Heather Locklear, many would argue, made "Melrose Place."

Will she do it again?

Starting Tuesday, Nov. 17, the actress moves back to the franchise that led to her greatest television success to date. She reprises the role of Amanda Woodward, shark in both public relations and personal affairs, in the current CW update of the '90s drama series.

It's not the first time Locklear has been a later addition to the show. During the original run on Fox, Amanda was introduced midway through the first season (1992-93), with Locklear receiving "special guest star" billing that she retained for the rest of that series. (She gets similar treatment this time, during her scheduled seven-episode arc.)

Formerly the complex's owner, Amanda resides at Melrose Place again, taking the apartment of the murdered Sydney Andrews (Laura Leighton, who continues on the revival in "flashbacks"). The PR background makes it inevitable for Amanda to have dealings with Ella Flynn (Katie Cassidy), the sort of sharp-edged publicity maven Amanda is ... or, at least, used to be.

"I was like, 'Is the same cast coming back?' " Locklear recalls of first hearing of the "Melrose Place" rebirth. "When I realized they weren't, I thought, 'Hmmm. Then why are they calling it "Melrose Place"? I guess it's the pool.' I figured they thought the name would bring viewers."

It has to a degree, though ratings for early episodes dropped from week to week. As with "Melrose Place" the first time around, though, the Locklear factor should not be underestimated. (She's arriving as two other cast members, Ashlee Simpson-Wentz and Colin Egglesfield, are preparing to leave the show.)

The new "Melrose" has Locklear's seal of approval. "When I saw the pilot episode, I thought, 'Ooh, this is slick!' Like they had said, it wasn't the old 'Melrose Place.' Then I saw episode two, which I really loved. I had watched it that night with my boyfriend ( Jack Wagner, who played Dr. Peter Burns to Locklear's Amanda) and my daughter, Ava. She was kind of falling asleep, but she'd open her eyes every once in a while and see it and go, 'Oh, Mom!' And I'd think, 'Oh, my gosh. That's where Jack and I met!' "

Excited as she is to be a part of "Melrose Place" again, Locklear allows that stepping back into Amanda's shoes also is "weird" for her.

"I just remember her thinking everyone else was incompetent. That's really what it was, not thinking of her being an uber-bitch or whatever. I still try to think of her the same way, but she's written differently. She definitely has things going on in the back of her mind."