jennie Garth.

That never happened and the rumor mill suggested that Spelling was unhappy she wouldn't be paid as much as the two other originals.

When and if the new deal does come together, it's unclear if Donna Martin's fate will remain unchanged. Last we heard from The CW, Donna had become the owner of a hip Beverly Hills shopping spot.

But will Spelling arrive in time?

Despite the presence of both Garth and Doherty, this Tuesday's (Jan. 6) episode of "90210" averaged only 2.78 million viewers, putting it below the 2.94 million viewers who watched the 2009 premiere of "Gossip Girl," but just ahead of the 2.63 million who watched "One Tree Hill" return this week.

What the show clearly needs is the return of the Notorious B.A.G., but that would assume Brian Austin Green could take the time off from his busy "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" schedule.