Moonlight - The Complete Series

"When darkness falls, a hero will rise . . ." Mick St. John (Alex O'Loughlin) is a private investigator in a town where there is little that surprises anyone - Los Angeles, California. But Mick has a secret that might surprise a few people - he's a vampire. Welcome to his world. The death of a college co-ed brings BuzzWire internet reporter Beth Turner (Sophia Myles) into Mick's life - she's traipsing barefoot through a freezing fountain at 2 am in order to get a photo of the corpse. And on that corpse are what appear to be two bite marks. It seems to be the work of a vampire, assuming one believes in them. Mick's and Beth's paths keep crossing, as each tries to solve this mystery, for different reasons - what more logical than that they work together? Despite the fact that Mick tells her that he works alone. Why does Mick look familiar to Beth? She swears that she has seen him before. It seems that Mick has a connection with Beth which goes back some 22 years, to the kidnapping of a 4 year old child. He protected her then from the very monster who was responsible for his being what he is - his ex wife Coraline (Shannyn Sossamon) - and he's protecting her now. He has a mentor named Josef (Jason Dohring), a 400 year old vampire who is a real wiz at business, although his people skills leave something to be desired, and Mick has a connection who works in the morgue, Guillermo (Jacob Vargas), one that supplies him with donated Red Cross blood. You see, Mick has principles, and one of them is that he will not drink human blood, voluntarily given or otherwise, directly from the source, and he will not kill humans, unless he has to. The one season series revolves around Mick and Beth and their developing relationship. She struggles to remember where she knows him from, and when she thinks she recognizes him from the time of her abduction, he leads her off on other tangents. She has a relationship with a young man named Josh, who works in the DA's office. They've been together for a while. And yet it's obvious that she feels something for Mick, something that she cannot deny. And he would do anything for her. Due to unexpected circumstances, Beth learns Mick's secret, and promises to keep it. The fact that she trusts him, and he trusts her with his secret, only serves to deepen their relationship. As the series progresses, this relationship sometimes puts her at odds with her assistant district attorney boyfriend, Josh, but she refuses to give up on Mick or their friendship, as they battle a crazed killer, a rogue vampire, a vicious ex and more. Tragedy nearly engulfs them - will what they have withstand it? Commentary: I was smitten with Moonlight from the first episode. With Mick, with him and Beth, and with their love story, not to mention with the entire series. Mick St. John is an anti-vampire vampire. He refuses to kill for the sake of killing, he is swift to protect humans and vamps alike. He does his job as a private investigator and he does it well - watching him follow the scent at any given crime scene is amazing, not to mention he moves with an elegant grace all his own - but he also holds himself aloof, away from most others, except for Josef. Mick is a very multi-layered character, and he has an intriguing story, not the least of which is his relationship with Beth Turner, whom he first rescued as a small child from a crazed kidnaper, whom we learn was his ex, Coraline. He watched her grow over the next 22 years, and protected her, and when he came face to face with her, he fell deeply in love, although he tries desperately to hide that fact. Beth is a bright, lovely ambitious young woman with a nose for news and a high sense of morality. Their mutual attraction is inevitable. Josef is a great foil for Mick - he is several times Mick's age, he's been around quite a bit, and he's very wealthy, but he does have something of an attitude problem. As Mick reminds him when he says, "I'm the only friend you have that doesn't like you for your money," to which Josef replies, "Oh yeah." One of my favorite episodes actually centers around Josef, combining a threat on his life with a trip into his past, for a very character revealing story, showing a more compassionate side of the cynical vampire. Mick's relationship with the morgue attendant, Guillermo, has definite moments of humor, as Guillermo not only supplies Mick with the blood he needs to survive, from the donor supply, but also gives him access to the bodies in the morgue, which becomes very helpful in the course of his investigations. Beth has the same relationship with him, and she and Mick meet a few times that way, by chance. During a brief respite in Mick's vampire status, Guillermo complains that he has no one to sell Mick's preferred blood to, since he isn't consuming any - and the compassionate Mick helps him out of his bind. The situation in the desert which marked the watershed of their relationship occurs in the desert, where Mick almost dies and Beth must take drastic measures to keep that from happening (naturally the desert is anathema to a vampire) A tragedy in Beth's life forces her to reevaluate her priorities and she takes a step back from Mick, blaming him not for what happened but not doing what she felt he could do about it, but of course it doesn't last. A person from Mick's past is also a threat to their happiness. Another one of my favorite lines is when Josef explains to Beth that in another life, Coraline was a courtesan, and Beth exclaims, "Oh, a hooker!" The writing is very good, and the acting is wonderful, it's an excellent cast. Although before the series began, when it was still in the talk stage, Bruce Willis had been considered for the lead. What a different show that would have been. I like Bruce and all, but he does not have the same sexy presence that Alex O'Loughlin does, not by a long shot. Over the course of the series, the writers developed their own vampire mythology, which was pretty unique as such things go. Their vamps walked in daylight, but it weakened them. Fire and silver were their enemies. Silver is generally reserved for those of the lycan persuasion - or werewolves. Fire - well, that makes sense, goes along with the whole weakened by the sun thing and heat in general. Garlic, holy water and crucifixes are no more powerful against vamps than humans. Mick does not sleep in a coffin, but in a large freezer. In the very first episode, Mick is speaking with a reporter, as if he is being interviewed, as we are introduced to him, and he actually lays all of the myths to rest in this unique and candid interview. It's a shame that there are only 16 episodes of this wonderful series, it had many places yet to go, but its death can be attributed to the writer's strike that year. It wasn't the only casualty. Hope remained that there would eventually be a revival of the series, but I think those are long extinguished, as Alex O'Loughlin is busy with his new series, Hawaii 5-0, on CBS, and doing well. But at least we have these 16 episodes to remember it by, and even if the 16th wasn't meant to be a last one, it possesses its own form of closure, as we bid Mick and Beth a fond farewell.

I loved this show when it originally aired. I was terribly disappointed when it was not renewed for additional seasons. I just chalked it up to my curse of liking a good show. Often, what I like gets canceled. I forgot about the writers' strike that occurred that year, another form of death for a good show. I think Hollywood should require shows affected by those strikes to get automatically renewed to give the shows a fair chance. How many good shows have been lost because of it? Anyway, the show is still as good today as it was back then. The show is sexy, smart and engaging. I fell in love with Mick all over again, not that I forgot, and Joseph is hot, too, with that barely disguised look of hunger on his face. Well, what can I say? The show is just that good, plain and simple. It should have been on air A LOT longer! The series ends well without a cliffhanger that usually leaves viewers feeling terribly anxious. However, it does leave viewers wanting, oh, so, much more!! With the right script, Moonlight easily lends itself to a sequel of some kind, a tv show, a movie, preferably with the original actors. Yes Hollywood, you can do it!

If you like paranormal PI's, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel then you'll enjoy Moonlight. One of my favorite genres, I haven't been this excited since the Dresden Files went off the air on SyFy in 2007. And like the Dresden files, Moonlight got canceled after only one season, a victim of the 2007 Writer's Strike. Where was I in 2007 to not see both of these series when they originally aired? At least you have Jim Butcher's books to fall back on for your Harry fix. With Moonlight there is only the Trevor Munson novel that inspired the series--Angel of Vengence, and that won't be available until February 14, 2011. I stumbled across a re-airing of the Moonlight on the CW over the summer and enjoyed that there was an alternative to the teen vampire scene. Yes, there is Tru Blood on HBO but I just couldn't get into the Sookie Stackhouse vampire mystery series by Charlaine Harris. When Bill said that he had his "own wine celler" in dating Sookie I just felt like Sookie was a meal to him and not his girlfriend. I'm not compairing Moonlight with movies because they have a whole different bag of tricks at their disposal for the suspension of disbelief. With Moonlight you have great writing that keeps the story going (humor, drama, reflections on issues, big and small story arcs) and great acting that makes up for believeability in some of the special effects. I enjoyed how the series kept the vampire features to a minimum so you could still see the actors' expressions. As with all CBS crime series, this one has all the lastest forensic science and technological gadgets for solving crimes but you have extra tools with vampire super senses and stregnth. I also enjoyed how each episode in the series had a companion episode somewhere in the series that was either reinforced or was the show's opposite. For example in "B.C." Beth Turner gets to experience what it's like to be a vampire without becoming one. In "Fated To Pretend" Mick St. John gets to experience what it's like to be temporarily human again. Another example--the series opened with a murder at Hearst College and ended with one at Hearst but the opener tries to convince Beth there's "no such thing as vampires" while the last one, Sonata, is all about them and the risk of them being exposed. (Veronica Mars fans will cheer for the nod to Hearst College--Jason Dohring was in that show as Logan Echolls and Joel Silver produced both shows.) For me this put Alex O'Loughlin, Sophia Myles, Jason Dohring, and Shannon Sossaman on my radar of actors to watch. Here's to hoping that we'll at least get a movie from the series to have some closure of the loose ends if we can't get a second season due to other actor commitments.

I discovered this series through SyFy and Chiller Channel. Literally surfing through, my husband and I stopped on a fluke. Within the first 15 minutes, we were hooked. The detective aspect of the show alone was nicely done, highly reminiscent of the classic Phillip Marlowe detective. The fact that Mick St. John is a vampire was unexpected (as I'd never even heard of this show before), and brought back warm remembrances of "Forever Knight". However, do not mistake this show as a rip-off of anything you've seen before. Instead, "Moonlight" is a true homage to all the genres it dips its fangs into. The very strong cast grips you very quickly. Of course, Alex O'Loughlin and Sophia Styles, Mick St. John and Beth Turner respectively, shine together on screen in an almost ethereal romance, making me long for the days of Season 1 of "Beauty and the Beast", where a look did more than any bare skin. Josef Kostan, played to smart, snarky and darkly sexy perfection by Jason Dohring, perfectly rounds out the core trio. The story lines are good and solid. For critics who complain that they've "seen it before": please read Joseph Campbell's "Hero With A Thousand Faces" to settle that hackneyed argument. The trick is in how you spin the tale. "Moonlight" does this excellently, especially given the highly restrictive network television format. You have the retelling of vampiric lore properly modernized to fit today without gutting or bastardizing it. Classic themes of repent, regret, loss, longing and love resonate poignantly. The vampires are sufficiently "human" and complex enough to make you actually see them as people, and care about what happens to them. As someone over 40 who just cannot get into "Twilight" (no disrespect intended), it was nice to see vampires who are not emo-kids. This series also has some of the most outstanding music and scoring I've seen on television. I've actually started purchasing some of the music (much of which didn't get major airplay in the mainstream Los Angeles market). Sadly, I discovered this gem only to find out that it had been canceled. But, it makes sense in a way, especially when I learned it was originally on the Continually Broadcasting Scatology network. I mean, who would want creative, smart, sexy, supernatural, romantic, stylish fun when you can have mind-numbing reality shows, humorless comedies, CSI:(add umpteenth title here), and all things formulaic, insipid and uninspired. At least now I am assured that my abandonment of mainstream network television is justified. Judging from what I've read across the Internet, including Facebook, Youtube, etc., I am among millions who are only now finding this gem (since CBS did absolutely nothing to promote it), and are clamoring for its return. I truly hope this wonderful show is resurrected. In the meantime, I have my DVD to keep me happy.

I hesitated between a four and a five star review for this series mostly because it's a first season (and only) that leaves many open ends and questions unanswered... frustrating, really. However, the entertainment value of the series is such that it deserves the 5 stars. I never watched it on CBS when it was out and I got to hear, read actually - about it here on amazon. The vast majority of rave reviews convinced me I should give it a try. No regret there; it was a hit for me in spite of the fact that, to my opinion, it should have been an HBO project to allow a little more "edge" and more wits at all levels. But for network TV, it's top quality. Alex O'Loughlin (portraying the yummy "anti-vampire" vampire Mick Saint John who tries to do good in spite of feeling bad for what he is) gives the top of the performances in the show, with Shannyn Sossamon (as the beautiful vampire "ex" Coraline) and Jason Dohring (as vampire friend Josef Kostan)sharing some really interesting parts in the series. I'm not crazy about Sophia Myles' choice for Beth, the human love interest of the sexy vampire Mick but it's not because she's not good; it's just that I would have expected a little something more from her, physically speaking. As attractive - and a very good actress - as Myles is, I would have expected her character Beth to be a little more special, unique. Her Beth is a little too "girl next door" for me. Anyway, Myles and O'Loughlin work well together and their interaction is more romantic than when Mick and Morgan/Coraline share a scene. Then it is plain hot and burning! The contrast is clear, thanks to the casting. As often in network television, the rythm of each episode may seem a little formulaic at times but the characters' development make the story as much as the story itself. As a whole the blend of action and romance is very well-balanced, and there's is enough humor too to keep the series entertaining and addictive enough to watch it more than once. I did!

This is one of my favorite vampire shows. I wish CBS had given it a second season but unfortunately it was a victim of the 07/08 Writer's Strike. When it came back from a mid-season hiatus (because of the strike), it was slow to build back up the ratings it had before the hiatus... so it got the axe... and then Twilight hit and there was a new resurgence of vampire fans. Moonlight was ahead of the Vampire Bandwagon that Twilight kicked off in the fall of 08. One of the things I love about this series is that they take the stereotypical mythos about vampires and flips it on it's head. Sunlight doesn't kill vampires, but it does weaken them and can eventually kill them. A stake to the heart doesn't kill a vampire but it does paralyze a vampire (the main character, Mick St. John, equates Staking a Vampire to putting a human in handcuffs). Silver is poisonous to vampires (it burns, weakens and too much of it can kill a vampire). The most surefire way to kill a vampire is by beheading or flamethrower. Fire will burn a vampire to ash and nothing can live without a head. Mick St. John is a Private Investigator and Beth Turner is a crime reporter for an online tabloid news site called Buzzwire. Josef Kostan is Mick's best friend, a baby-faced 400 year old vampire. Mick & Beth first team up (reluctantly on Mick's part with Beth insisting) to solve the grisly murder of a young co-ed that appears as if a vampire attacked her. Josef wants Mick to find the perpetrator to protect the Vampire Secret. Beth is looking for clues and evidence to add to her report. Will they solve the murder? Was it Vampire? Can Mick keep Beth safe as they get closer to solving the case?

I liked the series and found the main characters interesting and compelling but, I also felt the same way when I saw virtually the same type of plot on Forever Knight. Some differences are that Mick (unlike Nick) is able to move about in the daylight and for a vampire, he is relatively young (only 85 or so compared to centuries old vampires Nick Knight and Angel). When we see Mick's backstories, they are more current as he was "turned" more recently. Several plot similarities between Moonlight and Forever Knight are... Both Mick and Nick abandon the vampire ways and seek to become human again. Both Mick and Nick are in love with humans--Mick/Beth and Nick/Natalie. Coraline (Mick's onetime love) is temporarily human while Janette (Nick's onetime love on Forever Knight) becomes human for a time but must later be turned again by Nick to save her life. Mick becomes human for a while but Josef must turn him again to save Beth's life. Nick Knight also manages to become human for a time due to a drug and he, like Mick, immediately eats all the food in sight. Mick has a much older vamp mentor in Josef, Nick has a much older vamp mentor in Lacroix. Both characters (Mick and Nick) are detectives, although Nick is with the police and works the night shift. Both characters eyes change when they become their vampire personas, no real face changes like Angel or Spike (other than their vamp teeth). Although Moonlight is an engaging series (albeit too brief), I have to give the edge to Forever Knight. It was much richer in character development and had such interesting backstories, given the fact that they had centuries of history to use. The vamps in Moonlight seem much more modern (and comfortable in the human world) and less intimidating to humans than the Forever Knight vamps. Both shows, however, are very entertaining, romantic and most definitely worth watching.

What is really sad is that my review is about a year later than the latest ones on the list... What made them cancel a smart, interesting, funny show? To replace it with "****" like True Blood, for example? Some of the show elements have been used before. Some are a bit ...cheesy? Like the eyes that go white and the wide open fanged mouth - that has been the downfall of a - not otherwise bad - Canadian show Foreever Knight. Next time somebody does a vampire show, why don't they try to make "killing frenzy eyes" go smth like luminous emerald green? Like cats' eyes - that would be smth novel and also attract a huge audience of cat lovers... Just kidding here. In fact that is the best vampire show right now. The cancelled one. It is smart, it got some really nice humor in it. Plot lines are not stupid - they are not always brilliant but when was the last time you tried a vampire show or a book for the literary and logical brilliance of it? There is a good chemistry between the heroes and even if Mick is not always convincing in his hatred for his v-nature, the plot and dialogue lines are never trashy and always stay whithin the logic of the world created. So the recommendation is - if you like a good vampire show, not a trashy adolescent soft porn, buy this one. There is some good acting as an additional bonus - who would expect it from a vampire show? I have a friend who has a hilarous and very true expression for all good movies - those that were not created counting on an army of school free teens as the target audience - he calls them "adult movies". That's definitely an adult show.