Revisiting Melrose Place today feels almost rebellious

The New York Times

"Much like today’s Real Housewives or Riverdale, or any other well-crafted but frivolous show, Melrose Place always felt easy to poke fun at," says Ali Trachta. "But it felt more honest to admit that you loved it. Put in its rightful context, it’s hard to argue that Melrose Place wasn’t one of the last Goliaths of prime-time soap operas. While not entirely dead, this genre largely has been sacrificed to the 'Golden Age of Television,' with its deeper story lines and richer (and thankfully more diverse) characters. But the main nail in the prime-time soap coffin is simply that we’re very serious about our dramas now. Nuance is in. Sensationalism is out. Which is precisely why revisiting Melrose Place today feels almost rebellious. (All seven seasons of its original run, which lasted from 1992 to 1999, are available on Hulu, not including the short-lived reboot from 2009-10.) Give me the overly dramatic door slams, the piercing dirty looks, the wedding fiascos, the over-the-top death scenes — all that good stuff. Melrose Place is brimming with it, and as I rewatch it, I remember why I always sided with Lelaina."