Melrose Place: Season Premiere!

Ahh a new show. A new show that's an old show. It's the best kind! Much like the original series, the show starts with a concept that I find a little hard to swallow. That if you move into an apartment complex in L.A., it will be like gaining a whole new family! People will want to help you, sleep with you, lend you money, give you career advice and change your flat tire! I don't know if I buy this at all, but whatever. I can suspend my disbelief a bit. The structure of the new show seems to be a little different, using a lot of flashbacks to try to solve a central crime (who killed Sydney?!!). This reminds me of my all time favorite show ever, Veronica Mars, and somehow I bet the comparison will not be favorable. Well anywho, let's meet the characters!
I guess we should start with original Melrose Placer and murder victim on this show, Sydney. (Laura Leighton) She was crazy on the old show, and on the new show is still sleeping with her ex husband Michael, AND his son David, before she gets murdered. Still crazy, that's my bet on that one.

David- (Shaun Sipos)Looks like a poor man's Brad Pitt. Sleeping with Syd, son of O.G. Melroser Michael Mancini, (didn't meet him until he was a teen apparently) and all around ne'er do well. Michael gets him out of trouble a lot, his mother is dead I think, and he is all angsty.

Ella (Katie Cassidy from Harper's Island! YES!)- - bisexual PR woman, cold on the inside but with a heart of gold methinks. Sydney was about to kick her out of the complex because she told David that Syd was sleeping with his Dad. She is totally secretly in love with:

Jonah (Michael Rady) Dorky/cute filmmaker, has morals, wears a cute hat, won't even blackmail someone even if he accidentally stumbles into doing it, at this point doesn't seem to have any kind of motive for killing Sydney, but god knows what will happen to change that soon. At Syd's memorial service, he inappropriately announced his engagement to girlfriend of 5 years...

Riley(Jessica Lucas)- a first grade teacher and all around sweet girl, who did have reservations about marrying Jonah but decided to go for it when he didn't want to blackmail a dude who he accidentally taped sleeping with a teenager. I want to like her because the actress that plays her was on 90210 AND Veronica Mars, but right now, I gotta say I'm rooting for Ella to get her man.

Lauren (Stephanie Jacobsen) a girl in medical school (who seems to be of Asian descent! Nice show. You couldn't have had the Asian girl play the PR person and the white girl be in med school? Nope. Apparently not.) who can't afford it, and decides after some rigorous calculating on an old style calculator to just whore herself out to a dude who's mom was in her care. Good plan! I am sure nothing bad will come of it!

Auggie (Colin Egglesfield, formerly of All My Children!)- He's a chef. Was very close to Sydney apparently, and seems the most upset about her horrible murder. At the end of the show he rode a motorcycle to an alley and burned some bloody clothes. I am sure there will be some kid of good explanation for that behavior, as there always is.

Violet (Ashlee Simpson-Wentz) Weird new girl. Discovered the body. Stole the picture of Sydney after the ceremony AND I think kind of looks like her. So there is something there. I am not trying to be a hater here, but Ashlee Simpson-Wentz is clearly the weakest actress on the show, (and Laura Leighton was pretty terrible last night) and I honestly hope she gets better. She's not going to, I've seen 7th Heaven, but a girl can hope, right?

As this blog is an intro the characters/basic plot/murder mystery of the show, last night's ep was as well. This show could definitely go either way at this point, and I kind of like the murder mystery/flashback element of it so far. (By the way, flashbacks make you a bad driver! Just ask Michael!) This first ep was kind of boring, but I think we got a general sketch of each character and even a few suspects! We've got Michael, (he's married to someone else and was sleeping with Sydney), David, Ella, Violet and Auggie as possible murders, and Lauren, Jonah and Riley as characters without motive as of now.

Next week:
Quick cuts! Music! Saying stuff! Why don't previews ever show you anything anymore? What is up with that?