Television series

Melrose Place

Name: Melrose Place
Genre: Drama, Romance
Released: 1992
Cast: Thomas Calabro, Heather Locklear, Andrew Shue, Josie Bissett, Doug Savant

Social drama

Melrose Place is the nighttime soap that proved lightning could strike twice. A gleaming ensemble drama about ambition, betrayal, and romance in '90s Los Angeles, where every neighbour harbours secrets and the real estate market is a battleground. It's trashy, engrossing, and unapologetically fun—perfect for anyone who wants their drama turned up to eleven.

TVMaze rating

3.7

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you love soapy serial drama where the fun lies in scheming characters, tangled romances and cliffhangers that keep you guessing week to week, the way Dallas or Knots Landing once did.

Skip it if you want self-contained stories or a slow, reflective pace; this is a binge of melodrama, with a new crisis every few minutes and little patience for quiet moments.

What it asks of you: Commit to a long run of 226 hour-long episodes across seven seasons, and be ready to keep up with a sprawling cast whose loyalties shift constantly.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

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The spiritual parent that launched a thousand imitators. Same era, same DNA, same addictive blend of teenage angst and glamorous settings. If you loved Melrose's soap-opera rhythms, the original source material is essential.

But Slower pacing in early seasons, and the focus on high school feels quaint compared to the adult stakes of Melrose. Some storylines haven't aged as gracefully.

Dynasty1981

The template for everything Melrose does: wealthy rivals, scheming matriarchs, impossible romance, and the kind of dramatic escalation that makes everyday office conflicts feel momentous. Pure pleasure.

But Shot on video with '80s production values that can feel dated even by Melrose standards. The pacing is glacial by modern standards.

Knots Landing1979

A nighttime soap about neighbours in a cul-de-sac that perfected the art of emotional gut-punches wrapped in glossy production. Melrose learned everything from this. Addictive and genuinely gripping.

But Thirteen seasons is a commitment, and the early years move at a contemplative pace that asks more patience than Melrose requires.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Melrose Place

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Network1976

Both are obsessed with how institutional power corrupts and how personal ambition becomes a kind of madness when channelled through systems—Amanda Woodward is Howard Beale in a business suit.

A savage, prophetic satire about television, ambition, and the machinery of media. The same engine that drives Melrose's character conflicts—personal ambition colliding with institutional power—but here it's aimed at the system itself with surgical precision.

But A screenplay, essentially. Dialogue-heavy and deliberately theatrical. If you want visual storytelling and plot momentum, this is a lecture disguised as cinema.

Ugly Betty2006

Carries forward the soap-opera DNA with sharper writing and colour. Fashion-world intrigue replaces real estate, but the scheming, the reversals, and the tonal whiplash between comedy and heartbreak feel like natural descendants.

But Lighter and more comedic than Melrose—if you want unironic melodrama, this occasionally undercuts it with winks.

Nip/Tuck2003

A modern soap for adults with actual stakes. Two surgeons, moral decay, and the kind of boundary-pushing storylines that make you uncomfortable in the best way. Melrose's spiritual successor for an HBO-era audience.

But Graphically sexual and frequently grotesque. Not comfort viewing. The shock value sometimes overshadows character development.

Scandal2012

Fast-paced political melodrama that learned from Melrose's playbook: high-stakes profession, impossible romances, betrayals that land hard. Genuinely tense in ways that feel earned rather than absurd.

But Overwrought plotting in later seasons, and the pacing can feel exhausting rather than exhilarating if you're not in the right headspace.

The O.C.2003

A new generation's Melrose—stylish, romantic, melodramatic, and genuinely gripping despite itself. Same DNA, better soundtrack, and the ensemble chemistry is unmatched.

But Skews younger and occasionally borders on teen soap territory. If you want stakes that feel adult, this sometimes feels high-school-ish.

Desperate Housewives2004

Neighbours, secrets, murders, and the kind of plot escalation that makes Melrose look restrained. Comedy-tinged but never dismissive of its melodrama. Addictive and genuinely clever.

But The mystery framing device means it's really about solving a puzzle rather than inhabiting a world. Less about the soap, more about the whodunit.

Dallas1978

The granddaddy of nighttime soaps: oil barons, impossible schemes, and the kind of dramatic moments that genuinely surprised viewers. Slower but deeper, with storylines that pay off across seasons.

But Genuinely slow by contemporary standards. Patience is required, and the '70s production feel is not for everyone.

Midnight Run1988

Both understand that keeping people in a room together—whether it's an apartment building or a car—reveals character in ways that plots never can.

A buddy comedy about an ex-cop chasing a bail jumper across America. Has nothing to do with Melrose except: it understands that character is everything, that chemistry between people matters more than plot, and that you can be genuinely funny and genuinely gripping in the same breath.

But A road movie with loose structure and episodic pacing. If you need tight plot mechanics, this meanders by design.

Fleabag2016

Both are love stories about people who can't love properly, who hurt each other in ways they don't entirely understand, and who are trapped in spaces (Amanda's building, Fleabag's life) they can't escape. Melrose is earnest melodrama; this is the comedy version of the same tragedy.

A British comedy-drama about a mess of a woman navigating love, family, and self-destruction. Formally adventurous, wickedly funny, and genuinely moving. Solipsistic but honest in ways that make it feel real even when absurd.

But Tone-shifting can feel tonal rather than tonal—comedy and pathos don't always blend, they collide. Also aggressively British in sensibility.