Locklear Lords Over Refurbished Melrose

     Heather Locklear will soon be able to boss around Melrose Place's various hunks and vixens off-camera, too: She's been named a coproducer of the long-running Fox soap.
     "It will be nice to have someone on the set who can speak with us and for us," says newly appointed executive producer Charles Pratt Jr. "The first thing she wanted to implement were read-throughs, which I've been screaming about since day one. So that will give the cast a chance to read through the script, on the set, to iron things out."
     Locklear will be busy onscreen, too. "Amanda is going to be in the forefront for a lot of the new stories," says Carol Mendelsohn, another newly appointed executive producer.
     "Heather has expressed a desire to drive the show," adds Pratt. "She doesn't want more airtime or more scenes, but she is the heart of the show, so a lot of stories will come off her."
     According to Pratt and Mendelsohn, both longtime writers and producers for the series, the new storylines will focus more on the core characters. "We realized that the show was getting a little constipated last year," Pratt explains. "It was getting set in its ways. And this season we're going to bring it back to its roots — part soap, part drama, part comedy, and something that people will want to talk about."
     The first episode of the new season features a plot that opens up a Pandora's box for the characters. "It all comes out of a journal — Matt's journal," Mendelsohn says. "Apparently, everybody opened up to Matt. Amanda gets hold of the journal, and everyone immediately knows that his or her secrets are laid bare."
     The sleeker, hipper Melrose is a direct result of last season's problematic storylines and disappointing ratings. To that end, the show has let go former executive producer Frank South and producer Chip Hayes. Tongues are wagging that South's departure is part of an effort to put the Hunter Tylo trial and controversy in the past; South allegedly told Tylo to get an abortion if she wanted to keep her Melrose job. He did not return phone calls, and a spokesman for Spelling Television had no comment about his departure.
     Melrose returns with original episodes Mon., July 27 (8 pm/ET). — Jonathan Reiner