One of the shows
I’ll miss this summer TV season is The L.A.
Complex, which ran last summer on the CW and was one of the best shows on
TV. With its primary setting being an apartment complex centered around a swimming
pool, The L.A. Complex was reminiscent of Melrose Place, only with acting that was a
tad less over the top and storylines that were more grounded in reality.
The hour-long drama
followed the lives of several aspiring young actors, musicians and writers who
are trying to make it big in Hollywood. Of course, there were plenty of love
triangles, backbiting and endless drama to spice things up.
One of the best “amenities”
about The L.A. Complex was its diverse casting. One of the major plot lines
involved an African-American rapper who was struggling with his sexuality. The
rapper was also trying to reconnect with his long-lost father, who had recently
been released from prison and was trying to turn his life around. Also, the
owner of the apartment complex appeared, at least, to be Hispanic or
Arabic.
Other characters
included a young woman who was raising her little brother, a child star
wannabe; a struggling actress who signs on to do a reality show similar to
VH-1's Celebrity Sober House and has to battle the manipulative producers
trying to invent phony conflicts between the residents; and an up-and-coming
actor who agreed to fake a relationship with a famous actress who wants
resuscitate her career by staying in the tabloids.
The L.A. Complex
deserved a renewal for another season, and at the very least could have served
as an interesting summer replacement series for the CW each year. Its premise
would have lent itself to a rotating cast, and maybe cameos by real-life rappers,
singers and actors could have boosted its ratings. But the network “powers that
be” opted for an eviction. Oh well…
