First there was Beverly Hills 90210, this and Models Inc. And other short-lived series most of us forgot about. I would've given it a higher rating, if it wasn't for the show's lackluster first season, and its disappointing second half, spoiled by the « holier than thou » McBride's brothers melodrama, as well as some of the bad acting (Shue, Cross, Thorne-Smith, Rutherford, Estes, even Locklear, had their fair share of it). Which leaves us with seasons 2 to 4, with drastic changes on the latter. For better or worst, it tried to revive the show, after season 3 wonderfully chaotic finale, but never could. And even though seasons 5 and beyond are still worth checking, these are the ones I rewatch the most each time. Early seasons were top notch 90s soap, with the best distribution the show had, and a third year that marked the peak point of the story. From start to finish, it simply gets you, wether you want it or not, you're hooked. Only it ends on such a big cliffhanger, you need to watch at least early season 4 to get the full effect. That's my biggest issue with this show, nearly half of it is sheer perfection, as far as soap opera goes, and the rest is either struggling or trying to reach that level of « greatness » again. Granted, Melrose Place tried to address important social, and « day to day » issues, but that's not what strikes you the most about this series. The juiciness and guilty pleasure aspects are what stand out the most, and I even suspect writers noticed that, hence the show going full on over the top and outrageous after the first half of season one. A whole lot of fun then. One word of advice, try catching the broadcasted version reruns, to enjoy the series retro goodness. Top 40 soundtrack and all.
Review of Melrose Place
