Melrose Place: Supersoap 2.0
The show that started out as a lame copy of producer Darren Star’s Beverly Hills 90210 became the hottest primetime soap on U.S. television in the ‘90s. Who’d have thunk it? Certainly not those who watched the first episodes where nothing happened, except for the obligatory stereotyping of characters. Grant Show became the token sex symbol; Andrew Shue the token nice guy; Doug Savant the token gay guy; Thomas Calabro and Josie Bissett the token married couple. Thank God Heather Locklear came back from Dynasty hell to show everyone how it’s supposed to be done.
Let’s start from the beginning. The show was set in a West Hollywood apartment building populated only by young, affluent, sexy people—they were certainly not superrich, as in the soaps of the ‘80s, but they were doctors, ad executives, etc. I’ve already introduced you to some of the guys who lived there; they were a bit dull, I’m sad to say. Things changed after a while, however; the storylines became hotter and so did the sex. Wine moguls and oil barons fell out of fashion as a new decade arrived, but sex never did; everyone seemed to be doing it all the time and usually with each other—at one occasion, it became apparent that Show and Locklear’s characters had had sex with almost everyone in the cast, including each other! The only one who rarely got laid was Mr. Savant’s poor character. The writers were terribly afraid of showing a gay guy having sex like normal people; even kissing was strictly verboten. When Ms. Locklear arrived, playing the ruthless businesswoman Amanda Woodward, she brought a whole bag of intrigues. She started competing with Allison (Courtney Thorne-Smith) who worked at the same ad agency; Amanda would stop at nothing to get what she wanted. At the same time, Mr. Calabro’s character, Michael Mancini, went through a complete transformation; the friendly doctor and good husband became a lying bastard who cheated on his wife and then got angry and vengeful when she threw him out of the house. He was a wonderfully wicked character and the writers saved their best and nastiest lines for him and Amanda.
Many characters moved in and out of the apartments. Jack Wagner was fun as another doctor who became Michael’s arch-enemy and Amanda’s lover (they separated for a while when he tried to kill her). The show turned to violence as a way of boosting ratings with the arrival of Kimberley (Marcia Cross), a deranged woman who wouldn’t allow Michael to end his affair with her. One of her most twisted schemes included planting a bomb in Melrose Place that almost wiped out the apartments. This was Darren Star’s creation at its most outrageous. Older viewers probably thought Dallas did these things better in the old days, but younger viewers were mesmerized.
The last seasons saw most of the original cast members leave. The new gang wasn’t much fun and the stories became significantly less interesting. As the ‘90s drew to a close, so did a show that had been bold enough not to consider primetime soaps a thing of the past. All the concept needed was a slight tune-up and it would be ready for the next generation.
The YouTube clip shows the opening credits.
Melrose Place 1992-1999:U.S. Made for TV. 227 episodes. Color. Created by Darren Star. Theme: Tim Truman. Cast: Heather Locklear (Amanda Woodward, 93-99), Thomas Calabro (Michael Mancini), Josie Bissett (Jane Mancini, 92-97, 98-99), Andrew Shue (92-98), Grant Show (92-97), Courtney Thorne-Smith (92-97), Doug Savant (92-97), Jack Wagner (94-99), Daphne Zuniga (92-96), Laura Leighton (93-97), Marcia Cross (92-97), Rob Estes (96-99), Lisa Rinna (96-98), Kelly Rutherford (96-99), Kristin Davis (95-96), Brooke Langton (96-98), Jamie Luner (97-99), Alyssa Milano (97-98), Linden Ashby (97-98).
Trivia: Followed by a spin-off series, Models, Inc. (1994-1995).
Quote: “Count your friends, Michael… Oops, done already?” (Ms. Locklear to Mr. Calabro)
Above Average
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