fubared1
I had no interest in this when it was on, and now, after seeing the first season, I'm glad I never did. This has to rank as one of worst shows of its type ever made. Give me Diana Rigg and The Avengers any day over this garbage. First, the two leads have zero in the way of acting ability and Willis is one of the most unattractive men in the history of cinema or TV. I'm speaking in terms of the whole package. He is not only physically repellent but he has all the charm and personality of a trained monkey...and that's an insult to all monkeys. And Cybil should have stuck to modeling, as that is her only (questionable) 'talent'. I don't know if she ever learned how to act, I see she's still working in TV, but here she has zero like her co- star. The attempts at humorous repartee are pathetic. I literally wanted to punch Willis' lights out every time he opened his mouth, and I'm not a violent person. As to the stories, they are limp, pathetic, and totally uninteresting. A TOTAL WASTE OF TIME!!!
elshikh4
Since the 1970s it was popular in the crime, mystery, action TV shows to watch 2 totally different male heroes get themselves into the dangers (including their arguments) through comic or non-comic atmosphere. Of course these shows differed on so many levels; whether the characters, the quality or the success. You can remember (The Persuaders – 1971), (The Streets of San Francisco - 1972), (Starsky and Hutch - 1975), (Switch - 1975). At the same time there was another trend that gave the action roles finally to girls as it happened in the revolutionary (Get Christie Love! - 1974), and (Police Woman - 1974). Then at (Wonder Woman), (The Bionic Woman), and (Charlie's Angels) all in (1976). So, if the women or the "woman" had become a real action star that equals the man, then why not to gather them both into the crime/mystery/action world through the case of romantic comedy as well, where the buddy show now is about one man and one woman in love and war all the time !Thus the adventures (so the clashes) of buddy-lover or colleague, rarely married, man and woman became so fashion and, sometimes, mass hits : (Dog and Cat - 1977), (Hart to Hart - 1979), (Cheers - 1982), (Scarecrow and Mrs. King - 1983), (Hunter - 1984), (Cover Up - 1984). It's a formula that changed the face of TV, and assured that women aren't just dolls, it even left its obvious effect on next shows like : (The X Files - 1993), (Mr. & Mrs. Smith - 1996).(Glenn Gordon Caron) made one early example (Remington Steele - 1982) in the same year that some producers would see that man can get along finer with buddy-car (Knight Rider - 1982) ! or that woman can get friendly with only another woman (Cagney & Lacey - 1982). After 3 years, (Caron) sort of repeated the same case in the climax of the whole bunch (Moonlighting). The character of (Maddie Hayes) looks at first like an ex-doll (she was a model), or a Charlie's angel got lost and works now for her own expense with some loose mad man/detective, to hate/love each other with passion. I think (Moonlighting) witnessed the beginning of an era where the writer became a star. Names like (Mary Ann Kasica, Michael Petryni, Debra Frank, Roger Director) built the uniqueness of such a show. It was a real "show" with stylish clothes, lighting, décor in the 80s' vivid soft colors, and where anything crazy goes : breaking the fourth wall, the appearances of the show's makers behind the camera, parodying movies or another TV shows, all of that in great talent, real glee and original riotous status.At first the mysteries' plots were weak, as the main purpose was "comedy". Every episode was unstoppable insane shots of funny conversations between the 2 leads (no wonder that the episodes had more paper than anything was written at the moment) like a 30s' Marx Brothers' movie, or some comedy by (Ernst Lubitsch). In addition to a crime, always tacky, then a big finish which's closer to pay homage to one classic Hollywood movie (a cake fight, money flies in the sky, ..etc). After that, obstacles got in the way beginning with the early "getting together" between the 2 leads which caused some unbalance (could be a result of the surprising pregnancy of Cybill Shepherd), to that pregnancy itself, along with the writers' strike. Things like that killed some of the show, brought the low rating, and stopped it for a while more than once, to make ultimately just 44 episodes in 5 seasons !. So, the exceptional hilarious spirit wasn't ever the same as it became a show about old melodramatic games : who the father is ? I'll marry him, I'll marry him not? And so on. Not to mention how the crime/thriller line became weaker than what it was already, and the comedy was going down. Till the righteous sad end where you can feel the writers' pain by killing one of the characters (MacGillicudy) and the sudden lockout of Moonlighting agency, and show, all at the last episode (named naturally "Lunar Eclipse") which embodied the astonishment's feeling out of the cancellation more than being a meaningful finale. I told you earlier, it was a short climax.(Bruce Willis) began feeble to launch like a joviality rocket and good actor. He outclassed Shepherd who was 5 years older than him and needs, provocatively, some kind of filter with every single close-up for her (something so visible at the first 2 seasons) to hide her wrinkles and to give her absorbing starry looks too. After all, she was the first name on the credits, and (Willis) was in his first appearance, but it wasn't ever (The Cybill Shepherd show), and still (Willis) is the one who won the Emmy, and the Golden Globe too for his role here ! However she was so charming as Maddie, and whenever she shares the screen with Addison the history gets to bring pen and paper.. Because that was classic. So with outrageously joyful scripts, the magical presence of Allyce Beasley as miss DiPesto, Al Jarreau's genius theme song, the 1980s' pure entertaining flavor.. There is the sun and moon, they sing their own sweet tune, watch them when dawn is due, sharing one space.
dataconflossmoor
This is one of the best shows ever!! Certainly,one of ABC's most excellent in it's history!! How original!! How creative!! How likable!! and last, but certainly not least, HOW TALENTED!!.. Dave (Bruce Willis) and Maddie (Cybil Shepherd) have had tremendous careers, yet, surprisingly enough, the television show "Moonlighting" could be what they are best known for!! The unorthodox originality of this series astutely amused the television audience for four years.. It was a very "Guy" program that really appealed to women as well!! Bruce Willis is a box office legend now!! Back then, his career not exactly thriving, he was on the verge of being a bar-back at a Los Angeles Nightclub, until, he was chosen for the role of Dave on "Moonlighting" !!! Cybil Shepherd, originally became known for her beauty, this started with the sultry notoriety she attained in the movie "Taxi Driver"!! When cast for "Moonlighting" she became enormously popular on this T.V. Show!! Two famous lines of Cybil's which have left an indelible impression on me are: 1)"I like having money, I don't like to have to balance a checkbook" and, 2) "So go back to your pathetic life!!" (The second one not was said on "Moonlighting") Everything on this show was a joke and a half, nothing was serious, in fact, in so many episodes, Maddie's seriousness was the most convincing form of comic relief to the entire genre of this series!!! "Moonlighting" engaged in the dramatic use of "asides" to the television audience as a way of cultivating a camaraderie with the small screen viewer... It was very effective!!! You had to like Bruce Willis in this T.V. Show, or else, there was something wrong with you!! When someone is likable, they have an enormous leverage over those who like him!! The 1980's was a period for resumed innocence, nefarious chicanery always assumed a playful demeanor!! This flippant and auspicious approach of deliberate insincerity, gave the "Eighties Man" a tailor made invitation to be new and improved, yet, he could still be a "Guy"!! Nothing was normal about "Moonlighting" including the fact that it was one of the best television shows ever made... The theme song to "Moonlighting", by Al Jareau, was very popular!! You want conventionalism, you are not going to get it with "Moonlighting" this show was about as conventional as playing Calypso Music at a funeral!!
