9 Characters Who Saved Failing TV Shows

Melrose Place is best remembered for its soap opera trashiness, extravagantly dark storylines, and overall "bitchiness" amongst the characters...none of which was a part of the show's DNA until Heather Locklear showed up.

Prior to the arrival of ad exec Amanda Woodward, Melrose was a cheesy Beverly Hills, 90210 spin-off that neatly wrapped up every episode's morality tale in a neat little bow. It was like a series of "very special episodes" that preached to its viewers about the virtues of clean living. It didn't indulge in any of the more unsavory aspects of life. It was supremely boring.

Post-Amanda, however, "unsavory" became the show's calling card. And the over-the-top drama ramped up in accordance with the show's ratings.

Locklear came onto Melrose late in its first season when the show was sinking fast. Her character became a life preserver for everyone attached, as Amanda's nasty one-liners and sexual conniving became synonymous with the series' turn toward must-see television. Gone was the silly, twentysomething sanctimony, replaced with all the guilty pleasures viewers could handle.

Its place in primetime infamy would have been fleeting at best were it not for Locklear's inclusion.