My junior year of high school, when I didn’t rush to swim practice, I rushed home to catch episodes of Moonlighting on Bravo. Before the days of Project Runway, just before Queer Eye would make the network a phenomenon, Moonlighting was the only reason the channel was on my teenage radar. Bravo introduced me to the show, which originally debuted months before I was even born, and for that I will always be grateful.
The 1980’s comedy/romance/detective combo wasn’t afraid to be playful. During its five-season run it had song and dance numbers, bizarre murder mysteries, and even a Shakespearean episode. What really hooked me with Moonlighting—aside from my nostalgia for all things 80’s—was the mainstay of great television: the will-they-or-won’t-they relationship. Throw one of those relationships into a script and you’re sure to catch my attention. Make it as snappy and romantic as Moonlighting and you earn my devotion forever.
Bruce Willis and Cybil Sheppard had undeniable onscreen chemistry as David Addison, a private investigator, and Madeline Hayes, the former-model who becomes his partner. For three seasons their scenes together buzzed with the constant possibility that their attraction for one another would culminate in a major throw-down tryst. Due to a deluge of difficult circumstances—including Cybil’s pregnancy and the 1988 WGA strike—the show had a hard time maintaining its former level of brilliance after the two leads did finally consummate their attraction. It still comes up frequently as one of the prime arguments to keep will-they-won’t-they TV couples apart, but even when Moonlighting faltered it was better than a lot of scripted shows currently on hiatus. So, as we await the latest news on the strike, give Moonlighting a chance to charm you.
The 1980’s comedy/romance/detective combo wasn’t afraid to be playful. During its five-season run it had song and dance numbers, bizarre murder mysteries, and even a Shakespearean episode. What really hooked me with Moonlighting—aside from my nostalgia for all things 80’s—was the mainstay of great television: the will-they-or-won’t-they relationship. Throw one of those relationships into a script and you’re sure to catch my attention. Make it as snappy and romantic as Moonlighting and you earn my devotion forever.
Bruce Willis and Cybil Sheppard had undeniable onscreen chemistry as David Addison, a private investigator, and Madeline Hayes, the former-model who becomes his partner. For three seasons their scenes together buzzed with the constant possibility that their attraction for one another would culminate in a major throw-down tryst. Due to a deluge of difficult circumstances—including Cybil’s pregnancy and the 1988 WGA strike—the show had a hard time maintaining its former level of brilliance after the two leads did finally consummate their attraction. It still comes up frequently as one of the prime arguments to keep will-they-won’t-they TV couples apart, but even when Moonlighting faltered it was better than a lot of scripted shows currently on hiatus. So, as we await the latest news on the strike, give Moonlighting a chance to charm you.
1 comment:
Funny you rushed home from high school to catch the show on Bravo and I caught it as a first run show on ABC I think it was. I was working, partying and falling in love in the 80s. Dave and Maddie appealed to me because for all their on screen chemistry they supposedly couldn't stand each other in reality. The stuff true romances are founded on. Once they did the do I was done though.
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