Melrose Place

[Cheap21]

its nto so bad when you watch it in bulk. Season 6 was torture bc it dragged out for a year. It was bad but season 7 was better as it definetly improved after getting rid of alot of the unnecesary characters and had more focused writing. Id just go ahead and watch the entire series

[Chris B]

I'm currently in season four and it's just delightful. I actually loved seasons five and six although I know many fans hated them. It's the final season I found incredibly dull. Rena Sofer sucked on the show and I didn't like the smaller cast. They were kinda dull. I hate that Lisa Rinna left. Especially with Sydney gone u needed her for comic relief.

[Huntress]

I found this gem on youtube: It's the explosion – but with Rhonda & Matt (scenes from season 1) edited in and it fits perfectly.

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[DRW50]

From the 12/31/96 SPW.

HIDDEN HEROES

by Jonathan Reiner

Frank South and Charles Pratt Jr. make sure Melrose is the Place to be

You only need to talk to Frank South and Charles Pratt Jr. for a few minutes before you get some idea why Melrose Place is so quippy, witty, and wacky. South, an executive producer on the show, and Pratt, Melrose's head writer and co-executive producer, spend almost as much time goofing around as they do crafting the show's intricate relationships.

The two first met in the summer of 1992, when Melrose was sinking fast after an impressive debut. "We had done the first 10 scripts, and Fox didn't like the direction of the show. They were upset with everything and they fired a lot of people," says Pratt, who has been with the show since its debut. "Darren (Star, Melrose's creator and then-executive producer) sat us down and told us, 'Well, there are going to be some new people coming on board, and we're all just going to have to get along." Frank was one of those people.

They instantly realized they had similar working styles and sense of humor. Pratt explains, "You can spot the workaholics, because they're still at the office at 7 p.m. and not out at the Bel-Air Bar meeting friends."

The two are both television veterans, but had not crossed paths before this gig: South was a story editor on Fame and Cagney & Lacey, a producer on Almost Grown and Equal Justice, and a co-creator of Going to Extremes. Pratt, meanwhile, has written or produced for Dynasty, General Hospital, and Santa Barbara, among others. More recently, he co-created Sunset Beach, and serves as its executive story consultant.

However, ego had no place at Melrose. Along with Star, the two got down to business and addressed the issue at hand: saving the show. "One of the first things we talked about was bringing on Jo," South says. Pratt adds: "The two biggest things we did were delaying the Billy/Allison romance and making that a triangle, and bringing Kimberly back from the dead with that big, ugly scar on her head."

These days the guys are trying to weave more down-to-earth stories, and have even buckled down somewhat at work. "We come in, do phone interviews and then yell for coffee," Pratt explains. "Seriously, we usually start around 9 or 10 in the morning, but individually we start earlier," South says. "There's always a lot of reading to do, and when you're writing, you sometimes start that at 4 or 5 in the morning."

As a group, "We gather with Carol (Mendlesohn, a co-executive producer), James (Kahn, a co-producer) and the other writers, and we have various tasks to be done. There are always notes to be given on an outline, and then we break down the next few shows," Pratt continues. "Sometimes we do arcing, which is a whole week's worth of meetings where we do nothing but sit around and talk about the direction in which the characters are going over the next six to 10 episodes."

"There's also casting, production meetings with Chip (Hayes, co-executive producer), who handles the set. And there are meetings with the directors about the tone of the show," says South, who decides which directors and writers will work on specific episodes, "much to Chuck's chagrin!"

"I would like to direct them all," Pratt jokes, "but we've found it's pretty hard for both of us to direct and do all our duties. We have trouble giving up a lot of our duties."

Remember, though, that they still report to Aaron Spelling. "He has a lot of influence, and both of us have learned an enormous amount from him," South says. "He reads the outlines and scripts, and we pitch the arcs to him. He sees the screenings and tells us when we're off."

"Also," Pratt adds, "if we pitch a story that he really likes, he doesn't forget it. Network executives usually forget what you pitch as soon as you pitch it, so you can change it and go in a different direction. We love it when Aaron asks, 'Now, which Frank and Chuck am I talking to? The ones I spoke to last month said they were doing a touching love story, and now somebody's on a rooftop with a gun! What happened?'"

The lines of communication are open throughout the Melrose hierarchy. South says he and Pratt are "completely accessible to the actors, especially if they're going through a complicated arc. Sometimes actors will call if they feel they're drifting a little bit, or sometimes they'll call because they're curious or sometimes just to chat."

"The funny thing is," Pratt adds, "that a lot of the actors, even though the door is open, for some reason are very nervous about calling us. They're stars and they're in demand everywhere they go, but when it comes to calling up and discussing something like a storyline change [they don't do it]. They feel like they are the great protector of their character, but we're as much a part of the character as they are."

Storyline changes have been fast and furious this season, primarily due to the influx of new characters. "We're dealing with a lot of storylines this year, trying to wrap up old ones and launch new ones," South explains. "It's not so much a new style (which has been suggested by some critics) as it is more of a tweaking, or a slight adjustment of your television set. This is exciting for us, because it sometimes feels like a new show. But whenever we feel that we've gone a little astray, we always go back to what's going on with the characters, and that has saved us."

"From the second season on, our philosophy has been to tell the stories from inside the characters, not about things happening to them," South explains. "As long as the stories come out of the characters' psyches, they tend to be good stories. And that includes when new characters come on and interact with our core group."

The interaction that personifies the show extends offscreen, as Pratt and South have become close buddies over the past five years. "Early on, we both had kids the same age who were similar types," Pratt explains. "So we got our kids together a couple of weekends and did that outdoors sort of thing. We also felt the need to get away from our families and our jobs, so we took a couple of weekend junkets to various places. Plus, we share a love for skiing. That's why all the characters were into skiing during the show's first few seasons."

However, they have the most fun coming up with "Melrose moments," which they say are the secret to the show's success.

"Sometimes it's a funny scene or just a line of dialogue," Pratt explains, "or maybe it's a slap, push, or a pull. Without them the show would be flat. Those moments are key to the show, and they're what people talk about the next day."

Edited October 6, 2010 by CarlD2

[YRBB]

Yep, MODELS, INC. ran at the same time as MELROSE PLACE Season 3.... But, of course, he had been involved with MP before the spin-off came about. Although, I'm not sure how a Failed Spin-Off = Running the Mother Show.

[darraholic]

I love Melrose Place.

Favorite Characters:

1. Sydney <3

2. Kimberly

3. Jo

4. Amanda

5. Drunken Alison

Least Favorite Characters:

1. JANE: Ugh couldn't stand her. I hated the way she treated Syd and always cheered when Syd made her life HELL! One of my favorite moments was Jane finding out she was the adopted child.

2. Billy

3. Sam

4. Coop

5. Sober Alison

Taylor was meh with me. I hated her in Season 5 but the character improved in Season 6 before she left. Kyle was okay until his stupid pill addiction. Amanda & Alison's rivalry was amazing. Amanda was rather boring once Courtney Thorne-Smith left. Jamie Lunar was one of the only bright spots in the later seasons.

Favorite Storylines:

1. Kimberly steals Jo's baby.

2. Alison vs Amanda's rivalry at D&D.

3. Kimberly blows up Melrose.

4. Alison's drinking.

5. Brooke going psycho.

6. Jane & Syd killing Richard.

7. Jo shooting Reid.

8. Alison remember being molested by her father on her wedding day.

9. Kimberly's multiple personalities.

10. Keith killing himself on the phone with Alison.

Edited October 7, 2010 by darraholic

[YRBB]

5 episodes into Season 4.... does the Amanda's Past storyline make any sense to you? Going back to her past never seemed like a good idea anyway, but they have made it so blatantly a retcon that it's hard to enjoy it. I don't necessarily have a problem with it being a retcon, but you have to do it right. On top of that, it doesn't make much sense either because who the hell changes their identity and fakes their death only by going back to their maiden name (not to mention, keeping the same first name). And Palmer Woodward never did mention this at all? So what gives?

I really loved the first three episodes of the season but the last two have kind of felt weird to me. And the cliffhangers have not been surprising or exciting at all. Most of the times, you can even tell they're coming lol

Edited October 25, 2010 by YRBB

[Huntress]

That retcon of Amanda's past went hand in hand with Amanda's transformation from bad girl to victim. While I liked the beginning with Jack appearing in town, I didn't like how the story played out with Bobby arriving - simply because I always thought that Bobby was disgusting. I also didn't like how Amanda and Peter became the show's main couple. Why would a woman like Amanda fall in love with a guy who tried to kill her? Especially since she had already escaped that unpleasant marriage with Jack who beat her up.

I guess I'm in the minority here, but I really liked Jane. Granted, she was a hypocrite most of the time and was a bitch to her so-called friends - but who on that show wasn't? The storyline involving Jane, Sydney, Michael and Kimberly was the only thing that made season 2 interesting.

The one thing I didn't like about Jane was her hair. Josie Bissett has such a beautiful face, yet her haircut was never that flattering. But that's a problem a lot of characters on Melrose had (Alison and Jo had awful hair too).

The problem with the later seasons (5-7) was that the characters that used to be friends or interacted a lot in earlier seasons weren't that close anymore. For example, Sydney had no scenes with Michael or Kimberly, and there was too little interaction between Amanda and Alison.

Another unpopular opinion: I loved Jake and Alison as a couple.

[JackPeyton]

I loved Jane.

Also, about Jake & Alison... i HATE Alison, like almost as much as i do Hope on Days and thats a lot, but she was very enjoyable with him.

[Cheap21]

The only time I thought Jane had bad hair was this look in season 2. Other than that, I always thought she had great hairstyles. I loved it best in season 5 when she went long

IA with you on all but Jake and Alison. Man my least favorite couple. That pairing ruined her. I mean I didnt like her before but she went downhill when she left the corproate world and start bartending. He was not a good fit for her. Plus I hated how she moved in on Jake and ruined Jane's chances with him and those two I loved together

Edited October 29, 2010 by Cheap21

[Gray Bunny]

They ruined Allison when she became a power-hungry bitch during Season 3 when she was VP of D&D while Amanda had Hodgkins disease for a couple days (literally). Allison was so in over her head trying to be the boss and was a complete nasty c-u-next-tuesday to Jo, Billy, etc.

Sad, cuz I was all about Billy & Allison the first 2 seasons.

[YRBB]

lol Not really, though. That storyline lasted 3 months, which places it amongst one of the longest running MELROSE storylines lol Just saying.

You are right about Billy and Alison, though. In the beginning, they were the heart of the show, but that quickly evolved to Jake and Jo, perhaps the most emotionally real couple of the series.

[YRBB]

Oh yes, I see this now more than ever. Just watched episode 6 and I can hardly recognize Amanda anymore. She still has some spunk, but her reactions, the way she behaves is completely out of character. Not that the Amanda of previous seasons didn't get scared, or sad, but her wanting to run away from L.A. or panicking at Jack entering her house bears no reseblance to how she tied up Pervy Ted and threatened to cut off his balls, or how she threw Michael out of her house, accusing him of scheming against her, when he told her she has cancer. I guess they are trying to make Jack more threatening through Amanda's reaction, or they are simply looking at her as a victim. Which I hope won't last, because it really, really sucks.

I loved Jane. She was a vile, disgusting human being but an awesome character. I would call her a true bitch, because she just had no empathy, no kindness, and she would just say the most hurtful, disgusting things. Love it! But I'm pretty sure Season 2 had way more going for it than just the four of them! lol

[darraholic]

I hated Jane. Could not stand her. Although, I did like when she went psycho Jake & Alison.

Amanda's past was beyond boring and one of the weak links of season 4 (The Jo/Richard/Jane being the worst storyline). Could not stand Bobby. The only standout of that storyline was Alycia.

I also hated how they turned Jo's character into a victim. I loved Jo in the first two seasons. Then the writers had Kimberly & The Nanny steal her baby, Jess beating the crap out of her (The scene were Jess punches her is brutal), Richard using her. I also hated the way she was written out. Dominic & Jo had zero chemistry.

Edited October 30, 2010 by darraholic

[Cheap21]

Haha, your description is funny bc most people remember her as being sweet and the good character of MP, qualities that only truly defined her in season 1. I do think you are being a bit harsh and extremee bc Jane wasnt THAT bad. She was kind and she did have a heart. I wouldnt call her vile either. She could be a bitch but 90% of the time it was justified. She wasnt malicious like Kimberly or unsympathetic like Amanda. She didnt go out of her way to hurt people but if they crossed her, you better believe she'd fight back. Kimberly, Sydney, Jo, Alison....Jane didnt have a problem with any of them until they betrayed her and then she let the claws out. She didnt tend to initate the drama. With that said I loved her and love that she wasnt a pushover. She was at her bitchiest in season 4 and early season 5 when she was an ambitious, selfish, power hungry business woman but then again I felt the people at the end of her wrath deserved it

I LOVED the baby story. That was good stuff and one of Jo's most interesting one. Actually might have been her best bc she sort went downhill after.

I couldnt stand Alycia and rooted when she was killed off.

We have differnet tastes bc I loved th Jo/Richard/Jane story, mainly for Jane and Richard. It ruined Jo, but Richard was a great new addition and Jane's transformation rocked.

Edited October 30, 2010 by Cheap21