Moonlight

I just caught the new supernatural series premiere of CBS's new show, MOONLIGHT. To be honest, I liked the first episode, but after seeing countless shows of this natural, it seems to repetitive.

Now don't get me wrong, MOONLIGHT isn't a bad show. It's compelling, stylish and has characters that are very interesting. I have to say I have finally found a show to replace the void left by STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE and STARGATE: SG1 and a show that isn't another CSI copycat. Even though the show is somewhat cool, it seems way to familiar to some of it's predecessors--Remember a show called FOREVER KNIGHT, or a more recent one ANGEL? In fact the first episode is a blending of some of the previously mentioned series' episodes. And the vamp-does-good thing is a bit old.

Well, the show may some its flaws, but it is a welcome addition to a night that is getting more boring and repetitive by the hour.

I had a chance to see this show last night for the first time. I guess I missed its opening episode last week.

Its campy, predictable in some places, and we've seen it all before. But then, its television, we've seen pretty much everything before and nothing is a shock anymore.

It also resembles Forever Knight in almost every way (loved that show). I'm curious why they couldn't have chosen a different name for the main character than "Mick" considering that the first thing it does is bring us back to "Nick" on Forever Knight. Any vampire fan is going to immediately recognize where this comes from. The main difference between the shows is that La Croix was the star in Forever Knight (despite that he wasn't the lead), while in Moonlight you can immediately tell that the lead is the star.

Mick is charming, handsome, engaging and, frankly, I can't wait to see what he does next week. If he ever leaves the show, it will crash.

This show has the promise to become a cult classic if it can make it past the first season. Or its going to crash and burn because no show can repeat Forever Knight.

Wish they hadn't revealed he was a vampire so early to the reporter. But I guess they felt it needed a bang to get started.

With the t.v and movie genre getting bogged down with all of the new vampire flicks I thought "Oh great not another thrown together show that'll be canceled after the third episode." But after watching it, I was proved wrong. With me being a big fan of all and anything vampiric, I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, there are a few clichés here and there but I really enjoyed the first episode with the reference to the vampire cult case in Florida. Also, I absolutely loved the music from Evanesence. I'd say the only negative thing about this show is that the story line isn't that fresh. A P.I. and a reporter....it reminds me of Blood Ties on Lifetime. Maybe if the storyline was fresh more people would enjoy it. Though I did absolutely love the fact that they used the woman who played Isolde from Tristan and Isolde. I'm really excited about the future episodes. What can I say, I'm once again hooked.

Most of the complaints people have about this show are from embittered Buffy fans. I love both of those shows, but the truth is that "Moonlight" is more my style, kind of like how the 1979 version of Dracula soothes my romantic senses much more than the version from the mid nineties. If you like more "realism" in your vampire stories, you will love "Moonlight." The main protagonist is Mick St. John, a vampire who was turned by his bride on their wedding night in the mid 1900's. Due to a change of heart and to the disappointment of his mentor Josef (one of the series' best characters), he turns to crime-solving. Unlike Angel, the demons he deals with are human rather than razor-clawed blue monsters. In the background is Beth, a reporter who remembers Mick from her childhood, when he saved her from the evil clutches of an old flame (in more ways than one).

Every girl I know adores this show. I mentioned it once in passing and now all my friends are eagerly tuning in on Friday nights to watch what happens. We like the more natural pace of the programming, the lack of wrinkled prosthetics whenever the vampires pull their angry faces, the cute chemistry between the leads. True, some of the series' success comes from the novels by Stephanie Meyers about a "calm" breed of vampire, but hey, if those terrifying fangirls manage to keep "Moonlight" on air for a season (and if the tremendous ratings have anything to say about it, it'll be here awhile), I can deal with it.

The plots are not too predictable and the show likes to pull the rug out from under us with bringing on revelations much sooner than other series have in the past. But the honest truth is, for a vampire fan like me, this has given me a whole new excitement for autumn programming. Long live Moonlight!

Okay, I've seen the promos pretty much all summer long. Our family is a Big Brother family and they touted this series continually. Honestly, I really figured I'd give it a miss. However, tonight I watched "Ghost Whisperer" with my wife, then she left the room and I was about to change the channel when two of my kids asked me not to change it because they wanted to watch it. Being a concerned parent, I stayed and watched.

Some of the plot points were easy to pick out, but I can say that about 85% of shows on television. What did keep me interested, however, was the lead character. He had a lot more depth than was portrayed in the promos. There were some neat complexities to him that I found intriguing. I also liked how they presented the reporter girl and the relationship established with the vampire. In fact, while plot was a bit been there, done that (again 85% of television), this show works well in the characterization.

I also felt things worked well in the last quarter of the show. The effects shots of the vampire's abilities were done well. I was comfortable throughout with my kids watching, which I'm happy about because I hope to turn them on to H.P. Lovecraft within the next few years. MY twelve year old son and I both agreed that this is a show we will definitely make the attempt to watch (however, we live in West Texas, I teach school, and the show is on Fridays...gotta warm up the VCR and buy some new tapes).

In summary: the show caught me off guard in a pleasant way. I take it for granted that you cannot do a vampire show without touching on ground already walked on, but the characterization in this show will keep me watching.