Melrose Place (2009 TV series)


Melrose Place is an American drama television series broadcast on The CW from September 8, 2009, to April 13, 2010. The series is a revival of the 1990s Fox series of the same name and is the fifth series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise. The show follows the lives of a group of young adults living at the fictitious Melrose Place apartment complex in West Hollywood, California Smallville producers Todd Slavkin and Darren Swimmer were showrunners of the series.
The series was met with mixed reviews from critics. Due to low ratings, it was cancelled by The CW on May 20, 2010, after one season.

Development

After successfully relaunching the franchise with 90210 in 2008, there was considerable speculation as to whether The CW planned to create a new version of Melrose Place in a similar vein. An article in E! Online reported the possibility of a new version of Melrose in September 2008, though The CW declined to confirm any such project at that time. Some weeks later, The CW and CBS Paramount Network Television said they were "exploring the possibility" of creating a new version of the series, to potentially debut in the 2009–2010 TV season and targeting their "prized demographic: young women." Original series creator Darren Star also confirmed that discussions had taken place, but nothing was official. On October 31, 2008, Entertainment Weekly writer Michael Ausiello reported that One Tree Hill creator Mark Schwahn had been approached about running what was being called "Melrose Place 2.0". The Hollywood Reporter confirmed on December 14, 2008, that Schwahn was in negotiations to write the initial script for the potential series.
In January 2009, The CW's head of entertainment, Dawn Ostroff, discussed the network's plans to develop a Melrose Place update, stating that she had yet to identify a writer, and that the proposed project would include both returning and new characters. She noted that the original Melrose Place series which began in 1992 started "at a time not unlike what we're going through now... they talked about the building being foreclosed on, people not having jobs. It took place in a very similar time, a time when the economy was in a downturn." Ostroff also told reporters that unlike the original series, the new version would try to capture life in the Los Angeles Melrose neighborhood. When asked whether the new series would be the "earnest Melrose of season one or the nutty Kimberly-blowing-up-the-apartment-complex of later years," Ostroff explained, "In the beginning you've got to get invested in the characters, but I also think it can't be so dramatic and sleepy that not enough is going on. Our fans really love that heightened drama as you can see when you watch One Tree Hill and Gossip Girl. So the job is to get them emotionally invested in the people and then do storytelling and have twists and turns and surprises you wouldn't have expected."
On January 19, 2009, with Mark Schwahn now officially off the project, Ausiello reported that The CW were talking with Darren Swimmer and Todd Slavkin about helming the new Melrose Place. On February 6, 2009, Ausiello confirmed that Swimmer and Slavkin were officially hired as the show runners of the spin-off, and discussed some of the new show's characters that were yet to be cast.
The Hollywood Reporter reported on February 23, 2009, that The CW had officially greenlit a pilot episode for the new Melrose Place written by Swimmer and Slavkin, which would "follow the original formula and chronicle a new group of twenty-somethings dwelling in Los Angeles' perpetually trendy Melrose neighborhood." Academy Award winner Davis Guggenheim was announced as the director and executive producer of the pilot.
The new series, ultimately just titled Melrose Place like its 1990s predecessor, premiered on The CW on September 8, 2009.

Casting

Ausiello's February 6, 2009, character preview introduced the series' seven new characters: David Patterson, son of the previous version's Jake Hanson "with the taut abs and thick black book to prove it;" his "omnisexual sometime lover" Ella Flynn, "a PR whiz whose tongue is as sharp as her stilettos;" Jonah Miller, an aspiring filmmaker; Riley Richmond, his "sickly-sweet schoolteacher fiancee;" Auggie Kirkpatrick, a "hunky hippie" and recovering alcoholic; "straight-arrow" med student Lauren Bishop, forced by hard times to "trade sexual favors for financial ones;" and Violet Foster, a small-town teen who is "fresh off the turnip truck" but knows how to "play the sex kitten" when necessary.
On February 25, 2009, The Hollywood Reporter reported that the first actor cast in the new series was Michael Rady, whose character Jonah was compared to Andrew Shue's Billy Campbell from the original Melrose Place. Variety announced on February 27, 2009, that Katie Cassidy had landed the role of Ella, whom Ausiello had previously compared to Heather Locklear's Amanda Woodward. On March 9, 2009, Ausiello reported that singer/actress Ashlee Simpson-Wentz had been cast as Violet, and quoted an unnamed inside source saying that talks with Locklear to reprise her role were "looking good." The Hollywood Reporter announced on March 17, 2009, that Jessica Lucas had won the role of Riley. The next day Entertainment Weekly broke the story that despite The CW "aggressively pursuing" her, Locklear had passed on the Melrose Place update, purportedly because "There wasn't a way to bring her back that made sense." On March 24, 2009, Colin Egglesfield was cast as Auggie, and Stephanie Jacobsen as Lauren. The Hollywood Reporter reported on April 3, 2009, that Shaun Sipos had landed the final regular role in the series – Jake's son David – now described as a rich kid whose "bad-boy behavior has cut him off from the family's money."
On April 5, 2009, The Hollywood Reporter broke the story that Laura Leighton would be joining the series as her original Melrose Place character Sydney Andrews. Though Sydney had seemingly been killed off in 1997 at the end of the original show's fifth season, the new pilot finds her alive and now the landlord of the titular apartment complex. TV Guide noted that Leighton would also continue in a recurring capacity should the updated Melrose Place be picked up. People reported on April 6, 2009, that Melrose Place original cast member Thomas Calabro would also reprise his series-long role as the duplicitous Dr. Michael Mancini, now established as the father of new character David.
Ashlee Simpson-Wentz's portrayal of the scheming Violet Foster was criticized by both critics and fans who found her very loathsome, and she was reportedly disliked by fellow cast members. It was announced in October 2009 that Simpson-Wentz and Colin Egglesfield would be leaving the series after the conclusion of the "Sydney Andrews murder mystery" storyline.

Production

Ausiello reported on May 19, 2009, that the series had been picked up by The CW. Presenting its 2009–2010 season schedule on May 21, 2009, The CW announced its intention to air Melrose Place after 90210 on Tuesday nights, in the same way their parent shows had been paired when the original Melrose Place debuted on Fox in July 1992. Ostroff added that there would likely be some character crossover between the two shows. Sipos's, Cassidy's, and Jacobsen's characters had also been renamed "David Breck," "Ella Simms," and "Lauren Yung" in the press release.
With the series in production, the Los Angeles Times noted on August 30, 2009, that the new Melrose Place intends to reflect life in Los Angeles beyond the way the original did by filming "everywhere from skid row to Sunset Boulevard and using popular venues, such as the Cinerama Dome and Walt Disney Concert Hall, as well as opulent mansions in Malibu and the so-called bird streets of the Hollywood Hills." Executive producers Slavkin and Swimmer both grew up in L.A., and wanted to update the series "in a really cool, relevant way and not just slap the name Melrose Place on it." Concerned about repeating the same difficulties which occurred when incorporating original series characters in the 90210 update, The CW's Ostroff was drawn to Slavkin and Swimmer's intent to "create a new world but also hang on to what was special about Melrose originally... I wanted to make sure that we used the old characters in the right way, in a way that made sense to the new characters as well." Swimmer added, "We felt the only way to incorporate the old characters into the new show was for it to feel like it was part of the story and came from the story."
On September 23, 2009, Variety reported that The CW had ordered an additional six scripts for the series, despite its ratings thus far being a "disappointment." On October 21, 2009, The CW officially ordered five more episodes of the series, bringing the total to eighteen. A day later in an interview with Ausiello, Slavkin and Swimmer announced that Egglesfield, Simpson-Wentz, and Leighton would leave the series once the murder mystery is resolved in episode 12. Egglesfield told E! Online that his departure was a network decision driven by the show's weak ratings, and that his character Auggie would not be killed off.

Guest stars

People reported on June 18, 2009, that Josie Bissett, who portrayed Michael's ex-wife and Sydney's older sister Jane Mancini in the original series, would guest star in at least one episode. Taylor Cole was next booked to guest star as David's ex-girlfriend, followed by Taryn Manning as a singer whose music video is directed by Jonah. The next day, Entertainment Weekly reported that original series star Daphne Zuniga would be returning as photographer Jo Reynolds for at least two episodes. On July 17, 2009, E! Online announced that actress Brooke Burns had been cast as Vanessa, wife of Dr. Michael Mancini and mother of his younger son Noah. That same day, TV Guide Magazine reported that actor Victor Webster had also been cast as Caleb, Ella's gay publicist boss. On July 20, 2009, E! Online reported that actress Kelly Carlson had been cast as a madam who convinces Lauren to work for her as part of her prostitution ring.
On August 19, 2009, E! Online announced that actress Jenna Dewan would appear on the series for at least two episodes as Kendra Wilson, a movie development executive who has her eyes on Jonah. Later that week, E! Online confirmed that Locklear was again in talks to join the update as her original series character Amanda. On August 31, 2009, former LA Laker Rick Fox announced he'd be guest starring on the series as an LA club owner. A rep for Melrose Place later confirmed the news to Access Hollywood, stating that Fox would appear in the eighth episode.
On September 22, 2009, The CW announced that Heather Locklear would finally join the update in its tenth episode. Show runners Slavkin and Swimmer were quoted as saying "We're ecstatic to have the chance to bring Amanda Woodward back to Melrose Place. Heather's involvement in the show is something we've been working on for some time, as we couldn't imagine creating and producing this show without the iconic character's inclusion." Ausiello revealed that Locklear would play Ella's boss at WPK, calling it "a genius move that will pit the show’s former and current vixens against one another." On October 9, 2009, TV Guide Magazine reported that actor Billy Campbell had been cast as a powerful billionaire who would be involved with Amanda and first appear in episode thirteen. On October 27, 2009, Ausiello reported that actor Nick Zano was in talks to join as a pseudo-replacement for Colin Egglesfield's Auggie. Zano later confirmed his casting in an interview with the Entertainment Weekly columnist, revealed that he would play a doctor who works with Lauren and moves into the Melrose apartment complex, and that his role is recurring.

Cancellation

Lagging ratings caused frequent speculation that the show would not be brought back for a second season. TV by the Numbers, a site that publishes television ratings to the public, repeatedly stated that the show had not hit its target audience and was likely to be cancelled. After the season finale, series producer Darren Swimmer left a statement on his Twitter account saying, "Melrose Place: Thnx for the love, fans. Honestly, a season 2 looks like it ain't gonna happen. All signs say no, but no official word yet." On May 18, 2010, two days before the new CW line-up was to be released, Swimmer left another message about the fate of the show: "I think it's fair to say we won't be renewed for next season. It was a great run. Mad props to everyone involved with the show & our fans!" The CW officially canceled the series on May 20, 2010.

Plot

On May 21, 2009, Ausiello reported that Leighton's character Sydney dies in the pilot and sets off a murder mystery, but noted that the actress would continue to appear in multiple episodes of the season through flashbacks. The Los Angeles Times later confirmed that Sydney would be found dead in the first 10 minutes of the premiere episode, a turn of events which means "anything could happen" in the new series, according to executive producer Slavkin. "It will feel nostalgic, but it's not the old Melrose," Slavkin said. The Times added that initial episodes would revolve around the interrelationships of the apartment complex's seven residents and the theme that "no one is exactly who they seem," with Sydney's murder solved mid-season. As the series opens, new Melrose Place resident Violet finds Sydney floating dead in the courtyard pool. Student doctor Lauren reluctantly accepts cash for sex to pay her medical school tuition, as aspiring filmmaker Jonah is offered a directing deal in exchange for his silence about a famous director's indiscretion. David, Sydney's ex-lover and the police's initial suspect in her death, is bailed out of jail by bisexual publicist Ella, who provides a false alibi and has her own reasons for wanting Sydney out of the way. While David steals a valuable painting from his own father Michael Mancini in the dark of night, sous chef Auggie — seemingly the resident most upset by Sydney's death — burns a bloody chef's uniform.
Holding onto her job puts pressure on Ella, whose efforts to further secret crush Jonah's career do not help his relationship with his new fiancée Riley. Lauren is compelled to continue prostituting herself, and while Sydney's sister Jane's attempt to blackmail Ella fails, she follows through on her promise to clue in the police on Ella's motives for Sydney's murder. Violet is revealed to be Sydney's secret daughter, and schemes to both get close to Auggie, and punish Michael for mistreating Sydney.

Cast and characters

Main characters

Reception

U.S. Nielsen ratings

Critical

Entertainment Weekly's Ken Tucker gave the pilot a B, stating that "it remains to be seen whether the new Melrose will become as giddily addictive as its predecessor — but it's off to a promisingly dizzy start." The Los Angeles Times compared the update to the original, noting that "Camp has given way to noir, soap has morphed into mystery, and acting and dialogue have become more sophisticated while alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity and even murder remain among the permanent residents of the fictitious 4616 Melrose Place." The Hollywood Reporter stated, "It's all brand new and shiny but comfortably familiar and keenly calculated. The pleasures abound within the walls of the new 'MP,' but be warned: You'll want to take a shower afterward." Melrose Place was the No. 1 trending topic on Twitter for about an hour on its debut night, and its ratings put it in second place among its core young adult audience in the 9 pm hour.
Metacritic gave the episode a Metascore of 57, signifying mixed reviews, a weighted average based on a select 23 critical reviews.

International syndication

Melrose Place began airing in 26 countries in Latin America on November 10, 2009 via Sony Entertainment Television. Episodes are aired in English, and are subtitled in Spanish, Portuguese, or French. As in the US, the series follows 90210 on Tuesdays.

Home media

As of October 26, 2010, Amazon's CreateSpace manufacture-on-demand program began exclusively selling Melrose Place: The DVD Edition. This is a 6-disc set with the entire run of the show, plus bonus cast interviews.