'Melrose Place' review

Just so we're clear, the new "Melrose Place" on The CW isn't an especially good show. The performances are uneven, the dialogue sometimes forced, and plot needs take precedence over honest character development.
 
But it's not good in a way that could also turn out to be very watchable. Unlike its fellow '90s remake (and lead-in) "90210," which fumbled around for a whole season trying to figure out what it wanted to be, "Melrose Place" has the courage of its trashy convictions. By embracing its roots -- and throwing a murder mystery into the mix -- the show has guilty-pleasure potential to spare.
 
The murder victim, as you've probably heard by now, is former "Melrose" resident Sydney Andrews (Laura Leighton), who turns out to be alive and well after her 1997 "death" on original-flavor "Melrose Place," only to get bumped off in the first 10 minutes of Tuesday's premiere.
 
What happened to Sydney -- and her relationship with the residents of Melrose Place -- takes up a good portion of the first two episodes; executive producers Todd Slavkin and Darren Swimmer are playing out a sort of "Sunset Boulevard" homage with the storyline, and it's an effective hook to keep audiences interested while we get to know the new characters.

Those characters are a mixed bag. There's cute couple Riley and Jonah (Jessica Lucas and Michael Rady), trust-fund kid David (Shaun Sipos) -- who, we learn in the premiere, is the son of another former Melrose Place resident -- hard-working med student Lauren (Stephanie Jacobsen), aspiring chef Auggie (Colin Egglesfield), queen bee Ella (Katie Cassidy) and new girl Violet (Ashlee Simpson-Wentz).

Cassidy is being positioned as the Heather Locklear analog of this version, the ambitious career girl who takes sport in messing in her neighbors' lives -- especially those of Riley and Jonah. A prime-time soap needs a pot-stirrer like that, but early on it feels like the show is trying too hard to make Ella the character people will love to hate.

Ella and everyone else, though, are there more as plot-advancement devices than specifically drawn characters. The show wastes no time in setting up a bunch of potboilers, in addition to Sydney's murder -- David's a thief! Ella has a thing for Jonah! Lauren considers scandalous ways to pay her med-school tuition! -- but if you're looking for real evidence as to why anyone behaves the way he or she does, you're watching the wrong series. Jacobsen and Egglesfield in particular show flashes of a deeper understanding of their characters, but to a certain extent everyone is just along for the ride.

Which, of course, is more or less the point of a show like "Melrose Place" -- and both the producers and The CW, which has been marketing the show with slogans like "Tuesday is the new humpday," seem to get that. The show is well-produced and looks very good (and not just because of the attractive cast), but it's not aiming for high art.

I can't say yet whether the new "Melrose Place" will reach the same lunatic heights of its predecessor or if it will just fall off the rails half a season in. But the fact that the show is so unapologetic about aspiring to be a water-cooler nighttime soap? I have to respect that a little.

Related:

Meet the new residents of 'Melrose Place'
'Melrose Place': On the set
More 'Melrose Place' coverage on Korbi TV
Zap2it's Fall TV Preview