Written by Lauren Gussis, creator/executive producer of the Netflix/CBS Studios series Insatiable, the new Melrose Place picks up years after the original series, created by Darren Star, and is said to update the beloved characters, one of whom may no longer be with us.
When one of their best friends suddenly dies in the new season, the original residents of Melrose Place come together to honor the deceased. But the pressure cooker of a reunion soon exposes old traumas, rekindles old loves, rekindles old grudges, and reveals new secrets...plunging our characters into a chaotic drama reminiscent of the past, but with a lot more modern perspective.
Locklear, Leighton and Zuniga star, reprising their favorite characters as Amanda Woodward, Sydney Andrews and Jo Reynolds respectively.
Gussis, Leighton and Zuniga produce along with Tiffany Grant and Jason Weinberg. CBS Studios, which owns the Spelling Library, is the studio. A representative for CBS Studios declined comment.
Melrose Place and the series from which it is derived, Beverly Hills, 90210, were created by Star and produced by Aaron Spelling's Spelling Television for Fox. The spinoff, which ran for seven seasons from 1992-99, followed the lives of a group of young adults living in an apartment complex on Melrose Place in Los Angeles's West Hollywood neighborhood.
Locklear appeared throughout the seven-season run, starting in a recurring role in the first season before landing a series regular role in the following season. Zuniga was a regular actress on the series for the first four seasons and Leighton was a guest actress for the first five seasons, then she was cast in a recurring role and finally became a regular actress on the series.
The regular cast of Melrose Place over the years also included Thomas Calabro, Josie Bissett, Doug Savant, Grant Show, Courtney Thorne-Smith, Rob Estes, Brooke Langton, Lisa Rinna, Kristin Davis and Alyssa Milano.
Sources say more original cast members are expected in the reboot if it happens. The series' home network, Fox, would also be included.
Several original cast members, including Locklear, Leighton and Zuniga, reprized their roles in guest roles in the CW/CBS Studios' revival Melrose Place (2009) which revolved around a new group of 20- to 30-year-olds living on Melrose Place. The series aired for one season.
It is expected that the new series will be based on the original series and not the CW sequel in which Leighton's character was killed off. Sydney was also seemingly killed off in the parent series before the 2009 series revealed her death was staged.
Over the past two decades, CBS Studios has also re-released Beverly Hills, 90210 twice, with the 2008 reboot 90210, which ran for five seasons on CW, and the scripted-reality hybrid BH90210, which ran for one season on Fox used to be. Both had original cast members.
