Melrose Place


Melrose Place is an American prime-time television soap opera that aired on Fox from July 8, 1992, to May 24, 1999, for seven seasons. The show follows the lives of a group of young adults living in an apartment complex in West Hollywood, California. The show was created by Darren Star for Fox and executive produced by Aaron Spelling for his company, Spelling Television. It was the second series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise. Season one and season two were broadcast on Wednesday at 9p.m. after Beverly Hills, 90210. In 1994, for its third season and for the rest of its run, the show moved to Monday at 8p.m.
The show had many cast changes during its run. Thomas Calabro, Andrew Shue, and Heather Locklear were the only cast members to appear in episodes in every season of the series. Both Calabro and Shue were part of the main cast lineup throughout the show’s entire run.
The show earned several Golden Globe nominations and placed No. 51 on Entertainment Weekly "New TV Classics" list.

Overview

Melrose Place premiered on Fox on July 8, 1992. The series follows the lives of a group of young adults living in an apartment complex at 4616 Melrose Place in West Hollywood, California.
Melrose Place ran for seven seasons, and its final episode aired on May 24, 1999.

Episodes

Cast and characters

The first season featured eight main characters: Dr. Michael Mancini, a physician who works at Wilshire Memorial Hospital and changes from a kind, devoted husband in season 1 to a mean, adulterous villain from season 2 on; Jane Mancini, his budding fashion designer wife; Billy Campbell, a struggling writer adapting to life out of his parents' control; Alison Parker, a receptionist at D&D Advertising; Jake Hanson, a struggling manual laborer and motorcycle enthusiast; Matt Fielding, a gay social worker; Rhonda Blair, an aerobics instructor; and Sandy Harling, a Southern belle and struggling actress who moonlights as a waitress at a local bar called Shooters, the group's main hangout. Locane was written off after 13 episodes and replaced by Daphne Zuniga as Jo Reynolds, a photographer running away from her abusive husband. Williams was not brought back for the second season, her character having become engaged to a wealthy restaurant entrepreneur.
Actress Heather Locklear, who in season one had guest starred as Alison's ambitious and merciless boss Amanda Woodward, was promoted to series regular status in the second season after her character bought and moved into the Melrose Place apartment building. Although she was always billed as a "special guest star", Locklear remained with the show for the rest of its run. Guest Laura Leighton, recurring as Jane's trouble-making younger sister Sydney Andrews in the first two seasons, was upgraded to series regular for season three. Marcia Cross, recurring as Dr. Kimberly Shaw in season 1 and early season 2, became a series regular by the end of the second season. Janet Carroll appeared in several episodes as Marion Shaw, Kimberly's domineering mother. Beata Pozniak was featured in the second season in 7 episodes as Dr. Katya Petrova, a doctor with a daughter from a previous marriage who befriends and ultimately marries Matt, who becomes an endearing father figure for her child.
Season four saw two new regular characters: Peter Burns, the ruthless hospital Chief of Staff introduced in season three; and Brooke Armstrong, a young, conniving intern at D&D Advertising also recurring the previous season. Davis's character was subsequently killed off in the middle of the fourth season, while Zuniga left the series at the end of the season. Patrick Muldoon also arrived in the third season as the villainous Richard Hart. Although Muldoon was not billed with the main cast, he appeared in most of the fourth season's episodes and is also Melrose Places longest recurring character in terms of number of episodes.
The fifth season saw the addition of Rob Estes as restaurateur Kyle McBride, Lisa Rinna as his opportunistic wife Taylor, and Brooke Langton as Samantha Reilly, an artist and a new tenant in the apartment complex. Bissett and Cross left the series towards the end of the fifth season; Kelly Rutherford was brought in as Megan Lewis, a prostitute hired by Kimberly Shaw to have an affair with Michael Mancini, and David Charvet played Craig Field, Amanda's new co-worker and later Sydney's boyfriend. The season finale featured the exits of series regulars Thorne-Smith, Show, and Leighton.
The season premiere of season six featured the departure of original cast member Doug Savant while Alyssa Milano was bumped to series regular, with Linden Ashby joining the cast as Dr. Brett Cooper and Jamie Luner as his seductive and rich ex-wife, Lexi Sterling.
Charvet was written out in the middle of season 6, and the beginning of season seven saw the departure of Shue, Langton, Rinna, Milano, and Ashby. The show's seventh season introduced John Haymes Newton as Ryan McBride, Kyle's younger brother, and Rena Sofer as Eve Cleary, a woman from Amanda's past who marries Peter. Sofer was not billed with the main cast. Bissett reprised her role as Jane for the seventh season.

Cast timeline

;Cast notes

Main cast members

  • Josie Bissett as Jane Andrews Mancini, fashion designer, originally from Chicago, married to Michael Mancini, later involved with Sam Towler, Robert Wilson, Chris Marchette, Richard Hart, Jake Hanson and Kyle McBride
  • Thomas Calabro as Dr. Michael Mancini, resident then cardiology surgeon at Wilshire Memorial Hospital, originally from New Jersey, married to Jane, and later marries Sydney Andrews, Kimberly Shaw and Megan Lewis, also involved with Amanda Woodward, Brandi Carson, Taylor McBride and Lexi Sterling
  • Amy Locane as Sandy Harling, aspiring actress and waitress at the bar Shooters, originally from South Carolina, involved with Jake
  • Doug Savant as Matt Fielding, openly gay social worker and physician at Wilshire Memorial, marries Katya Petrova, involved with Jeffrey Lindley, Dr. Paul Graham, Alan Ross and Dan Hathaway
  • Grant Show as Jake Hanson, mechanic and carpenter, owner of Jake's Bikes and later Shooters, involved with Colleen Patterson, Perry Morgan, Kelly Taylor, Sandy Harling, Jo Reynolds, Amanda, Sydney, Shelley Hanson and Jane, later marries Alison Parker
  • Andrew Shue as Billy Campbell, taxi driver, later writer at Escapade Magazine, then copywriter for D&D Advertising, engaged to Alison Parker and later marries Brooke Armstrong and Samantha Reilly, also involved with Amanda, Susan Madsen and Jennifer Mancini
  • Courtney Thorne-Smith as Alison Parker Armstrong Hanson, advertising executive at D&D Advertising and later waitress at Shooters, originally from Wisconsin, involved with Keith Gray, Steve McMillan, Zack Phillips and Terry Parsons, engaged to Billy and later marries Hayley Armstrong and Jake Hanson
  • Vanessa Williams as Rhonda Blair, aerobics instructor, engaged to Terrence Haggard
  • Daphne Zuniga as Jo Reynolds, freelance photographer, originally from New York City, previously married to Charles Reynolds, involved with Jake Hanson, Steve McMillan, Reed Carter, Jess Hanson, Richard Hart and Dr. Dominick O'Malley
  • Heather Locklear as Amanda Woodward Parezi Burns McBride Blake, vice-president then president at D&D Advertising and Amanda Woodward Advertising, owner of the Melrose Place complex, previously married to Jack Parezi and later marries Dr. Peter Burns, Kyle McBride and Rory Blake, also involved with Billy, Jake, Michael, Bobby Parezi and Craig Field
  • Laura Leighton as Sydney Andrews Mancini Field, Jane's younger sister, waitress at Shooters, then prostitute, stripper and receptionist at Burns & Mancini, marries Michael and Craig, also involved with Jake, Chris Marchette, Bobby Parezi, Kyle McBride and Carter Gallavan
  • Marcia Cross as Dr. Kimberly Shaw Mancini, resident doctor at Wilshire Memorial, originally from Cleveland, marries Michael, also involved with Peter and Dr. Brett Cooper
  • Kristin Davis as Brooke Armstrong Campbell, employee at D&D Advertising, marries Billy
  • Jack Wagner as Dr. Peter Howell Burns, chief of staff at Wilshire Memorial, originally from Texas, previously married to Beth Davis and later Amanda and Eve Cleary, also involved with Caitlin Mills, Alycia Barnett, Kimberly, Taylor and Lexi
  • Rob Estes as Kyle McBride, chef and restaurant owner, former marine, originally from Boston, married to Taylor and later Amanda, also involved with Christine Denton, Jennifer, Sydney and Jane
  • Brooke Langton as Samantha Reilly Campbell, artist and salesperson at Jane's, originally from Maryland, marries Billy, also involved with Craig and Jeff Baylor
  • Lisa Rinna as Victoria Taylor Davis McBride, restaurant co-owner, originally from Boston, married to Kyle, also involved with Peter, Michael and Nick Reardon
  • Kelly Rutherford as Megan Lewis Mancini McBride, prostitute, later receptionist at Burns, Mancini & Cooper and Amanda Woodward Advertising, marries Michael and Ryan McBride, also involved with Coop
  • David Charvet as Craig Field, son of the chairman of D&D Advertising, marries Sydney, also involved with Amanda and Jennifer
  • Linden Ashby as Dr. Brett "Coop" Cooper, surgeon and partner at Burns, Mancini & Cooper, originally from Cleveland, married to Lexi, also involved with Kimberly and Megan
  • Alyssa Milano as Jennifer Mancini, Michael's younger sister, originally from New Jersey, bartender at Upstairs, involved with Kyle, Craig and Billy
  • Jamie Luner as Lexi Sterling Cooper, interior designer, later owner of Sterling Conway Enterprises, married to Coop, also involved with Peter, Ryan and Michael
  • John Haymes Newton as Ryan McBride, Kyle's younger brother, executive at Amanda Woodward Advertising, married to Callie McBride and later Megan, also involved with Lexi