Melrose Place

[te.]

Oh, the Body in the Pool plot was a bad idea from the start. I can see why they wanted some sort of over-arching umbrella story, but at the same time it really wasn't needed.

How about the show would've just started with Ella's character moving into the building? Lauren, who is explained having financial difficulties with funding her studies, is looking for a roommate. Ella then starts at WPK - if Heather didn't want to do the pilot, they always could've had her stomp in a few episodes later just like they ended up doing. Meanwhile we're introduced to the other characters - David, who might or might not be Jake's son (can be implied, but not outright said) and a drifter. The "perfect" couple Riley and Jonah. Violet, an eternal screw-up who works as a waitress at the bar where chef (or rather, bartender?) Auggie works. Then we could be introduced to Lauren's work place at Wilshire, where the chief of staff is (still) none other than Michael Mancini. Etc etc.

I've not even done it that differently other than removing the silly murder plot or silly retconned children.

Edited June 25, 2014 by te.

[KMan101]

Well said te.

MP 2.0 was such a waste of potential. I liked the cast they assembled. The execution was just very crappy. I couldn't believe the writers had never watched the original. It showed, especially with how Jane and Jo were initially written (thankfully they seemed more like themselves later). And it killed me how they had Heather Locklear, Laura Leighton, Thomas Calabro, Josie Bissett, and Daphne Zuniga ALL willing to do this show. Siiiigh. I'm sure even Grant would have come around had the show lasted long enough. I mean for God sakes he's doing Devious Maids.

Edited June 26, 2014 by KMan101

[Melroser]

2.0 was definitely a wasted opportunity. As said above with so many vets willing to make appearances this could have been as successful as Dallas 2.0 if the characters were written like themselves and with proper interaction.

As Sydney was my fave character from the original I was immediately against the show when I heard that they were bringing her back from the dead just to be dead again. I cringed every time an original member came on and was written so out-of-character...especially Jane. I thought she was written as an incredibly bitter and angry person on 2.0. (As was Jo in her first appearance),

I still watched...as MP is my fave nighttime show of all-time (and for my love of Laura Leighton) but it was sooo hard to watch. The fact that Violet was supposed to be Sydney's daughter made no sense to me whatsoever and I still don't feel like that was ever properly explained. The same for David being Michael's son. It was as if the writer's felt it was enough just to say that these characters were related. Lazy.

THE ONLY highlight was Katie Cassidy's Ella. Loved her cattiness with Sydney/Amanda. I liked her and Jonah but I found Riley to be so zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz that it didn't seem like much of a triangle for me.

[cuzIsaySo]

Katie Cassidy was the ONE good thing to come out of the reboot.

And Ella was a worthy adversary for Amanda Woodward which can only be the highest of all compliments.

[JackPeyton]

Great article with interviews from the writers. They talk about network notes re Matt

http://www.vulture.com/2014/09/melrose-place-1994-1995-writers-room-stories.html?mid=facebook_vulture

[Vee]

That whole article is hilarious.

[YRBB]

Thank you so much for this. It was amazing. You can totally see their devilish sense of humor that was also obvious in the show itself. They are so right about the Amanda cancer storyline. It did provide us with some great scenes (Amanda learning the news and taking it out on Michael is one of my faves) but it was such a serious story for such a darkly fun show. It clashed. Badly.

Of course, no one is surprised about the Matt stuff. I am a little surprised, though, by the comments on Jo. I thought the character worked from the very beginning, although obviously it took a turn for the better once the Reed storyline took place, that awesome boat shooting scene, etc. The stuff with Kimberly kidnapping and breastfeeding the baby and Jo giving the baby away are classic scenes, although I did feel they went too far with making Jo a victim eventually.

Oh the fantastic memories of MELROSE PLACE season 3. Brilliant. Fun. Unrepeatable!

I need to check some of their other stuff out.

Edited September 4, 2014 by YRBB

[JackPeyton]

Vulture is great at tv stuff.

[Melroser]

I always wished that Sydney's time on Melrose hadn't been wasted with the Carter story. I never thought that made any sense. I know it helped to show her vulnerable side when she fell for the guy but I wish she had been more involved with those at 4616 Melrose at the time.

It's too bad Syd left after season 5 because i really enjoyed her and Craig together. I thought they were too perfectly flawed people together.

[Huntress]

I felt that the writers didn't know what to do with Sydney after season 3.

In season 4, Sydney was still part of the Michael/Kimberly/Jane drama, but this time it wasn't about her and what she wanted. She was rather being used as a plot device instead of being portrayed as a real character. In addition, she was often used as a comic relief.

Whenever Sydney was in a confrontation in earlier seasons, the audience was rooting for Sydney because even though she was usually in the wrong, she was portrayed as being the misunderstood underdog. Sydney in season 4 was completely different. She was more immature and acted like a childish brat. In addition, she was severely dumbed down. Somehow this went hand in hand with Jane becoming more assertive.

In season 5, Sydney – like Alison and Jake – suffered from the isolated storylines. It surely didn't help that she was completely seperated from Michael, Kimberly and Peter. I can't remember them interacting at all. I also think that Jane and Sydney needed each other to balance each other out. Sydney didn't work without Jane, and Jane didn't work without Sydney (that's why Jane was such a bore in season 1 and again in season 7).

[Melroser]

I know there are always the what-ifs? But I wish this show could have had an 8th season. I wouldn't have ended 7 with the fake deaths of Peter and Amanda and instead have ended a cliffhanger of Eve totally attacking Amanda and Lexi trying to dig dirt up on Peter only to find out that he has a half-brother he didn't know about....

then season 8...

Eve would die from her altercation with Amanda and charges would be dropped as self-defense and the charges against her from high school because Eve couldn't testify against Amanda.

I'd try to pull someone from daytime on as Peter's brother to start S8...Michael Roderick (from then cancelled AW) or try for Sean Kanan (soon to be cancelled SB) and he and Lexi would become an item.

I would have tried HARD for Lisa Rinna to return as Taylor with Michael's baby because she was tied to everyone on the show!

The what-ifs....

[YRBB]

Season 6

Nick Reardon is a great recurring character for this show (and so, so sexy). And he just showed up and f-cked Susan Walters on her hospital bed (nothing says sexy like an IV), revealing that they're in cahoots. That was such a Season 3 moment.

And did Billy just say he used to teach ballroom dancing. Did he really just say that??? God, what a useless lug he is.

[DRW50]

They should have done a story where he was a male prostitute to some of the women or something.

[detroitpiston]

Billy being a ballroom dancer was a plot in the first couple of episodes. I'm probably the only person who adores the simple and cheesy early episodes.

[YRBB]

I love MELROSE's nasty, trashy, soapy dialogue.

Taylor: "Amanda, I'm SO sorry Kyle stood you up at the altar!"

Amanda: "All roads lead to Taylor McBride."

Michael: "Megan, don't be angry, but you've got that 'Someone called me a hooker' look."

Ugh, Megan is such a dumb ho for going back to Michael but I do like them together. The whole plot with Spider & the Mancini Medical Center is so damn stupid.

Yes! Taylor's the one who orchestrated the Christine plan. Nick is 10x more interesting than Kyle. It's sort of weirdly sweet that he wants to use this whole plan to be best buds with Kyle again.

The Billy/Sam/Jennifer/Jeff mess is unbelievably boring. The whole show is again, after a good stretch of episodes.

YES at Coop being offered in secret 10 million dollars if he manages to remarry Lexi. That's fun!

Nick? Or Billy?

Ah! Thanks. I was going to ask because I thought I remembered something like that but, then, I told myself it can't be so. Wow. Poor AS can't even make actual, established backstory that we saw ring true and work.