The L.A. Complex is a Canadian export that is airing on the U.S. on The CW. It's in keeping with the network brand and an oddly suitable pairing for its increasingly ridiculous 90210 series. Particularly since this new (at least to Americans) show is essentially an alternate version of the Melrose Place update that was cancelled by The CW a couple of years ago. And while L.A. Complex isn't at all what you'd call a good show or remotely original, it's more watchable than MP 2.0, though maybe only slightly. It doesn't help that Complex starts off with the most annoying song of all time, making us feel like we're being forced to sit inside an MRI machine, though once you get past that, there's plenty of entertainingly mindless fluff to enjoy. Here's how the two series compare:

Tags: l.a. complex, la complex, melrose place, melrose place remake

You know how it seemed for many years there like Smallville would outlive us all? Well, it won't.

Tags: $#*! My Dad Says, CBS, Community, Dan Harmon, Desperate Housewives, Ghost Whisperer, Greg Grunberg, Kyle MacLachlan, Melrose Place, Smallville, Survivor, TBS, The Big Bang Theory, TNT, Tom Welling

We're not sure that the world really needs a spinoff to Criminal Minds, but then again, we didn't think sub-divisions of Law & Order were necessary and SVU and Criminal Intent proved us wrong by being far more enjoyable than their mothership. And while spinoffs may not always grab us right off the bat (like NCIS: Los Angeles), sometimes a new series just needs a little time before it starts improving upon its predecessor. Case in point: The City returned this week with new characters and a compelling new focus that made it far more watchable than the now totally contrived LC-less The Hills. But these aren't the only shows that have been better than their originals. Here's our look back at the best spinoffs from the past two decades:

Tags: 90210, angel, Beavis and Butt-head, buffy the vampire slayer, Cheers, Daria, Deep Space Nine, Doctor who, Frasier, Greys anatomy, Hercules, melrose place, Private Practice, Star Trek, the simpsons, torchwood, tracey ullman, Xena

Although the end of this TV season is still over three months away, there's already plenty of speculation about which programs might get cancelled and which will get renewed, causing us to worry that some of our favorites won't be around this time next year. After we had expressed concern for the shows on the bubble last spring, most of them ended up getting yanked (Life), put out to pasture (Better Off Ted, which hasn't officially been killed yet, but looks like a hopeless case), shuffled off to bad timeslots (Fringe) or screwed over in unexpected fashion (Southland). This time around, we're hoping the TV gods (and executives) will be kinder to our pleas of clemency for these series:

Tags: 24, caprica, damages, greek, heroes, life unexpected, melrose place, soutland, twop 10

Here's some career advice you can take away from the news today: (1) You'll get places in life if you're fearless and have a thing for gross, fat guys; (2) If you're part of a famous singing trio, don't publicize your purity rings; and (3) If you're a famous comedian, don't mock said purity rings unless you want to die. Also, there's news about guest stars, Jennifer Garner, and new comedy shows.

Tags: Daphne Zuniga, Eliza Coupe, Greys Anatomy, Ice Cube, Jennifer Garner, Jonas Brothers, Martha Plimpton, Melrose Place, Russell Brand, Scrubs, Terry Crews

Today's TV news contains two types of surprises: "pleasant" and "not really pleasant but makes me happy anyway." I'm not sure which I prefer at this point.

Tags: 24, 90210, America's Next Top Model, Cheri Oteri, Gossip Girl, Matadors, Melrose Place, Super Natural, The CW, The Marriage Ref, Tonight Show, Vampire Diaries

I was very excited when it was announced that Heather Locklear was returning to her Melrose Place roots as the bitch-in-heels Amanda Woodward. This new series, while oddly watchable, needed a jolt of something to really get it going. Since she'd saved the previous incarnation from dullness/cancellation, it seemed fitting that she'd boost this version as well. But now that we've actually seen her first episode, I'm not sure her appearance is helping matters much.

Tags: heather locklear, melrose place

I know, she's not the only one who got fired, but she is the one of the two most worthy of open ridicule.

Tags: Adam Shankman, Benjamin Bratt, Johnny Knoxville, Law & Order, Melrose Place, So You Think You Can Dance, Tracy Morgan