As May comes to an end, so too does the show that was to the 1990's what the outlandish DYNASTY was to the 1980's: "The" primetime soap to watch. When it first aired in summer of 1992, MELROSE PLACE was merely a spinoff of the wildly popular BEVERLY HILLS 90210. But it quickly took on a life and legacy of its own, complete with sex scandals, corporate takeovers, pool fights and rushed multiple marriages. While there were few happy endings and even fewer moral victories, it's been a hoot to watch.
MP creator Darren Star once described his show as "twentysomething angst raised to a hysterical pitch." That will definitely be the case for the series finale on Monday, May 24. "It's our goal to have something in there that appeals to every MELROSE fan," says executive producer Charles Pratt, Jr., who wrote and directed the episode. "We'll balance the romance with a good psychopath, people in jeopardy, a bunch of explosions and car wrecks."
So what, specifically, can we expect to see? "A jam-packed hour with two hours of material in it," Pratt promises. He says the series finale will "really explore, explode and dig deep" into the triangle between Kyle, Amanda and Peter. Ryan's sister-in-law Terry (sic) will prove to be the show's final psycho presence. Jane may be able to put Michael behind her when she finds chemistry with Kyle (not surprising, when you consider that Jane and Kyle are played by real-life marrieds Josie Bissett and Rob Estes). And there will also be one fatal accident.
Staying True To The New
What - or whom - won't we see in the finale? Early on, there had been some talk of bringing back original cast members like Grant Show (ex-Jake), Andrew Shue (ex-Billy) and Courtney Thorne-Smith (ex-Alison). But those plans were scrapped. "We decided to not try to suddenly shoehorn in a bunch of old characters," says Pratt. "In the end, we wanted to be faithful to the current cast and not muddy things up. It might have looked strange to suddenly have these old faces on the show. And, quite frankly, most of them aren't available."
One Last Splash
Nor will viewers get to see what happened behind the scenes on the late-March day MP wrapped production for the last time. (That day, the call sheet - a timetable that lets the actors know when they're needed on the set - was fittingly headlined, "When one door closes, another opens.") The whole day was characterized by celebrations and memories. When production broke for lunch, the cast and crew, along with family members and visitors, gathered around for cake, champagne and last goodbyes - after which everyone started throwing each other into the pool.
Tears And Laughter
There were tears and hugs all around on the last day of taping. Even though it was all over, some people couldn't tear themselves away from the set. Many hung around reminiscing until dawn. The next day, the cast and crew would reunite for the show's official wrap party.
Meanwhile, Pratt is optimistic that many of those who worked together on MP will meet again someday "on gosh-knows-what." Perhaps, cross your fingers, they'll come together at some point for a MP reunion movie. "It's never been discussed," admits the producer, "but the way the show ends, it's certainly possible." How does it end? Remember May 24!
BY DAMON ROMINE
