Melrose Place
Encyclopedia
Melrose Place is an American television primetime soap opera
that aired on Fox
in the United States from July 8, 1992, to May 24, 1999 for seven seasons. The show was created by Darren Star
for Fox network and executive produced by Aaron Spelling
for his company, Spelling Television
. It is the second series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise.
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.
. Several young individuals reside in the apartments, each with their own dreams and drives. The original plan for the show was to have minor stories conclude in every episode, but when that formula proved unpopular, the writers started developing long-term storylines to evolve during the season.
(Thomas Calabro
), a physician who works at Wilshire Memorial Hospital and changes from a kind, devoted husband in Season 1 to mean-spirited, adulterous villain from Season 2 on; Jane Mancini
(Josie Bissett
), his budding fashion designer wife; Billy Campbell (Andrew Shue
), the struggling writer adapting to life out of his parents' control; Alison Parker (Courtney Thorne-Smith
), the receptionist at D&D Advertising; Jake Hanson
(Grant Show
), a struggling manual laborer and bad-boy biker; Matt Fielding
(Doug Savant
), a gay social worker; Rhonda Blair (Vanessa A. Williams
), an aerobics instructor; and Sandy Harling (Amy Locane
), a Southern belle and struggling actress who moonlights as a waitress at a bar called Shooters, the group's hangout. Locane was written off after 13 episodes, to be replaced by Daphne Zuniga
as Jo Reynolds
, a photographer running away from her abusive husband. Williams was not brought back for the second season, explained by her character's engagement 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. Although she was always billed as a "special guest star," Locklear remained with the show through its series finale. Guest Laura Leighton
, recurring as Jane's troublemaking, spoiled younger sister Sydney Andrews
in season one, was upgraded to series regular for season two. Marcia Cross
, recurring as Dr. Kimberly Shaw
in season 1, became a series regular by the end of the second season.
Season four saw two new contract characters: Peter Burns (Jack Wagner
), the ruthless hospital Chief of Staff introduced in season three; and Brooke Armstrong (Kristin Davis
), 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
arrived this 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. He's 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 lush lipped 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 former prostitute who has an affair with Michael, 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 Savant while Alyssa Milano
(recurring as Michael's sister Jennifer Mancini since season five) 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, Rinna, Langton, 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. Rena Sofer was not billed with the main cast. Bissett reprised her role as Jane for the seventh season.
The series debuted on July 8, 1992 and was an instant smash hit, debuting at #19 on the Nielsen ratings
with a 10.3/19 share. The series finale was watched by 10.38 million viewers.
Heather Locklear
was nominated for four Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress in a Television Series – Drama for her role as Amanda Woodward on Melrose Place, in 1993, 1994, 1995, and 1996. Laura Leighton
was nominated in 1995 for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series for her role as Sydney Andrews.
Heather Locklear
, Laura Leighton
, Courtney Thorne-Smith
, Daphne Zuniga
and Josie Bissett
were featured on the cover of Rolling Stone on May 19, 1994.
), the mother of Melrose's Amanda Woodward
. An updated version of the series, also called Melrose Place
, premiered on September 8, 2009 on The CW Television Network
. The series was subject to severe criticism for its bad storylines, unlikeable characters, and suffered from low ratings causing it to be cancelled in May 2010 after one season.
) have released the first six seasons of Melrose Place on DVD in Region 1. Season 6, Volume 1 was released on May 3, 2011. Season 6, Volume 2 was released on July 19, 2011.
The series has also been released on DVD in Region 2 and 4 by Paramount Home Entertainment.
Due to music licensing issues, most of the original music has been replaced on these DVD releases. Starting with Season 1, some episodes are edited from their original broadcast versions.
The series is rated M in Australia and M in New Zealand for its sex scenes and offensive language.
On April 1, 2011, all seven seasons of the show were made available to view on Netflix
's subscription internet streaming service.
, in order to bring artworks out of galleries and into primetime television. GALA artists designed artworks that were used as props by Melrose Place characters in the fourth and fifth seasons, often with hidden political messages:
Chin compared the works to viruses, symbiotic
and invisible. The project was called "In the Name of the Place", as part of the "Uncommon Sense" art show at the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, Los Angeles, California in 1997. A portion of the Fifth Season was filmed at the Geffen Contemporary where the project was displayed. The artwork was also shown at the 1997 Kwangju Biennale in Kwangju, Korea and at Grand Arts in Kansas City, Missouri in 1998. Sotheby's Auction house auctioned almost fifty of these artworks for charity.
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
that aired on Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
in the United States from July 8, 1992, to May 24, 1999 for seven seasons. The show was created by Darren Star
Darren Star
Darren Bennett Star is an American producer, director and writer for film and television. He is best known for creating the hit TV shows Melrose Place, Beverly Hills, 90210 and Sex and the City.-Career:...
for Fox network and executive produced by Aaron Spelling
Aaron Spelling
Aaron Spelling was an American film and television producer. As of 2009, Spelling's eponymous production company Spelling Television holds the record as the most prolific television writer, with 218 producer and executive producer credits...
for his company, Spelling Television
Spelling Television
Spelling Television Inc. was a television production company that produced popular shows such as Charmed, Beverly Hills, 90210, 7th Heaven, Dynasty and Melrose Place. The company was founded by television producer Aaron Spelling in 1969...
. It is the second series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise.
The show had many cast changes during the run. Thomas Calabro
Thomas Calabro
Thomas F. Calabro is an American actor and director.-Biography:Calabro graduated from Fordham University in New York City.Calabro began his acting career in theatre with various roles in New York...
was the only original cast member to remain on the series throughout its entire run.
Setting and original premise
The show is set in a small apartment courtyard complex located at 4616 Melrose Place in the city of West Hollywood, CaliforniaWest Hollywood, California
West Hollywood, a city of Los Angeles County, California, was incorporated on November 29, 1984, with a population of 34,399 at the 2010 census. 41% of the city's population is made up of gay men according to a 2002 demographic analysis by Sara Kocher Consulting for the City of West Hollywood...
. Several young individuals reside in the apartments, each with their own dreams and drives. The original plan for the show was to have minor stories conclude in every episode, but when that formula proved unpopular, the writers started developing long-term storylines to evolve during the season.
Cast and characters
Melrose Place premiere season featured eight main characters: Dr. Michael ManciniMichael Mancini
Dr. Michael Mancini, M.D., portrayed by Thomas Calabro, is a fictional character from the 1990s prime time drama Melrose Place and the 2009 series revival of the same name....
(Thomas Calabro
Thomas Calabro
Thomas F. Calabro is an American actor and director.-Biography:Calabro graduated from Fordham University in New York City.Calabro began his acting career in theatre with various roles in New York...
), a physician who works at Wilshire Memorial Hospital and changes from a kind, devoted husband in Season 1 to mean-spirited, adulterous villain from Season 2 on; Jane Mancini
Jane Mancini
Jane Andrews , played by Josie Bissett, is a fictional character from the 1990s prime time drama Melrose Place and the 2009 series of the same name.-Melrose Place :...
(Josie Bissett
Josie Bissett
Josie Bissett is the stage name of Jolyn Christine Heutmaker , an American actress best known for her role as Jane Mancini on the television series Melrose Place.-Early life :...
), his budding fashion designer wife; Billy Campbell (Andrew Shue
Andrew Shue
Andrew Eppley Shue is an American actor, known for his role as Billy Campbell on the television series Melrose Place . He is currently on the Board of Directors for Do Something and is the co-founder of the social networking website CafeMom.-Early life:Shue was born in Wilmington, Delaware...
), the struggling writer adapting to life out of his parents' control; Alison Parker (Courtney Thorne-Smith
Courtney Thorne-Smith
Courtney Thorne-Smith is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Alison Parker on Melrose Place, Georgia Thomas on Ally McBeal, and Cheryl Mabel in According to Jim, as well as her recurring role in Two and a Half Men as Lyndsey McElroy.-Early life:She was born in San Francisco,...
), the receptionist at D&D Advertising; Jake Hanson
Jake Hanson
Jake Hanson is a fictional character in the American television series Melrose Place, the second series of the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise...
(Grant Show
Grant Show
Grant Alan Show is an American actor best known for his role on Melrose Place as Jake Hanson, which he played from 1992 to 1997.-Early life:...
), a struggling manual laborer and bad-boy biker; Matt Fielding
Matt Fielding
Matthew "Matt" Fielding, Jr. is a fictional character in the American television series Melrose Place, portrayed by Doug Savant. Matt was an openly gay man working as a social worker in Los Angeles. Initially Matt was not the focus of ongoing storylines, a situation that would not substantially...
(Doug Savant
Doug Savant
Douglas Peter "Doug" Savant is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Matt Fielding on Melrose Place and Tom Scavo on the ABC dramedy series Desperate Housewives.-Career:...
), a gay social worker; Rhonda Blair (Vanessa A. Williams
Vanessa A. Williams
Vanessa A. Williams is an American actress who has appeared in several television series such as Melrose Place and the Showtime cable television series Soul Food. In 1996, she was featured in the television series Murder One...
), an aerobics instructor; and Sandy Harling (Amy Locane
Amy Locane
-Career:Locane was born in Trenton, New Jersey. She starred as one of the original cast on the television series Melrose Place, in which she played Sandy, an aspiring actress who waited tables at the show's bar hangout, Shooters. She left Melrose Place after its first 12 episodes of season one and...
), a Southern belle and struggling actress who moonlights as a waitress at a bar called Shooters, the group's hangout. Locane was written off after 13 episodes, to be replaced by Daphne Zuniga
Daphne Zuniga
Daphne Eurydice Zuniga is an American actress known for her roles as Jo Reynolds on the Fox primetime soap Melrose Place, as Victoria Davis on The CW teen drama One Tree Hill and as Princess Vespa in Spaceballs.-Early life:...
as Jo Reynolds
Jo Reynolds
Jo Beth Reynolds is a fictional character in the American television series Melrose Place, the second series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise...
, a photographer running away from her abusive husband. Williams was not brought back for the second season, explained by her character's engagement to a wealthy restaurant entrepreneur.
Actress Heather Locklear
Heather Locklear
Heather Deen Locklear is an American actress best known for her television roles as Sammy Jo Carrington on Dynasty, Officer Stacy Sheridan on T.J...
, who in season one had guest starred as Alison's ambitious and merciless boss Amanda Woodward
Amanda Woodward (Melrose Place)
Amanda Woodward is a fictional character on the primetime serial drama Melrose Place, portrayed by Heather Locklear.-Biography:Amanda Woodward is the daughter of Palmer Woodward and Hillary Michaels. She also has a half-brother, David Michaels....
, was promoted to series regular status in the second season. Although she was always billed as a "special guest star," Locklear remained with the show through its series finale. Guest Laura Leighton
Laura Leighton
Laura Leighton is an American actress. She is best-known for the role of Sydney Andrews, introduced in the 1990s television series Melrose Place. She reprised the role in the 2009 series of the same name...
, recurring as Jane's troublemaking, spoiled younger sister Sydney Andrews
Sydney Andrews
Sydney Andrews is a fictional character in the American television series Melrose Place and the 2009 series of the same name, portrayed by Laura Leighton....
in season one, was upgraded to series regular for season two. Marcia Cross
Marcia Cross
Marcia Anne Cross is an American actress. She is known for her television roles as Bree Van de Kamp on the ABC comedy-drama series Desperate Housewives, and as Dr...
, recurring as Dr. Kimberly Shaw
Kimberly Shaw
Dr. Kimberly Shaw is a character from the hit television series Melrose Place. She was portrayed by Emmy-nominated actress Marcia Cross from 1992 to 1997 -Season 1:...
in season 1, became a series regular by the end of the second season.
Season four saw two new contract characters: Peter Burns (Jack Wagner
Jack Wagner (actor)
Peter John "Jack" Wagner, II is an American actor and singer, best-known for his roles on the soap operas General Hospital, The Bold and the Beautiful, and Melrose Place.-Early years:...
), the ruthless hospital Chief of Staff introduced in season three; and Brooke Armstrong (Kristin Davis
Kristin Davis
Kristin Landen Davis is an American actress.She first rose to prominence and achieved fame for playing the role of Charlotte York Goldenblatt on HBO's Sex and the City. She has achieved success appearing in roles in film and television.-Early life and education:Davis was born in Boulder, Colorado...
), 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
Patrick Muldoon
Patrick Muldoon is an American actor.-Early life:Muldoon was born in San Pedro, California, the son of Deanna, a homemaker, and William Patrick Muldoon II, a personal injury lawyer. He is of Irish descent on his father's side and of Croatian descent on his mother's side...
arrived this 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. He's also Melrose Places longest recurring character in terms of number of episodes.
The fifth season saw the addition of Rob Estes
Rob Estes
Robert Estes is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Harry Wilson on the Teen drama 90210, as Sgt. Chris Lorenzo on the Crime drama Silk Stalkings, and as Kyle McBride on the Primetime Soap opera Melrose Place.-Career:Estes first became interested in an acting career while training...
as restaurateur Kyle McBride, Lisa Rinna
Lisa Rinna
Lisa Deanna Rinna is an American television host and actress. She is known for her roles as Billie Reed on Days of our Lives, Taylor McBride on Melrose Place, and most recently as the host of SoapNet's Soap Talk.-Acting:...
as his lush lipped opportunistic wife Taylor, and Brooke Langton
Brooke Langton
Brooke Langton is an American actress. She is best known for the role of Samantha Reilly on the original Melrose Place.-Personal life:...
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
Kelly Rutherford
Kelly Danne Melissa Rutherford is an American actress known for her roles of Stephanie "Sam" Whitmore on Generations, Megan Lewis on Melrose Place from 1996 to 1999 and currently as Lily van der Woodsen on Gossip Girl...
was brought in as Megan Lewis, a former prostitute who has an affair with Michael, and David Charvet
David Charvet
David Charvet is a French singer and actor.-Personal life:Charvet was born in Lyon, France. His father is the Tunisian Jewish businessman Paul Guez. David Charvet's mother, Christiane Charvet, is French. He and his siblings speak French as their first language. He won a green card through the...
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 Savant while Alyssa Milano
Alyssa Milano
Alyssa Jayne Milano is an American actress and former singer, known for her childhood role as Samantha Micelli in the sitcom Who's the Boss? and an eight-year stint as Phoebe Halliwell on the series Charmed. She was also a series regular on the original Melrose Place portraying the role of...
(recurring as Michael's sister Jennifer Mancini since season five) was bumped to series regular, with Linden Ashby
Linden Ashby
Clarence Linden Garnett Ashby III , best known as Linden Ashby, is an American actor and martial artist.-Early life:...
joining the cast as Dr. Brett Cooper and Jamie Luner
Jamie Luner
Jamie Michelle Luner is an American television actress, best known for her role as Lexi Sterling on Melrose Place and Rachel Burke on Profiler...
as his seductive and rich ex-wife, Lexi Sterling
Lexi Sterling
Alexandra "Lexi" Sterling is a fictional character from the television series Melrose Place, portrayed by Jamie Luner.-Background :...
.
Charvet was written out in the middle of season 6, and the beginning of season seven saw the departure of Shue, Rinna, Langton, Milano, and Ashby. The show's seventh season introduced John Haymes Newton
John Haymes Newton
John Newton is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his regular roles on the television programs Superboy as Clark Kent in the show's first season and as Ryan McBride on the original Melrose Place.-Career:...
as Ryan McBride, Kyle's younger brother, and Rena Sofer
Rena Sofer
Rena Sherel Sofer is an American actress, primarily known for her appearances in daytime television, episodic guest appearances, and made-for-television movies...
as Eve Cleary, a woman from Amanda's past who marries Peter. Rena Sofer was not billed with the main cast. Bissett reprised her role as Jane for the seventh season.
Ratings
| Season | U.S. ratings | Network | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1992-93 | 10.65 million | Fox | #76 |
| 2 | 1993-94 | 13.54 million | Fox | #50 |
| 3 | 1994-95 | 12.88 million | Fox | #63 |
| 4 | 1995-96 | 12.36 million | Fox | #61 |
| 5 | 1996-97 | 11.17 million | Fox | #58 |
| 6 | 1997-98 | 9.86 million | Fox | #80 |
| 7 | 1998-99 | 7.82 million | Fox | #95 |
The series debuted on July 8, 1992 and was an instant smash hit, debuting at #19 on the Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
with a 10.3/19 share. The series finale was watched by 10.38 million viewers.
Awards and accolades
The series won the People's Choice Award in 1993 for 'Favorite Television Series'.Heather Locklear
Heather Locklear
Heather Deen Locklear is an American actress best known for her television roles as Sammy Jo Carrington on Dynasty, Officer Stacy Sheridan on T.J...
was nominated for four Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress in a Television Series – Drama for her role as Amanda Woodward on Melrose Place, in 1993, 1994, 1995, and 1996. Laura Leighton
Laura Leighton
Laura Leighton is an American actress. She is best-known for the role of Sydney Andrews, introduced in the 1990s television series Melrose Place. She reprised the role in the 2009 series of the same name...
was nominated in 1995 for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series for her role as Sydney Andrews.
Heather Locklear
Heather Locklear
Heather Deen Locklear is an American actress best known for her television roles as Sammy Jo Carrington on Dynasty, Officer Stacy Sheridan on T.J...
, Laura Leighton
Laura Leighton
Laura Leighton is an American actress. She is best-known for the role of Sydney Andrews, introduced in the 1990s television series Melrose Place. She reprised the role in the 2009 series of the same name...
, Courtney Thorne-Smith
Courtney Thorne-Smith
Courtney Thorne-Smith is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Alison Parker on Melrose Place, Georgia Thomas on Ally McBeal, and Cheryl Mabel in According to Jim, as well as her recurring role in Two and a Half Men as Lyndsey McElroy.-Early life:She was born in San Francisco,...
, Daphne Zuniga
Daphne Zuniga
Daphne Eurydice Zuniga is an American actress known for her roles as Jo Reynolds on the Fox primetime soap Melrose Place, as Victoria Davis on The CW teen drama One Tree Hill and as Princess Vespa in Spaceballs.-Early life:...
and Josie Bissett
Josie Bissett
Josie Bissett is the stage name of Jolyn Christine Heutmaker , an American actress best known for her role as Jane Mancini on the television series Melrose Place.-Early life :...
were featured on the cover of Rolling Stone on May 19, 1994.
Episodes
Spin-off
The original series produced a spin off series, titled: Models Inc., which ran for one season from 1994-1995. The series focused on a Los Angeles modeling agency run by Hillary Michaels (played by Linda GrayLinda Gray
Linda Ann Gray is an American actress, best known for her role as Sue Ellen Ewing on the television prime-time soap opera Dallas.-Career:Prior to acting, Gray began working as a model in the 1960s...
), the mother of Melrose's Amanda Woodward
Amanda Woodward
Amanda Woodward is the William S. Gray Professor of Psychology at the University of Chicago. Her research investigates infant social cognition and early language development including the understanding of goal-directed actions, agency, theory of mind, and learning from social partners.-Education...
. An updated version of the series, also called Melrose Place
Melrose Place (2009 TV series)
Melrose Place is an American television series broadcast on The CW Television Network from September 8, 2009 to April 13, 2010. The fifth series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise, it is an updated version of the 1990s Fox prime time drama of the same name, featuring a group of young adults...
, premiered on September 8, 2009 on The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
. The series was subject to severe criticism for its bad storylines, unlikeable characters, and suffered from low ratings causing it to be cancelled in May 2010 after one season.
Home media
CBS Home Entertainment (distributed by ParamountParamount Home Entertainment
Paramount Home Entertainment is the division of Paramount Pictures dealing with home video founded in late 1975.-History:...
) have released the first six seasons of Melrose Place on DVD in Region 1. Season 6, Volume 1 was released on May 3, 2011. Season 6, Volume 2 was released on July 19, 2011.
The series has also been released on DVD in Region 2 and 4 by Paramount Home Entertainment.
Due to music licensing issues, most of the original music has been replaced on these DVD releases. Starting with Season 1, some episodes are edited from their original broadcast versions.
The series is rated M in Australia and M in New Zealand for its sex scenes and offensive language.
| DVD Name | Ep # | Release dates | Special features | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region 1 | Region 2 (Scandinavia) | Region 2 (UK) | Region 4 | |||
| The First Season | 32 | November 7, 2006 | November 13, 2006 | November 13, 2006 | November 1, 2006 | Season 1 episode recaps Behind the scenes featurette Mini featurettes Cast Interviews |
| The Second Season | 32 | May 1, 2007 | April 1, 2007 | March 13, 2007 | May 3, 2007 | Audio Commentary by Series Creator Darren Star Melrose Place: Meet The Neighbours Melrose Place: Complex Relationships Melrose Place: The Best of the Worst |
| The Third Season | 32 | November 13, 2007 | December 2, 2007 | May 18, 2009 | April 9, 2008 | Melrose Place: According to Jake Melrose Place: Seven Minutes In Hell Everything You Need To Know About Melrose Place Season 3 |
| The Fourth Season | 34 | April 15, 2008 | March 11, 2009 | March 22, 2010 | April 2, 2009 | None |
| The Fifth Season (Volume One) | 19 | February 10, 2009 | N/A | N/A | N/A | None |
| The Fifth Season (Volume Two) | 15 | November 24, 2009 | N/A | N/A | N/A | None |
| The Complete Fifth Season | 34 | N/A | March 24, 2010 | June 21, 2010 | April 1, 2010 | None |
| The Sixth Season (Volume One) | 13 | May 3, 2011 | N/A | N/A | N/A | None |
| The Sixth Season (Volume Two) | 14 | July 19, 2011 | N/A | N/A | N/A | None |
On April 1, 2011, all seven seasons of the show were made available to view on Netflix
Netflix
Netflix, Inc., is an American provider of on-demand internet streaming media in the United States, Canada, and Latin America and flat rate DVD-by-mail in the United States. The company was established in 1997 and is headquartered in Los Gatos, California...
's subscription internet streaming service.
International syndication
Melrose Place has aired in international syndication in over 40 countries worldwide.GALA Committee
A group of artists and Melrose Place producers formed the GALA Committee, headed by artist Mel ChinMel Chin
Mel Chin is a conceptual visual artist. Motivated largely by political, cultural, and social circumstances, Chin works in a variety of art media to calculate meaning in modern life. Chin places art in landscapes, in public spaces, and in gallery and museum exhibitions, but his work is not limited...
, in order to bring artworks out of galleries and into primetime television. GALA artists designed artworks that were used as props by Melrose Place characters in the fourth and fifth seasons, often with hidden political messages:
- When Alison is pregnant, her quilt is decorated with the molecular structure of RU-486.
- A bag of Chinese take-out food is emblazoned with two opposing ideograms translated from Chinese as "Human Rights" and "Turmoil"; both terms were used by the Chinese government to justify a restriction on student protesters of June 4, 1989.
- Bottles behind the counter at Shooters bar are decorated with ads and documents chronicling the history of alcohol.
- As Alison quits D&D Advertising, a framed ad in the background features a bombed-out building. The damage to the structure is in the shape of a liquor bottle, and the words "Total Proof" appear on the poster.
Chin compared the works to viruses, symbiotic
Symbiosis
Symbiosis is close and often long-term interaction between different biological species. In 1877 Bennett used the word symbiosis to describe the mutualistic relationship in lichens...
and invisible. The project was called "In the Name of the Place", as part of the "Uncommon Sense" art show at the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, Los Angeles, California in 1997. A portion of the Fifth Season was filmed at the Geffen Contemporary where the project was displayed. The artwork was also shown at the 1997 Kwangju Biennale in Kwangju, Korea and at Grand Arts in Kansas City, Missouri in 1998. Sotheby's Auction house auctioned almost fifty of these artworks for charity.