Fans of the original may appreciate the CW's attempt to breathe new life into yet another 90's primetime soap opera, but fans of good television need not waste their time here. Take seven new characters: a dorky would-be film director and his elementary school teacher fiancee, the film director's bitchy & bisexual publicist, an AA-attending sous chef, a rich art thief, an intern whoring her way through med school, and the unknown newcomer (played by Ashlee Simpson), add a couple of has-beens from the original show, throw them into an apartment building in LA, and let madness ensue. Not my idea of gripping drama.
The original Melrose Place ran for seven(!) seasons back in the 90's after spinning out of Beverly Hills 90210 in the summer of 1992. It's probably most well-known for bringing sleaze into the limelight on network television. The tenants of that apartment on Melrose Place hopped in and out of each other's beds, got into cat fights, and offed each other at an incredible pace. One such tenant, Sydney Andrews, was run over by a car and left for dead at the end of season 5. Why then is Sydney now the landlord at the apartment in this new incarnation? Who knows? Do we care? The reprieve is short-lived as Sydney's bloodied corpse is found bobbing in the swimming pool right before the first commercial break.
This show has that same slick veneer that most other shows on the CW (Gossip Girl, 90210) seem to have. A trendy soundtrack backs images that try to walk a fine line between reality and an MTV music video. Every actor is attractive, but only some of them actually seem to be able to act. If the show were slightly better assembled or seemed to have something to say beyond light and fluffy entertainment, the premise would be tempting enough to stick with. Who doesn't like a good murder mystery? All of the tenant/suspects have a certain greyness to their morality so any of them could be responsible. Who did it? We'll probably find out in December should you be willing to stick with it that long.
If you missed last night's pilot and want to see it for yourself, it looks like you're out of luck for now. If it shows up anywhere online, it'll be on the CW site.
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