Earlier today Celebitchy had me watch the first ten minutes of the new Melrose Place, and I’m embarrassed to admit I sorta liked it. I watched the original back in the day, but that normally involved sneaking up to the rec room and keeping the volume so low I could only catch every third word, all in an attempt to evade my mother. Nine times out of ten she caught me and got pissed, but it was worth it for the drama. I did the same thing with 90210 and Silence of the Lambs when it was on TV. Sometimes you have to be willing to take the consequences for really trashy and/or cannibalistic television. And boy did I.

Anyway, it had to be genuinely entertaining for me to risk all that, and Melrose Place always delivered. I didn’t have high hopes for the new version but it was actually very good in that slick, entertaining way. They’re not totally trying to rehash the first version, it’s more like a jumping off point. Which doesn’t mean they won’t bring back old characters. And finally, (finally!) the original Melrose b*tch, Heather Locklear, has been confirmed to return to the new version.

As Us Weekly previously reported, Heather Locklear is returning to Melrose Place, it was announced Tuesday.

Locklear, 47, will reprise her role as scheming ad vixen Amanda Woodward on the new CW version of the show. She will make her debut appearance Nov. 17.

“We’re ecstatic to have the chance to bring Amanda Woodward back to Melrose Place,” executive producers Todd Slavkin & Darren Swimmer said in a statement. “Heather’s involvement in the show is something we’ve been working on for some time as we couldn’t imagine creating and producing this show without the iconic character’s inclusion.”

An insider told Us Weekly that Locklear saw a pilot of the show — which stars Ashlee Simpson-Wentz — and “was surprised at how much she like it.”

The source said the role is a “a great comeback” for the actress, who faced a DUI charged that was later dismissed and sought treatment for anxiety last year. Said the source: “She is in great spirits and good shape. This is a perfect time to show everyone how well she is doing.

Details are mum on Locklear’s role. She was last seen with Peter (played by real-life love Jack Wagner — who’s not expected to return) faking her own death on the 1999 finale.

Original cast members Josie Bissett, Thomas Calabro, Laura Leighton and Daphne Zuniga have also signed back on for the show.

[From Us Weekly]

I think Heather Locklear and I had the exact same reaction. I mean redoing this particular show just sounds like it’s going to be nothing but cheesy. Not that the first one was anything so epically wonderful, but it was fun in that trashy way. And it looks like the new version is the same thing, but fun in its own, 2009 trashy way. I think it’d be a mistake for them to focus too much on the original plots and characters – not enough time has gone by. But putting their own spin on it seems to be working.

From Us’ phrasing, it sounds like Heather had probably previously turned down the show not just because of money (she supposedly wanted $100,000 an episode) but worries about quality. She was definitely the most popular character and getting her back is the biggest score for the new show. I have complete confidence that if anyone can play Amanda Woodward as bitchily as ever, it’s Heather. And she’ll definitely add some legitimacy to the new Melrose too.