TVSquad

The CW's TCA panels today were full of beautiful people. It seemed like all the shows were about young pretty things in scandalous situations. Even the highly-anticipated Vampire Diaries didn't look much different, except some of the over-sexed high schoolers were vampires. But one show shined through the pretty clutter in the CW's new slate. Too bad we won't see it until early 2010.

That show is Life Unexpected, which CW programming head Dawn Ostroff described as "Juno meets Gilmore Girls." After seeing the pilot, I can agree with that description. It's sweet, warm, even a little bit hokey. In fact, it feels like a show that would have been on the old WB network. What the heck is it doing on the CW?

Happy or not that The CW will air a new version of Melrose Place, you must admit that you'll at least watch the premiere out of curiosity, especially if you watched the first show.

Tidbits about the show released these past weeks will have viewers tune in to know how the show will revive Sydney, a very much dead character played by Laura Leighton on the original series.

If that mystery is not enough to get you to tune in on Tuesday, September 8 at 9 p.m., maybe the new spoilers and casting information below will.

Warning! Spoilers coming up!

I wasn't a Melrose Place person (my nighttime soap was Knot's Landing), though I did watch that episode where it blew up. Now The CW has a new version of the show, and it's filled with a few characters from the old FOX show and many new faces. Oh, and if you were wondering, there seems to be an abundance of sex, drugs, parties, fast cars, loose women, backstabbing, affairs, and loud music. Here's an extended preview.

Welcome to TV Squad Lists, a feature where each blogger has a chance to list his or her own rundown of things in television that stand out from the rest, both good and bad.

A few summers ago, I discovered reruns of Melrose Place on the Style Channel. The show had always been a sort of kryptonite for me, since I never watched it during its original run. Basically, if anyone wanted to "Stump the King" all they had to do was ask me a Melrose question. Since it was summer and I had little to watch, I decided to give it a look. Well, I fell in love with it. When I told people that I had been watching the show and loving it, they were shocked. I was hard pressed to come up with concrete reasons why I was so taken with the show but here is what I came up with.

1. I'm watching my friends.
Even though the stories are ridiculous (Michael trying to kill Sydney, Kimberly blowing up the building, etc.), I can't wait to see what happens to these characters, because I have so much invested. Andrew Shue can play soccer and pretend he's a philanthropist till he's dead for all I care, but Billy Campbell has became a dear friend and if I go too long without seeing him, I miss him (yes, in a gay way).