The clock is winding down on Melrose Place with it’s season, and (sadly) possible, series finale and the ratings are still looking anemic. The show has not only taken a beating in the ratings game, but with snarky critics and non-fans as well. Non-fans are calling for the cancellation of the show for reasons ranging from simple competition for slots for One Tree Hill and new hit Life Unexpected to just people who have some sort of need to hate something that doesn’t pertain to them. You know… Like people against the recently passed health care bill. But I digress. Melrose Place needs someone to stand up for it in it’s time of need and I feel like I am that man for the job. So whatever the reasoning behind people’s dislike for the show, I am here to plead Melrose Place‘s case for a second season and will serve as it’s defense lawyer in the current trial of The People Vs. Melrose Place, which is pretty much what it is looking like in the TV blogosphere. So sit back and let me present the evidence that Melrose Place deserves a second go like every other show on The CW does.
Exhibit A) – The Show Has Picked Up Tonally And Is Different Than It Started Out…
Melrose Place started off on a rocky start when they killed original series character Sydney Andrews (Laura Leighton) in the pilot episode. Some people said it was a bad move that alienated the original series fans and without that core audience, the show was doomed. But I think it was a great idea to introduce the characters in light of the mystery at hand, because who would’ve cared if a new resident was the one floating in the pool at the beginning of the episode instead of someone established and well known? I sure as hell wouldn’t. The characters are fully fleshed out now and can move on with their lives, which means crazy plots and insanity galore to come. The original series spent half of its first season building up their characters hopes and dreams before tearing them down with the crazy on a weekly basis. The route the original series took might not have worked with today’s audiences, because it wasn’t too serialized and plots were wrapped up by episode end. So what is wrong with having a half-season long mystery to keep you coming back, while learning the characters in the process?
Exhibit B) – Katie Cassidy As Ella Simms
Need I say more??!? Katie Cassidy as the delectable Ella Simms is a reason alone to watch this show. She brings life to MP and her one liners are worthy of an Amanda Woodward’s School of mean class if one existed. Cassidy has a glow about her that helps bring the old concept of “beautiful twenty somethings living in an apartment complex” into the new millennium easily, which is tastefully done if you ask me. She shines in every scene that she is in and can hold her own with the old cast, who Ella has shared a scene with whenever they appeared on the show, if I am not mistaken. Sure, some people are screaming that Cassidy’s talents are being wasted on Melrose Place, but where else can you see Ella Simms? And since Katie seems to be having fun with this character, why not let her enjoy playing Ella a bit more? Hmmm?
Exhibit C) – Unlike 90210, The Old Cast CAN Return!!!!
One of the pet peeves with me when the the revamped 90210 premiered was the conflicting angles new and old fans wanted the show to take. You had one side who wanted the original cast to feature into the new show, despite the series being centered around a whole new set of teens. Then you had the other faction who wanted the show to ditch all of the casting stunts with Shannon Doherty and Tori Spelling and focus solely on the new class of West Beverly High. With Melrose Place, you are dealing with adults and you wouldn’t have to worry about trying to tie in old cast members with new high school children.
The return of original MP characters Jane Andrews (Josie Bissett), Jo Reynolds (Daphne Zuniga), Dr. Michael Mancini (Thomas Calabro), Sydney Andrews (Laura Leighton), and Amanda Woodward (Heather Locklear) didn’t seem forced or irritably convenient to some extent. The new characters had a past with several of the old characters in a tried and true soap opera 
paradigm that was used wisely by the writers and shouldn’t be taken so seriously by viewers. I mean, this IS Melrose Place, people! Aren’t crazy, nonlogical incidents the reason we loved the original?!!? But the point is that since 4616 Melrose Place has always been a revolving door for new tenants, old characters can pop in on a regular basis and wouldn’t feel out of their element without it feeling staged. The reunion scene in last week’s episode is a great example since each original MP cast member played a part in an ongoing story line and really just didn’t pop up out of nowhere for a ratings stunt/sweeps episode. In short, other faves might return if we just give this show a chance!
Exhibit D – What’s Wrong With Fun TV?
With a lot of shows on TV today, there tends to be a trend of intricate plotlines with a sci-fi element thrown in. Melrose is one of the few shows left that gives you the goods at face value without making your mind explode in the process. Is intellectual TV bad? Hell no. But Melrose Place is that nice ice pack that you can apply to your head after watching an episode of LOST, which is highly needed in my book. So why not indulge yourself in one of the best guilty pleasures of 2010? Give in to the crazy… Give in to the crazy…
Closing Arguments
Melrose Place is what it is at face value: a campy, soap with all the fixings and enough substance to not make you want to leave your living room couch in shame for watching it. If you are new to it, there is nothing to fear, except your popularity dropping. For those who tuned in and tuned back out, I promise you that you do NOT know what you are missing!!!! So come on, people!
Melrose Place airs on Tuesday nights at 9/8c on The CW, right after 90210.
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I don't watch Melrose Place and don't intend to (I watched the entire run of the O.C., and that's as much soapiness as my lifetime can take), but this is a really well-written article, Mark.
Thanks, Sam! That really means a lot, bruh!
This is by far the best article I have read on the new MELROSE PLACE and you are so bang-on in every way. I couldn't agree more! Add me if you're on FB, we need to be friends, because clearly you are amazing.
I have been watching the new MP since the beginning and I agree completely with this article. It is a fun, mindless, campy hour of TV that is much better than a lot of the other crap on the CW. Keep this on the air one more year. Give it it a shot. It's better than than crappy vampire show they have on.
This post is amazing. I love it and you've described well why we need to keep Melrose Place. The CW hasn't realized or cashed in on Melrose Place's niche in the TV industry. They're trying to act like this is 90210 or One Tree Hill but with older characters, but that's not true. It's all about things making you go "WTF!?" and just for outlandish, hilarious storylines. I'm pretty sure a girl blew up the Melrose Place complex in the old series, I'm pretty sure Melrose wasn't just "like OMG Jonah! OMG I might go back with you but I kinda like Drew now ^-^" that they're trying to push in the previews (which they NEVER AIR). This isn't Young & The Restless or Gossip Girl. It's Melrose Place. Learn it's niche, and cash in on it. It's a guilty pleasure full of fun and excitement, not straight up girl drama. I think the Desperate Housewives audience might be into Melrose too. I mean Desperate Housewives from the little I've seen of it has outlandish storylines too (though it's cheesy as hell). Melrose Place should try to take that audience.
You Are Completely right! The show is amazin! I have been watching it since episode 1. I think that it is 100x better than 90210 and other show on the channel. I think it is wrong for people to dislike a show without giving it a chance! I truly hope that the CW allows this show to come back for one more season, it truly deserves it. I have read such nasty comments about the show on Tvbythenumbers that is run by morons. I hate when people judge something that they have never senn! I hope the show gets another chance and I hope your article is viewed by the CW excecutives! Melrose Place For 2010-2011 <33
I have been watching this show since since it was aired. I have to say that it is much better than that stupid vampire show…its so stupid…I hope MP stays on the CW and I hope the vampire one gets canceled.
I couldn't agree more with what you've said in your article Mark. I'll be really disappointed of the CW don't renew the show for a second season. Surely it isn't hard for them to see that the show has continued to pick up steam over the last 7 or 8 episodes. And you don't have to be a genius to figure out that it's currently in one of the most difficult and competitive timeslots on TV. I really hope the suits at The CW realize they're definitely onto a good thing with this show. It's far better than 90210 and Gossip Girl. If they can hand out early renewals for all their other shows, surely they can make plans to move Melrose to a better (midseason) timeslot and give it a second season!
Melrose Place has a better cast and is a better show than Life Unexpected 90210 that is a good enough reason to renew.
I totally agree! Why are people so anxious to kill a show before even giving it a chance? I was a fan of the original and watched every season and it took time for the show to build an audience. Come on CW, a little more respect for viewers who stuck by this show through season one!! A little more respect for the amazing cast. And most importantly, more respect for yourself as a network who promoted the hell out of this show last summer only to let it die?
GREAT ARTICLE!!! I have been watching Melrose Place every week since the beginning! It better get a second season!ps send this to the CW ;)
Everything you've said here is true! This is such a great article and highlights exactly why the CW needs to give Melrose Place another season. American Idol is a juggernaut! Nothing, I repeat nothing can compete with it and like other people have said, Melrose Place's timeslot is one of the most competitive on TV. How is Melrose Place supposed to compete? Even 90210 isn't rating!Please CW, don't let this show end on a cliffhanger! Give the show a new timeslot or move it to midseason and give it a second season! PLEASE!
So it started out bad. They corrected their ways, they brought back Heather, they ditched Ashlee SImpson and changed the tone of the show. Part of me still won't forgive the fact that they killed off Sydney, but the reality is they improved it dramatically after episode 12. So really, it got 6 episodes of it's "new, light tone" to change our minds. Which really isn't enough. I think the key here is to keep the old characters coming back. If they get a season two, which I sincerely hope they do, then I think they should have the P in WPK stand for Parker and have Alison come back for a few eps. Can you imagine some of the dialogue with Alison and Ella about how nobody ever wins when they take on Amanda. It would be gold. I would also recommend they move Jane back into the complex. The show could benefit from a fashion angled character and Jane would serve this purpose well.
I agree with you 100%!!! I'm obsessed with this show and I can't get enough. Tuesday nights can't come fast enough for me. It's one of the only shows I watch weekly right now. It seems like everytime I like a show it gets cancelled, if it happens again I'm going to swear off TV…maybe. Anyways thanks for a great article and I back you up all the way!!
It's the only show I watch too. Seriously, it's an obsession for a damn good reason. I just watched the new Wilshire webclip with Ella Simms in it, and oh my god, I thought I was already in love with the show but wow. I was obsessed since the promos started, wasn't even a fan of the original (didn't watch it or give it a chance.) I mean it just screamed fun, and scandalous. That's exactly what was brought to the table. It's a shame the promos stopped, they were simply amazing. Now we get complete trash for promos and they never air on the CW. This show shouldn't be screwed over due to CW's piss poor state. Melrose Place didn't even need an episode to have me hooked, and that says a lot.
totally agree..i was a huge fan of melrose place in the 90's…it was insanity that's waht i loce it!! but now being in a new era, i think this melrose place fixed properly to the actual tv, it' s fresh, it's a little bit crazy, there' a lot of beautiful people, nice clothes, such a good election for the music..and you know,what, when i see melrose place it reminds me how good is to be single, to have fun and enjoy with your friends…I hope melrose have a second chance, in a second season.. and i love to see the old characters coming back, and staying as regular cast and i hope to see also Grant show or courtney thorne smitj, alissa milano comig back for a while..cross my fingersmauricio form peru
Hope it gets a second chance! Best show on tuesdays! I think the CW needs to give it another shot and give it a better time slot too! Melrose has all the other channels competing against it. Fox: American Idol, ABC: Dancing With Stars, CBS: NCIS Something, and NBC: dunno what they show now adays lol Please Renew Melrose Place CW. You Guys spent so much on it and its too soon to give up on it! It has so much potential and has gotten alot better! Melrose for 2010-2011!
The problem is that the execs at CW are morons. They should fire the people responsible for putting it up against shows like American Idol. I agree put it along side Gossip Girl. people who watch Gossip Girl will be more likely to watch this. They need to stop with the cutesy Riley / Jonah snoozefest. Really, does anyone enjoy watching them? Up the ante: bring in the outrageous storylines the old series was famous for. Kimberly going nuts after a car accident, wearing a wig to hide her huge scar from brain surgery, going to self-defense camp to learn how to hurt those that hurt her and then blowing the apartment building off the map. Nice! Sydney, befriends an ex-porn star, who becomes her roomate, who then introduces her to a mad cult in the middle of nowhere, which she then has to escape from after seeing their stockpile of machine guns. Or maybe one of Amanda's old employees, Brooke, snooping in her past, finding that she used to be married to the Mob in Florida, and had escaped by faking her death. Brooke then brings her ex-husband and his Mob family back into her life. She has a fight with him and he falls off a balcony to end up in a coma on life support. Amander visits the hospital, he wakes up and tries to strangle her as she turns off his life support killing him. Dr Peter Burns helps her cover it up, only for Michael to find out and try and blackmail them. These are the kind of storylines they need – totally crazy but everyone used to talk about them.
Call the CW and tell them you love the show and want a second season !!!! (818) 977 2500 and (818) 977 6878And once you've done that, tell them the same thing here… http://www.cwtv.com/feedback/commentsBy the way, if you're on facebook, join the group I started. It's called RENEW MELROSE PLACE FOR A SECOND SEASON. (PLEASE!)
GREAT article! I agree completely….
um hunny that "stupid" vampire show got another season dumbass
Thanks to Netflix, I just got into this show and finished it within the last week. Your article is spot on and very well-written. The show turned out to be much better than I expected, and the Ella character really did pull the show together imo.
Again, great article! Wish they gave the show a shot for the second season, but oh well :/