ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, February 10, 1996 TAG: 9602150002
SECTION: SPECTATOR PAGE: S-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: LOS ANGELES>
SOURCE: LYNN ELBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
Go ahead and tag the new drama ``Savannah'' as ``Dynasty'' with a Georgia drawl.
Call it a magnolia-scented ``Melrose Place,'' however, and Aaron Spelling takes exception.
``Melrose'' on Fox and ``Savannah'' (airing Sunday at 9 p.m. on Warner Bros. affiliate, WDRG-Channel 24) both are from the Spelling stable - but the similarity ends there, says the prolific television producer.
``I guess it reminds me a little bit of a younger `Dynasty' and a little bit of `Gone With the Wind,''' circa 1996, Spelling said.
There's no family resemblance to ``Melrose Place,'' he insists.
``We're not going to go as overboard in the [WB] show as `Melrose,' which is part of the fun of `Melrose.' You don't know what to expect out of those people next,'' said Spelling. ```Savannah' is more grounded in reality.
``If someone gets hurt romantically on `Melrose Place,' they'll meet somebody the following week,'' he adds. ``It doesn't work that way on `Savannah.' The pain continues.''
Pain for the good citizens of ``Savannah,'' of course, can mean pleasure for serial drama fans. That's how it was on Spelling's lavish ``Dynasty,'' about the campy misadventures of the very rich.
Wealth also plays a role in ``Savannah,'' although the have-nots vie with the haves for attention.
The drama focuses on three young Southern women, childhood friends Reese Burton (Shannon Sturges), Peyton Richards (Jamie Luner) and Lane MacKenzie (Robyn Lively).
Reese is the rich kid who has wanted for nothing. Peyton, the daughter of the Burton family housekeeper, grew up envying her friend's plush life. The levelheaded Lane is a would-be career woman dogged by bad luck.
Impostors on ``Savannah'' include con man Tom Massick (Paul Satterfield) and his partner in crime Veronica (Beth Toussaint).
Love, larceny and even murder figure in the series, which quickly introduces plot twists and twisted characters to snare viewers.
``The trick of the show is to keep them guessing,'' says Spelling.
Maybe that will help ``Savannah'' avoid the fate of two other nighttime serials introduced this season: abysmal ratings.
``The Monroes'' was quickly canceled by ABC, while CBS yanked ``Central Park West'' to retool it with new cast members Gerald McRaney and Raquel Welch.
Spelling, TV's top producer with a career total of 3,000-plus hours, counsels patience on the part of the young WB. ``Savannah'' is the sitcom-heavy Warner Bros. network's first drama.
``First, I think you have to give them [serials] a little bit more time than you would a half-hour comedy or a cop show,'' he says. ``You have to let the audience stay there long enough to like or loath your characters.''
It doesn't take long to notice that ``Savannah'' has a distinctive look: the series is filmed on location in the title city and in Atlanta.
``It's all so pretty down there,'' says Spelling. ``We have a riverboat that's a gambling casino, horse-drawn carriages. In summertime, the moss on the trees. And the homes are so beautiful.''
Spelling, a Dallas native, says it carries him ``halfway back to my roots.'' The idea for ``Savannah,'' however, belongs to another TV executive who spent time in the South: Jamie Kellner, The WB's president.
Also apparent is that ``Savannah'' benefits from Spelling's devout belief in the value of glamour.
``We have more letters about what the young ladies wear on `Melrose Place' and `Beverly Hills, 90210' than anything else,'' says Spelling. ``I don't think glamour ever goes out of style.''
That means every detail must be perfect. And that takes vigilance.
Spelling on hair: ``I go crazy - and this has happened before, it won't happen on `Savannah,' I hope - when early in the season you have someone with a certain hairdo but it changes in the next episode. You have to let the audience get accustomed to that character.''
Spelling on wardrobe: ``Before we ever start a show, we bring about 10 racks of clothes to my office. We sit with the producers and directors and all the cast and we say `She looks great in this; no, this doesn't work.'''
Spelling on wedding gowns: ``We couldn't come up with anything that was ready-made, so [designer] Nolan Miller made them for us. ... I guess you could save a lot of money going to the `Weddings R Us' store.''
``Savannah'' also airs Sunday at 9 p.m. on WGN.
LENGTH: Medium: 85 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: Robyn Lively stars as Lane MacKenzie in ``Savannah.''by CNBcolor.