Moonlight

I'm biased because I like toothy things, but I really do enjoy this and watch it quite frequently. I like the characters and story lines, it's not entirely original but is enjoyable and likable and it's "vampire" enough without any added extras (black magic/werewolves/fairies/sparkles etc) and the vampires are actually true to the genre (except the going out in broad daylight thing). The acting is sometimes a little cheesy but I overlook that because I like it so much and how do you act "Hey I just found out vampires are real?" It's not like anyone has a frame of reference is it? Alex O'Loughlin is excellent - I don't think I'd seen him before this - and I'm now a fan of him in Hawaii 5-0, and it's always nice to see Sophia Myles (Underworld), a Brit in an American Series. Good music, stunts and effects, this is an easy to watch show. Given the rubbish that IS given a second season, I have no clue why this didn't get one although where it ended was really nice and rounded it off well. Many familiar faces putting in an appearance, but the story arc with the beautiful Shannyn Sossamon was a favourite.

A guilty pleasure.

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.

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.

I like this series...a lot. It's more grounded realistically per se than "Angel". This show has no werewolves, zombies, or other bizarre creatures; it just presents vampires more contemporary and in my opinion that makes the show work so well on so many levels. The first episode was kinda bland and didn't have that genuinely exciting buildup that other premieres had but it got better later on. Alex O'Loughlin gives Mick St. John a "modern-day Sam Spade" cynical edge to the character pure bliss along with Sophia Myles who gives the show a sense of heart and longing. And Jason Dohring is hilarious!! Injects the right amount of comic relief in dark noir atmosphere with brooding angst. Though I couldn't help notice the comparisons to Forever Night, for me, this show is fresh and more realistically gritty than what came before.

Great show with great stories to bite into (pardon the pun).

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!