Someone tell Aaron Spelling - the days of the nighttime soap remain, alas, over. Particularly if this is the best he can come up with. First of all, there is no longer the budget pool available to do a prime time soap about wealthy people the way it should be done so there is no opulence - just a lot of outdoor settings and a hallway. Melrose Place, set in an apartment complex that looked like a sleazy motel was a better idea by far. Secondly, the cast is too young. To have the patriarchs be 50-ish Perry King and Victoria Principal means that we're into teenagers by the time we get to the bottom rung. Badly needed: David Selby. Worse, Perry, playing a complete idiot, was killed off and Jack Wagner, age 40, was brought in. Spelling tapped into the Beverly Hills 90210 ex-cast INSTEAD of the Melrose ex-cast, which is where he should have gone. This show was badly in need of Heather Locklear. Thirdly, no bitch. Principal had the turn of a phrase with a velvet glove - where was the knife? Calling Morgan Brittany! Fourth, too many characters were introduced too quickly, confusing the audience.
All in all, the cast was badly in need of fire, chemistry, dialogue and storyline. It had none.
