Gone but not forgotten

Turn back the clock and enjoy our tribute to past American TV hits

Where were you the summer Brandon and Brenda Walsh of 90210 first moved to California? Or when Maddie and David first kissed on Moonlighting? Take a walk down memory lane and remember the dearly departed shows that we used to love, some more recently than others.

  • Ally McBeal
  • Beverley Hills 90210
  • Melrose Place
  • Moonlighting
  • Dallas
  • Dynasty

    Ally McBeal
    It's hard to say which caused more of a stir when Ally first aired: the show's hip fantasy sequences or Calista Flockhart's micro miniskirts. Since then, creator David E Kelley has provided plenty to gossip about the morning after. Who could forget the dancing Internet baby, the unisex toilets, the kiss between Ally and Ling and the countless quirky court cases in between?

    First aired in US: 1997
    Number of seasons: 5
    Premise: A young lawyer with a freezer full of Ben & Jerry's and an office full of quirky co-workers.
    Original cast: Calista Flockhart (Ally McBeal), Gil Bellows (Billy Thomas), Courtney Thorne-Smith (Georgia Thomas), Peter MacNicol (John Cage), Greg Germann (Richard Fish), Jane Krakowski (Elaine Vassal), Lisa Nicole Carson (Renee Raddick)
    High point: Robert Downey Jr's run as Ally's boy toy.
    Low point: Jon Bon Jovi's run as Ally's boy toy.
    Famous guest stars: Tracey Ullman, Anne Heche, Christina Ricci
    Lamest stunt to save the show: Ally discovers she's a mum. Turns out the eggs she'd donated in college were fertilised and her long-lost daughter tracks her down.

    Beverly Hills 90210
    Must-see TV for teens nationwide, Beverly Hills 90210 offered a glimpse of how the other half lived. While the rest of us were suffering through puberty (or adulthood, as the case may be), Brandon Walsh and crew were taking lunches at the beach club and partying it up at the Peach Pit. Oscar winner Hilary Swank got her start on this Aaron Spelling soap, appearing in the eighth season as single mum Carly Reynolds.

    First aired in US: 1990
    Number of seasons: 10
    Premise: Dynasty set in high school.
    Original cast: Jason Priestley (Brandon Walsh), Shannen Doherty (Brenda Walsh), Jennie Garth (Kelly Taylor), Ian Ziering (Steve Sanders), Gabrielle Carteris (Andrea Zuckerman/Vasquez), Luke Perry (Dylan McKay), Brian Austin Green (David Silver) and Tori Spelling (Donna Martin)
    High point: When Dylan fell for Kelly while Brenda was away in France.
    Low point: When Kelly was shot in a parking lot, triggering a case of amnesia.
    Famous musical guests: Barenaked Ladies, Color Me Badd, Babyface, Debbie Gibson
    Last ditch attempts to save the show: Resurrecting Dylan in the ninth season.

    Melrose Place
    Brought to life by the creators of Beverly Hills 90210, Melrose served up the same heaped portions of self-indulgent characters and backstabbing friendships. The cast on this show saw plenty of action, with a total of 75 relationships in its seven-season run. Spin City star Heather Locklear ruled the roost as Amanda, resident diva and queen bee.

    First aired in US: 1992
    Number of seasons: 7
    Premise: Dynasty set in a California apartment complex.
    Original cast: Josie Bissett (Jane Mancini), Thomas Calabro (Dr Michael Mancini), Amy Locane (Sandy Louise Harling), Doug Savant (Matt Fielding), Grant Show (Jake Hanson), Andrew Shue (Billy Campbell), Courtney Thorne-Smith (Alison Parker) and Vanessa Williams (Rhonda Blair)
    High point: When Kimberly and Sydney tussled over Michael. Or was that when Jane and Sydney tussled over Michael? With four marriages and 11 lovers under his belt, the guy certainly got around.
    Low point: When Brooke (played by Sex and the City co-star Kristen Davis) drowned in the infamous pool and later appeared as a ghost.
    Famous guest stars: Loni Anderson, Priscilla Presley, Gina Gershon
    Lamest attempt to raise ratings: Let's face it ? this show was one big scandalous stunt.

    Moonlighting
    Back in the days before Bruce Willis attained action-star status, he got his first taste of fame on this hour-long show. Willis and Cybill Shepherd co-starred as David Addison and Maddie Hayes, a pair of private eyes at the Blue Moon Detective Agency, whose witty banter and sexual tension sustained 67 episodes.

    First aired in US: 1985
    Number of seasons: 5
    Premise: The Odd Couple set in a detective agency.
    Original cast: Cybill Shepherd (Maddie Hayes), Bruce Willis (David Addison), Allyce Beasley (Agnes DiPesto)
    High point: When they spoofed The Taming of the Shrew in season three.
    Low point: When David and Maddie finally got it on, causing the show's signature sexual tension to fly out the window.
    Famous guest stars: Pierce Brosnan, Whoopi Goldberg, Don King
    Lamest attempt to raise ratings: Recruiting Mark Harmon to join the cast as Maddie's ex-boyfriend.

    Dallas
    First aired in US: 1978
    Number of seasons: 13 (that's despite being described as a 'limited series with a limited future' by showbiz bible Variety)
    Premise: Family feuding in the land of the rich.
    Cast: Larry Hagman (J.R Ewing), Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing), Linda Gray (Sue Ellen Ewing), Victoria Principal (Pamela Ewing), Ken Kercheval (Cliff Barnes), Barbara Bel Geddes (Miss Ellie)
    High point: So many. Who didn't cry buckets when Bobby died? And who wasn't on the edge of their seat when JR was shot?
    Low point: Bobby's return. We all wanted him back but did he have to have been in Pam's shower for the past year, his death just a figment of her dream?
    Lamest stunt to boost ratings: Bobby returns in the episode entitled 'Blast From the Past'.
    Latest news: There are rumours of a new big-screen Dallas movie.

    Dynasty
    First aired in US: 1981
    Number of seasons: 9
    Premise: Yet more family feuds: Dynasty was a great symbol of '80s excess.
    Cast: John Forsythe (Blake Carrington), Linda Evans (Krystle Carrington), Joan Collins (Alexis Carrington), Emma Samms (Fallon Carrington Colby), Gordon Thomson (Adam Carrington), Jack Coleman (Steven Carrington).
    High point: Pretty much anything Joan Collins and her evil alter ego did - in particular her cat fight with Krystle (Linda Evans) in the mud.
    Low point: Fallon's abduction by aliens.
    Lamest stunt to boost ratings: Far too many to count. Plot lines became increasingly ridiculous as the show progressed, often throwing in plane crashes, amnesia, murders, abductions, shootings, etc… left, right and centre. The biggest stunt, however, had to be the massacre at the Royal wedding.

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