Melrose Place, which featured one of the most dramatic apartment complexes in TV history, could be opening its doors again.
Deadline is reporting that a reboot of the sudsy FOX primetime soap opera has entered development.
The good news is that many original stars have already been approached to return.
Heather Locklear, Laura Leighton, and Daphne Zuniga are already attached to the project, meaning that if the show gets a formal green light, we’ll be returning to WeHo with some familiar faces.
Melrose Place, a spinoff of Beverly Hills, 90210, aired for seven seasons from 1992 to 1999.
A reboot premiered on The CW 10 years later but was canceled after an 18-episode run.
Is Sydney Andrews returning from the dead again?
Given that Leighton is returning, it seems the new take would disregard the failed 2009 reboot because her character, Sydney Andrews, was killed off on the series premiere.
Then again, Sydney cheated death in the original series, so the show’s heightened sense of reality could explain that death away with ease.
The new Melrose Place picks up years after the original, beginning with the sudden death of someone close to the trio of returning characters.
“The OG residents of Melrose Place gather to honor the deceased. But the pressure cooker of a reunion soon uncovers old traumas, rekindles old romances, reignites old resentments, and reveals new secrets… throwing our characters into chaotic drama that’s reminiscent of the past, but with a much more modern perspective,” the series’ description reads.
Locklear returns as Amanda Woodward, while Zuniga is set to reprise the role of Jo Reynolds.
Will the previous Melrose Place reboot be mentioned?
The above two stars had arcs on The CW iteration of the series, but we’re sure those developments will be nixed for this next chapter.
We wouldn’t be surprised if one of the women says they had a nightmare and lists off some of the events of the one-season reboot.
Melrose Place was known for its twists and turns, which kept fans tuning in for all seven seasons, but the 2009 reboot turned up the heat and struggled to reach the same success as the predecessor.
Unless the new iteration recaptures the original’s magic in a contemporary setting, it won’t stand the test of time.
The series is being pitched to streaming platforms and linear networks, and there’s a chance it could wind back up at FOX.
Beverly Hills, 90210 recently got a failed reboot
The network brought back the original cast of Beverly Hills, 90210 for a quasi-reboot that focused on them playing heightened versions of themselves as they tried to get a reboot of the classic show off the ground.
It was a different direction, and despite initial solid ratings, the numbers quickly collapsed, leading to its cancellation after just six episodes.
Given that Melrose Place has already had a failed reboot, there will be skeptics who believe the show already had a chance at a comeback, which could mean that getting any network to sign on the dotted line to pick it up could be a tough sell.
Unfortunately, sudsy primetime dramas feel like a relic of the past nowadays, but perhaps the show can drum up enough interest by making it a worthy successor to the original.
Melrose Place Seasons 1-7 are available to stream on Paramount+.