Melrose Place season 1
Melrose Place | |
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Season 1 | |
![]() DVD cover | |
Starring | Josie Bissett Thomas Calabro Amy Locane Doug Savant Grant Show Andrew Shue Courtney Thorne-Smith Vanessa A. Williams Daphne Zuniga |
No. of episodes | 32 |
Release | |
Original network | Fox |
Original release | July 8, 1992 May 26, 1993 | –
Season chronology | |
The first season of Melrose Place, an American television series, premiered on Fox on July 8, 1992. The season one finale aired on May 26, 1993, after 32 episodes.
Each episode ran approximately 45 minutes in length, with the season premiere and finale being extended to 90 minutes. Production team for the first season of the show includes Chip Hayes as producer, Charles Pratt, Jr. as co-producer, Frank South and Frederick Rappaport as supervising producers and Aaron Spelling, E. Duke Vincent and Darren Star as executive producers.
The season was released on DVD as an eight-disc box set under the title of Melrose Place - The Complete First Season on November 7, 2006 by Paramount Home Video.[1]
Storylines
During its first season, Melrose Place was an earnest serial drama with low-key storylines focusing on young people who come to Los Angeles to realize their dreams.[2] The series was introduced with a crossover story from Beverly Hills, 90210 in which Kelly Taylor (Jennie Garth) pursues Melrose Place resident Jake Hanson (Grant Show), a laborer and bad-boy biker. Jake first appeared in the last two episodes of Beverly Hills, 90210's second season, while Kelly continued their storyline with appearances in the first three episodes of Melrose Place, along with Brian Austin Green as David Silver, and Ian Ziering as Steve Sanders. Tori Spelling also appears in the first two episodes as her Beverly Hills, 90210 character Donna Martin. Eventually, Jake breaks off the romance because of their age difference and his inability to commit to her.
Michael (Thomas Calabro) and Jane Mancini (Josie Bissett) are the building's stable couple. Michael, the building superintendent, is a physician at Wilshire Memorial Hospital, and Jane is a budding fashion designer. Their neighbors are roommates Alison Parker[2] (Courtney Thorne-Smith) and Billy Campbell (Andrew Shue). Alison is a receptionist at a local advertising firm, and Billy is a struggling writer who makes ends meet as a dance teacher, a taxi driver, a local newspaper reporter and a furniture salesman before finding a job at Escapade magazine near the end of the season. Alison and Billy later began an affair. Gay social worker Matt Fielding (Doug Savant) files a sexual-discrimination lawsuit against the halfway house at which he volunteers.
Other original cast members are aerobics instructor Rhonda Blair (Vanessa A. Williams) and her roommate, actress Sandy Louise Harling (Amy Locane), who moonlights as a waitress at Shooters, the group's hangout. Sandy was written out of the series after 13 episodes, after being discovered by a talent agent for a soap opera, with the producers admitting later that they "never knew what they wanted to do with the character". She was replaced by photographer Jo Reynolds (Daphne Zuniga), who arrives from New York to escape her alcoholic ex-husband. Jo and Jake become friends and enjoy an on-again, off-again romance.
Faced with mediocre ratings, its producers attempted to revamp the series. Heather Locklear was introduced as Amanda Woodward, the art director at D & D Advertising, and Alison's confidante. Intended as a guest star for a four episode story arc, Locklear remained on the series throughout its run.[3][4] Amanda became vice-president, having affairs with several Melrose Place residents and vying with Alison for Billy's affections. The series evolved from an episodic format to a soap opera with ongoing, interwoven stories, beginning with Michael Mancini's affair with co-worker Kimberly Shaw (Marcia Cross) and Alison's affair with a married man who begins stalking her in the season finale after she ends the relationship. The season ends with Alison and Billy becoming a couple, Michael and Jane splitting up when Jane discovers his affair with Kimberly, and Amanda's miscarriage of Billy's baby and her purchase of the building.
At the end of the season, Vanessa Williams was fired, citing the show's changes, "They didn’t invite me back for the second season. It wasn’t anything about my work, but they decided to go a different route".[5] Her character Rhonda left the apartment complex after becoming engaged to wealthy restaurateur Terrence Haggard (John Marshall Jones).
Cast
Main cast membersIn alphabetical order
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Recurring guest stars
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The role of Billy Campbell was originally played by actor Stephan Fanning, who beat out Matthew Perry for the role. Days into shooting the pilot, Fanning was fired and replaced by Andrew Shue. His scenes were reshot.[7]
Episodes
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code | U.S. viewers (millions) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | "Pilot" | Howard Deutch | Darren Star | July 8, 1992 | 2392001 | 16 [citation needed] |
2 | 2 | "Friends and Lovers" | Daniel Attias | Charles Pratt, Jr. | July 15, 1992 | 2392002 | 19 [citation needed] |
3 | 3 | "Lost and Found" | Charles Braverman | Frederick Rappaport | July 22, 1992 | 2392003 | 15.2 [citation needed] |
4 | 4 | "For Love or Money" | Steven Robman | Amy Spies | July 29, 1992 | 2392004 | 11.7 [citation needed] |
5 | 5 | "Leap of Faith" | Bethany Rooney | Ellen Herman | August 5, 1992 | 2392005 | 12.1 [citation needed] |
6 | 6 | "Second Chances" | Jefferson Kibbee | Toni Graphia | August 12, 1992 | 2392007 | 14.6 [citation needed] |
7 | 7 | "My Way" | Bethany Rooney | Darren Star | August 19, 1992 | 2392006 | 13 [citation needed] |
8 | 8 | "Lonely Hearts" | Jefferson Kibbee | Charles Pratt, Jr. | September 2, 1992 | 2392008 | 12.3 [citation needed] |
9 | 9 | "Responsibly Yours" | Daniel Attias | Frederick Rappaport | September 9, 1992 | 2392009 | 11 [citation needed] |
10 | 10 | "Burned" | Janet Greek | Robert Guza, Jr. | September 16, 1992 | 2392010 | 9.9 [citation needed] |
11 | 11 | "A Promise Broken" | Nancy Malone | Charles Pratt, Jr. | September 30, 1992 | 2392011 | 9.3 [citation needed] |
12 | 12 | "Polluted Affairs" | Daniel Attias | Amy Spies | October 21, 1992 | 2392012 | 11.7 [citation needed] |
13 | 13 | "Dreams Come True" | John Nicolella | Ellen Herman | October 28, 1992 | 2392013 | 10.7 [citation needed] |
14 | 14 | "Drawing the Line" | David Rosenbloom | Robert Guza, Jr. | November 4, 1992 | 2392014 | 12.7 [citation needed] |
15 | 15 | "House of God" | Nancy Malone | Robert Guza, Jr. | November 11, 1992 | 2392015 | 12.9 [citation needed] |
16 | 16 | "The Whole Truth" | Charles Braverman | Joe Viola | November 18, 1992 | 2392016 | 9.9 [citation needed] |
17 | 17 | "Jake vs Jake" | Victoria Hochberg | Frank South | November 25, 1992 | 2392017 | 10.5 [citation needed] |
18 | 18 | "A Melrose Place Christmas" | Bethany Rooney | Darren Star | December 16, 1992 | 2392018 | 10.8 [citation needed] |
19 | 19 | "Single White Sister" | Charles Correll | Ellen Herman | January 6, 1993 | 2392019 | 9.4 [citation needed] |
20 | 20 | "Peanut Butter and Jealousy" | Nancy Malone | Charles Pratt, Jr. | January 13, 1993 | 2392020 | 9.8 [citation needed] |
21 | 21 | "Picture Imperfect" | Nancy Malone | Story by : Nicole Yorkin & Dawn Prestwich Teleplay by : Darren Star & Frank South & Charles Pratt Jr. | January 27, 1993 | 2392021 | 8 [citation needed] |
22 | 22 | "Three's a Crowd" | Jefferson Kibbee | Amy Spies | February 3, 1993 | 2392022 | 10.7 [citation needed] |
23 | 23 | "My New Partner" | Richard Lang | Frank South | February 10, 1993 | 2392023 | 9.9 [citation needed] |
24 | 24 | "Bye Bye Billy" | Victoria Hochberg | Nicole Yorkin & Dawn Prestwich | February 17, 1993 | 2392024 | 13.7 [citation needed] |
25 | 25 | "Irreconcilable Similarities" | Nancy Malone | Charles Pratt, Jr. | March 3, 1993 | 2392025 | 12 [citation needed] |
26 | 26 | "End Game" | James Frawley | Frank South | March 24, 1993 | 2392026 | 12.6 [citation needed] |
27 | 27 | "The Test" | Paul Lazarus | Darren Star | March 31, 1993 | 2392027 | 11.4 [citation needed] |
28 | 28 | "Pushing Boundaries" | Marty Pasetta | Jordan Budde | April 7, 1993 | 2392028 | 10.4 [citation needed] |
29 | 29 | "Pas de Trois" | Chip Chalmers | Charles Pratt, Jr. | April 21, 1993 | 2392029 | N/A |
30 | 30 | "Carpe Diem" | Richard Lang | Frank South & Darren Star | April 28, 1993 | 2392030 | 11.6 [citation needed] |
31 | 31 | "State of Need" | Paul Lazarus | Charles Pratt, Jr. | May 12, 1993 | 2392031 | 14 [citation needed] |
32 | 32 | "Suspicious Minds" | James Frawley | Darren Star & Frank South | May 26, 1993 | 2392032 | 13.2 [citation needed] |
References
- ^ "Melrose Place - The Complete First Season (region 1)". Amazon. 7 November 2006. Retrieved 2009-06-21.
- ^ a b "18 Juicy Stories From the Perfectly Bonkers Third Season of Melrose Place". 3 September 2014.
- ^ Jicha, Tom (February 25, 1996). "LOCKLEAR CAME AS GUEST, MADE SHOW WORK". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
- ^ "Heather Locklear interview about 'Franklin & Bash.'". PopEntertainment.com. 2013-06-18. Retrieved 2017-01-08.
- ^ "vanessa williams - welcome to hollywood". Rolling Out. 2008-12-11. Retrieved 2017-01-08.
- ^ "Melrose Place (1st Season Episode Guide)". epguides.com:80. Archived from the original on 6 January 2008. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- ^ TV.com. "Stephen Fanning". TV.com. Retrieved 2017-01-08.