'One Tree Hill' Creator Moves into 'Melrose Place'

Zap2It.com | December 15, 2008

'Melrose Place'

Mark Schwahn will develop The CW's new take on the show

The CW's renovation of "Melrose Place" may have found its first manager.

"One Tree Hill" creator Mark Schwahn is negotiating with producer CBS Paramount TV to develop the network's 21st-century take on the 1990s soap. Like The CW's current "90210," the new "Melrose Place" is likely to be considered a spinoff rather than a remake.

If the show makes it to air, however, Schwahn may not still be around, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Schwahn is currently under contract with Warner Bros. TV, which produces "One Tree Hill." He starts a new deal with CBS Paramount TV in June, but if "One Tree Hill" is picked up for the 2009-10 season, he's obligated to stay with the show as executive producer and showrunner.

The situation parallels that of "90210" in its early stages. "Veronica Mars" creator Rob Thomas wrote the original pilot script, but other commitments (including ABC's midseason show "Cupid") prevented him from staying with the show after it was picked up.

Gabe Sachs and Jeff Judah took over the running of the series, which has performed reasonably well this season. It's averaging about 3.6 million viewers a week and has helped The CW improve its ratings in the network's target demographic of adults (and more specifically, women) under 35.