The Globe's obituary for The Place From the February 16th Globe:

Bye-bye Melrose Place!
Stars are just too old, say show insiders

The stars of TV's Melrose Place have been slapped with eviction notices because they're over the hill, insiders reveal.
     Fox network honchos decided to ax the show and cast - headed by sultry Heather Locklear, 37, Jack Wagner, 39, and "old-timer" Thomas Calabro, 40 - at the end of the season after concluding they were "too long in the tooth."
     "It's sad, but true," says a studio source.
     "Melrose Place was losing its audience to new, more youth-oriented shows like Dawson's Creek and Felicity."
     "So Fox programmers want more shows which will cast actors in their early 20s, and even younger."
     "By comparison, the Melrose gang seem like dinosaurs."
     Mega-producer Aaron Spelling's series about yuppies living and loving in a trendy Los Angeles apartment building was a sizzling sensation when it was launched as a Beverly Hills, 90210 spin-off in 1992.
     But this season, Melrose is ranked 67th out of more than 100 prime-time shows. Even though that's an improvement over last year's miserable 80th ranking, cast members knew their days were numbered because they were losing out to more hip young newcomers on other shows.
     "There was a running joke on the set that they'd have to turn Melrose Place into a nursing home and make the pool into a salt bath," says a source.
     "But the cast believed in the show. It's sad for them to see it wither and die."
     Now, the Melrose crew wants to go out with a bang, hoping to bring back former stars like Ally McBeal's Courtney Thorne-Smith and Andrew Shue for a two-hour blockbuster series finale, insiders confide.
     There's also a good chance that Locklear, long one of Spelling's favorite actresses, could return with a show of her own.
     "Don't be surprised if there's an Amanda's Place," says an insider.
     "Heather's character was very popular."

-Carole Glines

BABY'S ON THE WAY FOR JOSIE AND ROB
HOORAY! After years of trying, Melrose Place's real-life married couple Josie Bissett and Rob Estes are happily telling friends they're expecting their first child this July.
     The event is even more blessed for the 28-year-old actress, who plays perky Jane Mancini, because she suffered a devastating miscarriage two years ago. And for a long time after, Josie and Rob, 34, were shattered.
     "The doctor says it looks as though everything is just great his time," joyous Josie gushed to a pal.
     "Rob and I can't wait to start shopping for the baby. We're already looking at nursery furniture and picking out baby clothes."


I can see Andrew Shue returning for the finale. His unemployment insurance should have run out by now. But Courtney has a steady check from Ally McBeal, so I doubt she'll return.


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