The Nighttime Drama Debate

Twenty Harvard students pack into a dorm room; males and females pile on couches and crowd together on the floor, yet no textbooks are to be seen and all is ominously silent. With all eyes focusing on the television screen, tension builds as the group anxiously awaits the opening theme song of their favorite nighttime soap. Bound by their loyalty to Fox soaps, students forget their daily differences, neglect important assignments, cancel dates, and sit through 15 minutes of commercials dedicated to acne wash, tampons, and shampoo.

But while the weekly TV ritual inspires camraderie, it also gives rise to a vicious nighttime drama debate. More than one friendship has been tested by the timeless question: which show, "Beverly Hills 90210," "Melrose Place," or "Party of Five," is the best? Individuals are quick to defend their personal pick.

"Beverly Hills 90210," the longest running of the three, initiated the "youthquake" that shook nighttime television. For eight years (yes, eight!) America has watched as a group of privileged friends went from West Beverly Hills High School to the fictional California University, dealing with issues that "all" teenagers face. Among their misadventures have been drug addictions, pregnancy, stalkers, eating disorders, and AIDS scares.

Jeff A. Johnson '01 and Scott M. Carmack '01 have been watching "90210" religiously for years. Johnson and friends, who always watch the show in their Grays bachelor pad, believe that "90210" is indeed realistic, taking their cues from teen-idol Jason Priestly (Brandon Walsh). The guys deny that they watch the show due to the visual appeal of actresses like Jennie Garth or Tiffani Amber Thiessen, but their reasons for watching do involve women. Johnson admits, "My girlfriend, Nicole, got me hooked on '90210'...The show is a great topic for conversations with girls." Another source conceded that he began watching the show at Exeter where "`90210' was a big social thing. We would crowd 40 people into a room, clapping along to the intro song and shouting at the TV."

"Melrose Place" joined "Beverly Hills 90210" in 1992 as a drama for a slightly older audience. "Melrose" chronicles the lives of the inhabitants of a Los Angeles apartment complex, captivating its audience with racy plots from murder to adultery. While some consider "Melrose" to be "trashy," others, like Michelle L. Murphy '99, appreciate the show's incredibility. Murphy, who watches weekly with roommates Karrine M. Jervis '99, Terri A. Teller '99, and Rhea C. MacDonald '99, comments, "`Melrose Place' is the best nighttime drama because it is escape TV. `Beverly Hills 90210' and `Party of Five' try to be `real life' and fail."

Murphy has been watching the show since it first came on the air. She admires Amanda (Heather Locklear) "because she knows what she wants and she gets it. I love the fact that she's bitchy." Murphy and her roommates also watch to keep up with fashion, commenting about which styles work. Furthermore, the group emphasizes the importance of predicting plot twists, such as Allison leaving Billy at the altar, and Kimberly exposing her bald head after her car accident.

Though newest to the scene, "Party of Five" has already captured a devoted following at Harvard and beyond. The show tells the story of the five Salinger children whose parents died in a tragic car accident, leaving them to fend for themselves. "Party of Five" capitalizes on the image of being more "down to earth" than "Beverly Hills 90210" or "Melrose Place." The critics agree, having awarded Party of Five the Golden Globe for Best Drama in 1996.

Large co-ed groups in Canaday and Lionel gather each Wednesday evening to watch "Party of Five." Jonathan J. O'Donnell '01 hosts the weekly watching for friends Brian F. Shaughnessy '01, Kyle F. Shinners '01, Mirella A. DeRose '01, and several devoted entrywaymates. O'Donnell is not ashamed to be a male nighttime soap fan and flaunts his knowledge of the shows, saying "Party of Five" wins because of Jennifer Love Hewitt, my future wife. The show is better than `Beverly Hills 90210' since Brandon thinks he's a `tough guy' and Donna is just so ugly with her fake cleavage. `Melrose' doesn't even deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence." DeRose adds that "Party of Five" has "better music than the other dramas, like the theme song `Closer to Free' by the BoDeans." O'Donnell and friends loved last season's scandalous plots, with Bailey's rise and fall from alcoholism and Julia's teenage marriage to Griffin. Currently, they are kept guessing by Charlie's Hotchkin's Disease (there is a betting pool on whether he will die), Bailey's affair with an older woman, and the possibility of foster care for Claudia and Owen.

The debate rages on. Is "90210" as kitsch and cliche was some partisans claim, will the trashy plots of "Melrose" doom it to the TV junk heap, and can Bailey and the gang provide enough melodrama to sustain Harvard's "`Party' parties?" Only time will tell.