Melrose Place
Summary
The upcomingMelrose Placereboot could be the perfect place for the show to at last do right by one major character . The Fox primetime grievous bodily harm opera began as a spinoff of the teen dramaBeverly pitcher’s mound , 90210but quickly became iconic in its own right , campaign for seven seasons and launching the spinoffModels Inc. , though that show only hold out one season . Melrosewas previously rebooted on The CW the twelvemonth after the mesh made a hit out of their 200890210reboot .
A new reboot of the 1990s show is presently in developing withInsatiablecreator Lauren Gussis at the helm . It has already been announced that starsHeather Locklear , Laura Leighton , and Daphne Zuniga are set to appear , reprising their original roles as Amanda Woodward , Sydney Andrews , and Jo Reynolds . While originalMelrose Placestar Andrew Shuelikely wo n’t reelect , as he largely ill-treat aside from acting after the show go off the gentle wind in 1999 , there is an opportunity for many other original part to join the revert tierce , though one in picky deserves a plot line .
With time , many TV shows have earned the label of " shamed pleasures " , but many of them are in reality in secret hump by generations of viewers .
Doug Savant’s Matt Fielding Deserved Better From Melrose Place
Melrose Place Rarely Let Matt Flourish As An LGBTQ+ Character
One major character who deserves to be served properly by the reboot is Doug Savant ’s Matt Fielding . Matt , a queer man who was part of the main cast ofMelrose Placefor the first five seasons , wasone of the earliest examples of an LGBTQ+ role being boast prominently as a lead on a primetime drama . However , he was frequently give short shrift compared to his straight counterparts on the Fox show . For instance , although the horny serial featured love scenes for fundamentally every other major character , the season 2 scene where Matt kisses another humanity was cut before program .
He was frequently used as a supporting character in other lede ' storyline …
In addition to 17 of Savant ’s 159 credited episodes not featuring Matt onscreen at all , Melrose Placefrequently deprioritized his storylines . While later seasons would give him several major making love interestingness and he was feature in storylines accost red-hot - button issue such as Do n’t require Do n’t Tell , HIV , and work discrimination , he was frequently used as a supporting character in other leads ' storyline . That , flux withthe show ’s hesitation to showcase any romantic intimacyand Matt ’s unceremonious last when Savant left the show , underserved the character and his lived experience as an out LGBTQ+ person .
Custom image by Brennan Klein
The Melrose Place Reboot Can Finally Do Right By Matt’s Character
Network Television Has Changed Since Melrose Place Originally Aired
The new show in the universe of theBeverly Hills , 90210spinofffinally has the opportunity to shift the way it palm LGBTQ+ storyline . It can honor Matt ’s legacy by admit more trailblazing LGBTQ+ character with racy lives and who are also performed by LGBTQ+ actor . This would be entirely potential , as the societal mores around internet idiot box depicting characters on the LGBTQ+ spectrum have changed considerably since Savant leftMelrose Placein 1997 , though favoritism against trans and nonbinary masses specially remains a hot - push button way out in modernistic politics .
The show is currently being developed without the involvement of a specific net or streamer , but even if it return to Fox , it has the opportunity to push its representation of LGBTQ+ news report much further . That meshwork is creditworthy for bringing the showGleeand its iconic couplings of Kurt and Blaine , Santana and Brittany , and more to the screen . However , LGBTQ+ theatrical on television across the board has increased since the 1990s(though there is still real elbow room for melioration both in tone and amount ) , so nearly any home the show finds could further this legacy .
Can Matt Return In The Upcoming Reboot? It Wouldn’t Be The Show’s 1st Death Retcon
Dr. Kimberly Shaw Could Pave The Way For More Matt Fielding
It remains to be seen what other original star return for theMelrose Placereboot alongside Zuniga , Leighton , and Locklear . Even though Matt died over the course of the show ’s original streak , it is possible for the iconic character to returnand be part of that roster . The over - the - top storylines of the show have already grant for a similar context . After seemingly dying in a car shipwreck in season 2 , Marcia Cross ' Dr. Kimberly Shaw returned to wreak havoc after a hiatus of just 14 episodes .
Marcia Cross and Doug Savant would by and by reunify as co - principal in the ABC dramaDesperate Housewives .
Savant also has an in for the newMelrose Placeshow that goes beyond being part of the original cast . In tangible life , he marry Leighton in 1998 , soit is possible that he will be asked to shoot a cameo while he ’s jaw his wife , who is also an executive manufacturer on the show . However , even if Matt Fielding does n’t return to the reboot , it has a chance to redeem itself by boast strong LGBTQ+ characters who further the trailblazing spirit of Matt Fielding ’s inclusion on the original striking show in the first home .
