Question: I am going to preface my question by trying to establish a little street cred. My favorite shows include
Veronica Mars,
Friday Night Lights,
Battlestar Galactica,
The Sopranos and
The Wire. While I have enjoyed new shows like
Dirty Sexy Money and
Chuck, there has been one show, to my big surprise, that has become my favorite:
Moonlight. I know, the pilot was horrible. I originally checked it out to see alums from
Veronica Mars and
Alias, but I have stayed because of
Alex O'Loughlin. I think he has created a really interesting, layered character, and the show's mythology and character development are really starting to take off. It's a fun guilty pleasure. It's not award-winning TV, but it's a lot of fun with a very charismatic lead. I think critics should give it a second chance. It's the first time I have watched anything on CBS in, like, 10 years. Any news on the prospects of this show given the strike?
— CA
Matt Roush: First off, you don't have to justify your enjoyment of any TV show by listing your priors. It's OK to like
Moonlight, and I've been enjoying it more and more by the week. Is it a classic? No. But is Alex O'Loughlin a classic leading man? Absolutely. And the show has grown exponentially more interesting since the "Fever" episode in the desert, when Sarah saved Mick's life by letting him feed on her. (How long until she dumps her deadwood DA boyfriend?) I still feel the show is unbalanced by having no one in the supporting cast (including
Sophia Myles, who's improving, but not enough) worthy of sharing the screen with O'Loughlin. But the cases have gotten kickier and more interesting, and now that Mick's presumed-dead ex-wife/vampire sire Coraline is finally back in the picture (hardly a surprise, since
Shannyn Sossamon has been in the credits all along), things should really start getting interesting. As for
Moonlight's future vis-à-vis the strike: Who knows? As in the earlier discussion about
Pushing Daisies, I would think CBS should be encouraged enough by
Moonlight's steady growth, creatively as well as among viewers, that it's not going to make another
Jericho-style mistake and put a stake in this one too hastily. A long and premature hiatus is going to hurt a lot of shows, but
Moonlight has cultivated a loyal enough fan base already that I can't imagine CBS won't be eager to feed their need once things get settled.
On a similar note, I was amused by this e-mail from another
Moonlight fan, Amy H.: "I know there is a strike going on, but I cannot seem to find the energy to care. What I do care about is the TV we have now. There are more good shows this year than I thought there would be. I seriously contemplated, after the demise of
Gilmore Girls and
Veronica Mars to just not watch any new shows, but I failed — and you are at fault! I watched
Pushing Daisies,
Samantha Who? and
Gossip Girl because of you, and darn it, now I am hooked. I have also really enjoyed
Moonlight. It is a darker show than the
Buffy/Angel platforms, but it gets better and better and keeps me coming back. It even hooked my husband, who watches only about two hours of TV a week. He is a mystery. Thanks for the good suggestions."
That's me, the TV enabler. Oh Amy, we're all mysteries when it comes to our TV habits. In my household, I'm just thankful for any show we can choose to watch together. Otherwise, watching TV can be such an isolating habit.
