The new Melrose Place debuted tonight on The CW. I'd been looking forward to it ever since I heard that Thomas Calabro and Laura Leighton would be reprising their roles as Michael and Sydney from the original series.
Early in the summer, I stumbled across a spoiler that Sydney would actually be killed off in the first episode and my excitement was dampened. I still wanted to check out the show, however, especially when they hired the completely sexy and adorable Michael Rady as a regular cast member and then further announced that the hunky Victor Webster would be playing a gay character.
Still, I honestly didn't have high expectations for the show, given my recent dislike of similar fare like Gossip Girl and 90210. Still, those are teen shows and this is a 20 something show. Maybe that would make all the difference?
After spending an hour watching the premiere episode, my feelings are mixed. For the most part, I didn't think it was very well put together. There was just too much going on and most of the interactions between characters felt forced.
Sydney was indeed killed off at the start of the episode, and even though her tenants found her body and later held a poolside memorial service for her, it didn't seem like any of them actually cared at all. They each treated her brutal murder as an afterthought in a busy day, paying a bit of lip service to how shocked they were and then moving on. Even her brief memorial turned into an engagement celebration for two other characters.
I think it would have been a better idea to spend a few episodes establishing Sydney in these characters lives, but the show clearly wanted to start off with a murder mystery, even if they didn't seem to have much room in the episode for what should have been the major event. At the very least, they could have ended the episode with the murder.
I wasn't overly impressed with most of the acting, either, particularly from the male cast members (with the one shining exception of Michael Rady, of course), but they certainly do bring the sexy. I just wish they brought the talent, too.
With that said, there were some good aspects to the episode. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't felt a rush of nostalgia wash over me when we first saw the old apartment complex after so many years! I felt like a kid all over again. That alone made me want to love this show.
Now, I know that I'm biased, given that I was already a fan of Rady's from his role on Greek, but his character, Jonah, was one of only two who really stood out for me tonight as someone I'd be interested in seeing from week to week. Jonah, the adorkable videographer, was sweet and sexy and his story, in which he proposed to his girlfriend of five years and she wanted time to think it over, was the only one I really cared anything about tonight.
The other standout for me was the bitchy publicist Ella (a bisexual character), played by Katie Cassidy. While most of the other roles seemed to have a long way to go before they even begin to feel like full fledged characters, Cassidy really brought something to her role that made Ella seem human and vulnerable beneath her carefully crafted professional persona. There's already something to Ella and to Jonah that is so far lacking in the rest of the younger cast members.
Ella was clearly troubled by Jonah's engagement, but whether that's because she has feelings for him or for his fiancee, Riley, remains to be seen. The best part is, Katie Cassidy (whom I also liked in this summer's murder mystery show Harper's Island) makes me want to tune in again to see which one Ella likes.
Victor Webster's gay character wasn't on tonight, so we'll have to wait to see what develops with him.
It was also good to see Thomas Calabro as Dr. Michael Mancini again. 17 years have passed since the first Melrose Place started and the man still looks damn good! One of the male characters is Michael's son, so hopefully that means we'll be seeing a lot more of the devious doctor than we did of poor Sydney.
Two other cast members from the original series, Josie Bissette (who played Jane) and Daphne Zuniga (who played Jo) are going to be putting in appearances at some point, and I'm looking forward to that, even though neither of their characters were particular favorites of mine.
It's only a matter of time, I'm sure, before Heather Locklear returns as Amanda Woodward. She was smart to avoid returning at the beginning (they'd planned to kick off the show with Amanda's murder, which would have been practically sacrilegious, not to mention a stupid move; Sydney was their second choice), but I'm hoping it won't be long before she graces the complex once again.
Overall, I didn't care much for the first episode, except for the few bright spots I mentioned, but I'll keep watching for awhile, in hopes that it will get better and also to see how the original characters continue to fit in with the new show.
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