Melrose Place was in the second generation of prime time television soaps. The originals were of course Dallas, Knott’s Landing, Falcon Crest and Dynasty - which had older casts of wealthy characters.
Melrose Place was a spin off show from the popular Beverly Hills 90210, and was originally supposed to be a series about young people realizing their dreams in L.A. Halfway through the first season, the show was revamped, Heather Locklear began her six season stint as “special guest star,” and Melrose Place was billed as the steamiest viewing on television.
We now have season three on DVD, to watch again as the citizens of Melrose Place lie, cheat, get drunk, steal, attempt to murder, have sex, swim, actually murder, kidnap, try celibacy, have more sex, break up, go crazy, and sometimes even go to their jobs.
Season Three of Melrose Place occurred in 1994-1995. The DVD set contains all 32 season three episodes on eight discs. Episode guides are printed on the cases. There are a variety of special features available in the set.
Disc Six contains “Melrose Place According to Jake”, Disc Seven has “Melrose Place Seven Minutes in Hell” and Disc Eight has “Everything You Need to Know About Melrose Place - Season 3,” which can be described as a spoof with serious overtones. The episodes are presented in full frame format, and like so many shows today, the original music has been changed.
The ensemble cast for Season Three were Josie Bissett, Thomas Calabro, Marcia Cross, Laura Leighton, Heather Locklear, Doug Savant, Grant Show, Andrew Shue, Courtney Thorne-Smith, and Daphne Zuniga. Jack Wagner also made his series debut during season three, and Kristin Davis appeared as spoiled brat Brooke Armstrong.
In true soap form, the storyline of Melrose Place is convoluted, and confusing and sometimes completely bizarre. This show developed a reputation for shocking moments on television in a time when such shockers were not every evening fare.
There were also insider jokes using names of production crew members as businesses or off-screen or very minor characters. Also in the trivia department, Thomas Calabro who played Michael Mancini was the only character to stay on the show for the full run.
Melrose Place - The Third Season is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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