Melrose Place: TV Dianetics

Abishai100

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Sep 22, 2013
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Melrose Place is an American primetime 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 called Melrose Place, 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 is the second series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise. Season one and season two were broadcast on Wednesday at 9 pm, after Beverly Hills, 90210. In 1994, for its third-season premiere, the show moved to Monday at 8 pm.

The show had many cast changes during the run. Thomas Calabro was the only original cast member to remain on the series throughout its entire run.

The show earned several Golden Globe nominations and placed #51 on Entertainment Weekly's "New TV Classics" list (source of information from top: Wikipedia).

Melrose Place featured a vivacious hip-young American cast representing the sort of societal-cultural 'consciousness' we share regarding traffic mixed with personality flair.

I always identified with the character Jake (portrayed nicely by Grant Show), because he was concerned about the goings-on of the apartment complex but always remained coolly aloof, since he preferred the 'commentary role' in terms of socialization norms.

I also liked Jake's opposite Billy Campbell (also portrayed nicely by Andrew Shue), a writer and graduate of Dartmouth College who engages in an on-and-off quaint relationship with Allison Parker (portrayed nicely by Courtney-Thorne Smith), a modest and fair advertising agent. Billy represents 'sanity-maintenance' and friendship, while Jake represents rugged individualism.

Heather Locklear (T.J. Hooker) makes a regular appearance starting in season 2 as Allison's ambitious and tough boss Amanda Woodward.

There are other nicely-accenting characters who are considered iconic/symbolic such as Dr. Michael Mancini (Thomas Calabro) and Dr. Kimberly Shaw (Marcia Cross).

Melrose Place was really the Thirtysomething for the new generation (the MTV generation)!

It was a great achievement for TV-guru Aaron Spelling, and it signaled a new age media interest in 'trendy-psychology vignettes,' which we see presented in 'modernism-circle' TV programs such as Modern Family, Friends, and Baywatch.

So the question is, "Will Melrose Place be remembered as a Happy Days of the 'new age' or a token branching of Saved By the Bell for bored young adults of the modern era?"

Personally, I find that Melrose Place offers nice psychology-portraits of the worldly traffic symbolic of modern trendiness.

Since we've elected our 2nd celebrity-president after Ronald Reagan (Donald Trump), why not embrace 'media make-up'?


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JAKE: I don't think abortion should be the main 'topic' at Melrose Place.
AMANDA: What the hell do you know, Jake? Stick to your ice-hockey TV!
KIMBERLY: Let's not get 'primal.'

JAKE: I don't think Allison and Billy will appreciate this loud volume.
AMANDA: Forget it, we're all adults here.
KIMBERLY: We're all cynical adults...

JAKE: I doubt National Geographic will be calling us about '30-something anthropology.'
AMANDA: Are you suggesting we're 'shallow' just because we're Californians?
KIMBERLY: I'm a doctor!

JAKE: I think America will elect commerce-baron Donald Trump as President someday...
AMANDA: Wow. Did you think of that while watching an Oliver Stone film?
KIMBERLY: Don't get real!

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