A ‘Melrose Place’ Redux In The Works?
Building on the marginal success that The CW is enjoying with this seasons Beverly Hills, 90210 spin-off series 90210, Entertainment Weekly is reporting that the network is developing an updated version of the hit series Melrose Place. Melrose, you may or may not know, was the first spin-off to come from BH, 90210 (debuting in 1992) and after a slow start, went on to become one of the most successful TV series of the 1990’s. Much like the new version of 90210, Melrose Place (or mebbe they’ll just call it The Place or simply Melrose) will most likely restart with a new batch of tenants to share the famous apartment building, and indeed their drama, together again in these modern and faster-paced times:
Andrew Shue, call your agent. A spokesperson for The CW confirms what has been buzzed about for months: The network is developing an update of Melrose Place. Details remain sketchy, but it’s believed Melrose 2.0 would launch next fall. The move comes as The CW has enjoyed some measure of success with its 90210 reboot. Despite modest ratings, the show has brought attention to the struggling network at a time when it sorely needs it. The suits no doubt figure a Melrose rebirth will generate another round of mass hysteria. (And they’d be right!) Earlier this month, Darren Star, who created both Melrose and 90210, admitted to TVGuide.com that a Melrose resurrection “would be a fun thing to do. I wouldn’t be surprised if it happened — if it can be put together in the right way.”
HMMM. I’m not sure, yet, how I feel about this idea. As I mentioned, Melrose Place started out very slowly … well before crazy Dr. Kimberly Shaw (played by Marcia Cross) blew up the building, the characters were all friends and they all got along very well. They never fought and always had one another to rely on. It wasn’t until a huge dose of bitchy was injected into the show, in the form of permanent Guest Star Heather Locklear (as Amanda Woodward), that the show soared to rating heights and became THE show to talk about around the water cooler the next day. I suspect that at least one of the former cast members will have to be brought back to bridge the gap from the first version of the series to the new version. Maybe Sydney Andrews (played by Laura Leighton) found new life as apartment manager of Melrose Place … or mebbe the series will give Vanessa Williams (not the Ugly Betty one, the other one) who played Rhonda Blair or Amy Locane who played Sandy Louise Harling another shot at stardom (they were each featured heavily in the first season but were quickly written off the show because they were boring characters). We all know that Rob Estes, who currently stars in the new version of 90210 as principal Harry Wilson, won’t be able to reprise his Melrose role as Kyle McBride cuz, well, he’s already on the other current BH, 90210 spin-off as a completely different character. I’m sure there will be no problem finding old castmembers to come back to the new version of the show. Unfortch, tho, I’m not sure that Melrose has the same nostalgic value that BH, 90210 does. I guess we’ll see if the show can be a hit … my guess is that all the nostalgic love is being spent on 90210 already (and some of that is starting to wear off). I guess we’ll see what happens next Fall. What do y’all think … would you tune in to watch this Melrose redux?
[Source]
Tags: 'Melrose Place'
RSS
Feedburner
October 29th, 2008 at 8:52 am
Stupid idea!!!
October 29th, 2008 at 8:53 am
This is getting carried away!! HELL NO I wouldn’t watch it!! What a joke! I don’t watch 90210 and now that I am more of the age of the melrose cast there is no way I would watch it! Stop remaking old shows. The only way I would watch it is if they put Shannen D on it:)!! Even then that is a strech thou!!! This was an awesome show and they are ruining the memory of all these classics with this new CRAP!!!
October 29th, 2008 at 9:20 am
Please no more!
October 29th, 2008 at 9:29 am
Laura Leighton can’t be on the show because she was killed. An out of control car hit and called her right when she was marrying / or had just married ? David Charvet’s character. That was a sad day for Melrose Place :(
October 29th, 2008 at 9:43 am
Get some new idea’s CW! Would it just be way too far out in left field to do a show with some substance and diversity and *gasp* originality???
October 29th, 2008 at 9:43 am
I LOVED LOVED MP but Hollywood really is losing it’s originality and creativity (for years now..a Footloose remake with Zac E??UGH!)…No Laura?Marcia?Josie?Daphne? HEATHER? Forget it..the women of the original MP cannot be replaced.
October 29th, 2008 at 9:50 am
I was, and still am, a big fan of Melrose Place. It was a good reason to get together with my friends on a weekly basis and watch things unfold. There’s no way they could top the original. But I’d watch the new one with an open-mind in the hopes it would find it’s legs. Bringing back Heather Locklear I think is a must. She WAS “Melrose Place”.
October 29th, 2008 at 10:18 am
ok what is up with hollywood these days. they remake foreign movies and tv shows and now they are making newer versions of old shows! are there any original writers anymore!!
October 29th, 2008 at 11:30 am
The only way this could really work for me is if the people who lived in the Melrose Place apartments were Donna, Kelly, Brandon & Brenda, Steve, Dylan, David and Andrea. Now THAT I would watch! LOL!
October 29th, 2008 at 11:34 am
LOLOLOL! I think Rhonda is on to something :)
October 29th, 2008 at 11:46 am
please no more is right!!!
October 29th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
Alyssa Milano as Jennifer Mancini, the only MP cast member still young enough to be relevant. And JM was a hoot.
October 29th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
FAIL!
October 29th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
In its prime (seasons 2, 3?) MP was a friggin blast. The most hyper-paced soap of all time. I don’t think a remake is necessarily unoriginal since the premise — range of twentysomethings in an LA apartment building — is so broad. Bring it back!
October 29th, 2008 at 2:11 pm
Yeah – I always liked the way it was centered around the LA apartment building – they could just do a new generation – no need to bring back original cast members. That would be unrealistic for the simple fact, that they would all own their own homes by now!