[1] During its first season, Melrose Place was an earnest serial drama with low-key storylines focusing on young people who come to Los Angeles to realize their dreams.
[2] The series was introduced with a crossover story from Beverly Hills, 90210 in which Kelly Taylor (Jennie Garth) pursues Melrose Place resident Jake Hanson (Grant Show), a laborer and bad-boy biker.
Michael (Thomas Calabro) and Jane Mancini (Josie Bissett) are the building's stable couple.
Michael, the building superintendent, is a physician at Wilshire Memorial Hospital, and Jane is a budding fashion designer.
Their neighbors are roommates Alison Parker[2] (Courtney Thorne-Smith) and Billy Campbell (Andrew Shue).
Alison is a receptionist at a local advertising firm, and Billy is a struggling writer who makes ends meet as a dance teacher, a taxi driver, a local newspaper reporter and a furniture salesman before finding a job at Escapade magazine near the end of the season.
Gay social worker Matt Fielding (Doug Savant) files a sexual-discrimination lawsuit against the halfway house at which he volunteers.
Other original cast members are aerobics instructor Rhonda Blair (Vanessa A. Williams) and her roommate, actress Sandy Louise Harling (Amy Locane), who moonlights as a waitress at Shooters, the group's hangout.
Sandy was written out of the series after 13 episodes, after being discovered by a talent agent for a soap opera, with the producers admitting later that they "never knew what they wanted to do with the character".
She was replaced by photographer Jo Reynolds (Daphne Zuniga), who arrives from New York to escape her alcoholic ex-husband.
Heather Locklear was introduced as Amanda Woodward, the art director at D & D Advertising, and Alison's confidante.
Intended as a guest star for a four episode story arc, Locklear remained on the series throughout its run.
[3][4] Amanda became vice-president, having affairs with several Melrose Place residents and vying with Alison for Billy's affections.
The series evolved from an episodic format to a soap opera with ongoing, interwoven stories, beginning with Michael Mancini's affair with co-worker Kimberly Shaw (Marcia Cross) and Alison's affair with a married man who begins stalking her in the season finale after she ends the relationship.
[5] Her character Rhonda left the apartment complex after becoming engaged to wealthy restaurateur Terrence Haggard (John Marshall Jones).
Alison accidentally dents the car door of a vice president at the ad agency that employs her, D&D.
Jake attempts a relationship with Kelly Taylor, a beautiful teenager in love with him, whose house he had helped remodel.
She makes a suggestion for the campaign, and is enraged when Rick steals the idea and pitches it to Lucy, her boss.
After failing miserably in his new job at a coffee shop, Jake agrees to help his ex-girlfriend Peri with the sale of a fraudulent painting.
Matt questions Rhonda's character after she reneges on a promise to help with a dinner at the halfway house.
While Sandy is hat-shopping with Rhonda, a cute guy named Paul sees her through the store window.
Michael is reluctant to express his emotions about the loss, and quarrels with colleague Kimberly Shaw when she tries to convince him to show his feelings.
Alison continues to see Keith, despite the misgivings of her friends and the fact that her erratic behavior has put her job in jeopardy.
She responds coldly to the other residents' attempts to make nice, although she develops an instant attraction to Jake.
Jo flirts shamelessly with Jake after he comes up to her apartment in a towel to remind her about the hot water shortage.
Rhonda is furious when Terrence doesn't defend her honor to his snobbish friends, but he later proposes marriage.
Alison gets into hot water when she takes a risk and shows the client Jo's photos, even though they had already expressed approval about the more traditional shots.