Glitter

Another Spelling creation about a magazine called "Glitter". Like most Spelling shows it was full of drama! Not one of his better ones but worth watching. The best way to describe Glitter is Ally McBeal meets Melrose. I can see where the idea was good once it was pitched but the writing ran dry. A quick look at Glitter is this company that distributes a popular magazine (Glitter) has its up & downs with relationship problems coming at you left & right. If Spelling would have taken the show in several different directions with many stories at once, it would have been a hit. Everyone on the show seem to have the same problems though. 1-10 (5)

Like many shows of its time, "Glitter" seemed to be a vehicle for giving work, in the form of each episode's several special guests, to older stars and, especially, to B-listers who were familiar to 70's and 80's tv audiences. In that sense, the show was a lot like "The Love Boat", "Fantasy Island", and others.

But "Glitter" just didn't work. In fact, it was a bit of a mess. The episodes made even less sense than the odd overall premise, which seemed to be: Tabloid reporters get assigned to do a big story on some celebrity, but end up getting involved in that celebrity's life, and usually helping the person through some drama, sometimes without even finishing the big story. Not realistic.

So it's a dumb show. HOWEVER, it's low-key, well-intentioned, and G-rated, so that's refreshing. And the fun that you can extract comes from enjoying the show's harmlessness, its awkwardness, and the array of styles (writing, directing, editing, acting, fashion, cars), all common in the early-80's, that have all but disappeared. That in itself is enough to give the otherwise dumb show a spin for at least a couple of episodes.