It is difficult to classify this series in its entirety since the 5 seasons that it lasted were very different from each other. The first season was very short, both Cybill Sheppard and Bruce Willis were trying to find their respective roles and the series was slowly finding its way. By the second season the cast was much more comfortable, each one doing their job to perfection and an amazing chemistry began to be noticed between Bruce and Cybill, the writers were improving with each episode and the stories were intriguing and funny at the same time. Season three was undoubtedly the best, Cybill and Bruce exploded on the screen, their characters had reached perfection, the scripts were intelligent and unpredictable, the dialogues between the protagonists were brilliant and witty, during this season the relationship between the two was intensifying. Crescendo until at the end and after so many twists and turns they consummate their love relationship. In the fourth season the decline of the series begins, Cibyll becomes pregnant and makes sporadic appearances, everything falls on Bruce's men who do everything possible to cope with the series alone but without his counterpart it becomes an impossible task. The scripts also begin to decline, it was the beginning of the end. For the fifth and final season, the problems between the production, the scriptwriters and the actors are transferred to the screen and wear and tear on everyone is noticeable. The production makes one last attempt to resume the course of the first seasons but it's too late, Maddie's character becomes insufferable, David's is absolutely blurred and stops being fun. The series loses spark and to make matters worse its last episode is a real disaster. This is the sad end of one of the most entertaining and intelligent series ever made and which established Cibyll Sheppard as a great actress and catapulted Bruce Willis to fame.
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asalerno102 September 2023
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SnoopyStyle14 May 2017Maddie Hayes (Cybill Shepherd) is a former model best known for being the Blue Moon Shampoo girl. She wakes up one morning to find all her money stolen by her crooked accountant Ron Sawyer. All she has left are various money-losing businesses used as tax losses. One of them is City of Angels Detective Agency run by smart alack David Addison (Bruce Willis). She closes him down. He is trying to convince her to keep the agency open when a dangerous murder case literally falls into her lap. She relents as he renames it, the Blue Moon Detective Agency. She is desperate to make her business profitable but he is more concerned about gaining media notoriety. Agnes DiPesto (Allyce Beasley) is the wacky rhyming receptionist. Temp worker Herbert Quentin Viola (Curtis Armstrong) joins the team in the third season.
The banter between Maddie and David is electric rapid-fire. She would call it "conversational harikari". It is irreverent. They have segments breaking down the 4th wall. They often reference themselves as a real TV show. It is tongue in cheek. Breakout star Bruce Willis is at his Bruno best. Cybill and Bruce have the perfect rom-com banter. The will-they-won't-they is a lot of fun. I laughed harder in the second season than almost anything else ever on TV. It is the best until late in the third season.
The consummation of their relationship is often blamed for the show's decline. It's rather simplistic. The problems go much deeper. The show gets darker and their relationship gets more melodramatic. The fourth season starts with Maddie running home to Chicago and revealing her pregnancy. The humor is lost especially since the two are separated. It's an attempt to work around a couple of things; Cybill Shepherd's real life pregnancy, and Bruce Willis' fledgling movie career. As great as the first two plus years, the fourth year is notable for its missteps. It's a warning for TV writers everywhere. The show nosedived and never recovered. Compounding the problem are two additional moves in an attempt to return the show back to its first position. Maddie's quickie marriage and their baby's death are the last straws. This show climbed quickly and plummeted catastrophically. While it was good, it was an audience favorite. -
grantss8 May 2023Model Maddie Hayes is left almost penniless after being fleeced by investment adviser. All she has left is a two-bit detective agency. The manager of the agency, David Addison, convinces her to keep and run the agency. Together they form a dynamic partnership.
A great detective show from my youth. More a comedy than a drama, the humour was great, the relationship and banter between Maddie Hayes (Cybill Shepherd) and David Addison (Bruce Willis) was very engaging and it was simply great fun.
It also launched the career of Bruce Willis, to the show's detriment. Die Hard was released around seasons 3 and 4 and from then on sadly the writing was on the wall for the show as he was clearly destined for bigger things. -
Moonlighting was one of those amazing shows that spawned a plethora of clones, many of which didn't make it. Though it came after Remington Steele, which I believe was the far more excellent show consistently, Moonlighting got all the buzz and the excitement. Most of this was due to the breakout performance of Bruce Willis, who, of course, became a megastar thanks to Moonlighting. I can still see him facing a criminal while singing "My Girl" and then indicating with his hands when the goon should come in with the high part. It was touches like this that made Moonlighting special.
Willis and co-star Cybill Shepherd were fabulous and had excellent chemistry. They were ably supported by Allyce Beasley, Curtis Armstrong, Charles Rocket (a brilliant choice for David's brother, who appeared in some episodes), and for several episodes, Eva Marie Saint and the late Robert Webber as Maddie's parents.
The series boasts some phenomenal episodes but when it fell, it fell hard. Ego problems, budget problems, and story direction problems began to weigh it down, and it finally crawled to an end after tons of reruns being shown in prime time when scripts were unable to be delivered. However, the heights hit in the first two seasons or so are unmatched probably by any other series for their creativity and brilliance. Moonlighting remains a wonderful and joyous part of TV history. -
theowinthrop1 August 2006Only 21 comments proceed this one on this particular thread. That is incredible to me. For in the middle and late 1980s MOONLIGHTING was one of the biggest (if not the biggest) phenomenons to hit television.
It dared to take a normal type of show - the detective show - and turn it into a mind blowing experience as it's battling heroine and hero confronted cases, each other, and the universe weekly. Mattie Hayes (Cybill Shepherd) and David Addison (Bruce Willis) ran a detective agency together, only because it was Mattie's last asset after her accountant ran off with her fortune (a later episode allowed them to confront the scoundrel). Addison was running the small agency, but since Mattie now depends on it for her income she takes over running it and collides head on with Addison. He is a self-satisfied male chauvinist, and she is a determined feminist. But despite their rigid points of view they are attracted to each other. So the result (normally) is that they get a client, and in analyzing the client's problem it raises some issues that actually confront Mattie and David in their lives, but the audience in it's lives too. The only other regulars were Allyce Beasley as Agnes DiPresto, their receptionist who always had a poetic effusion to greet the customers on the phone, and Curtis Armstrong as Herbert Viola, a late arrival who is the firm's bookkeeper and David's back-up man (and eventually Agnes' boyfriend).
I think the episode most people recall from this show is the experiment with Shakespeare's TAMING OF THE SHREW, wherein Willis was Petruchio and Shepherd was Katherine. Certainly it was a nice spoof, especially as Shakespeare's play is out of step with present day views about sexual equality. But the Shakespearean dialog was also spoofed - leading to the concluding line (which suggested my "summary line" above). But it was not the only good episode. The one where Agnes and Herb solve a case by themselves was interesting - and the conclusion where Mattie and David burst into the room to congratulate them, and then turn around with Mattie saying, "And hopefully next week we'll have more to do in the episode." was a good one too. So was one with Joseph Maher as an angel talking to Willis as Mattie and David's child in embryonic state. The birth of the child was expected by the audience, but at the last moment the writers have poor Mattie miscarry. Maher cheers up Willis by saying he shouldn't fear - he may end up the new baby on one of two other current shows then on television that had expectant parents!
The writing, at it's best, shoved this show to the heights. In the middle of an argument, Mattie tells David she does not give "a flying frig" for his opinion. David looks at her quizzically, and says he doesn't know what she means by "a flying frig". She looks at him casually and says, "That doesn't matter...(they turn towards the viewing audience)...THEY KNOW WHAT I MEAN!" In a moment of pure genius the dialog would suddenly pick up a life of it's own and become pure Dr. Seuss, with everyone in the scene joining in. There were in-jokes about other shows. In an episode based on IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, Mattie discovers what would have happened if she had sold the detective agency (as she originally planned). It is bought by a husband and wife pair of detectives who we never see: the Harts, from HART TO HART. But we see their factotum assistant Max (Lionel Stander) still working for them. In another episode, David (in a fit of emotion) begs Mattie to run off with him and forget the agency. "If anyone has any problems, let that old lady from the movies on the other channel solve them for them.", he says. He's referring to Angela Lansbury in MURDER SHE WROTE on CBS.
With all the delays in production, all the unfortunate ego clashes, and even the dip in the series quality in the last year, MOONLIGHTING was a terrific show. It rarely is revived today, which given it's quality is a terrible shame and waste. -
haildevilman16 June 2006The writers were #$%& geniuses! I curse both Bruce Willis and Cybil Shepherd for letting their egos get in the way of a brilliant series.
I also thank them for the roles they played to perfection.
Love/Hate...just like their characters.
This was one of the few shows my whole family liked. My father would laugh like a hyena and quote the lines for days.
Non stop puns and jokes almost made you HAVE to see the repeats over and over to catch 'em all.
The David Addison character, despite his brashness, made it clear he'd give you the shirt off his back.
And despite Maddy Hayes' pompousness, her heart was pure gold.
Brilliant. Up there with Night Court as one of the best of the 80's. -
It's hard to rate this show. The first pseudo-season and second full season were fantastic. Cybil Shepherd as Madelyn Hayes, an ex model whose accountant runs off with all of her money, leaving her only her house and a detective agency full of goofy employees, and Bruce Willis as David Addison, the head goofball employee, come from completely different places and viewpoints. Addison does get Maddie to try and make a go of the detective agency rather than sell it, and the games begin. And yes, you can blame this show for unleashing Bruce Willis on the world.
So for a year and a half the sexual tension is so thick you can cut it with a knife as Maddie tries to enforce some discipline on the organization while Addison tries to get Maddie to loosen up. There are all kinds of weird cases worthy of the 80s, plus a couple of well done episodes including a version of "Taming of the Shrew" and a 40s Film Noir that actually allow David and Maddie to get horizontal without involving the actual characters. Plus there is a great 60s soundtrack to draw in the, at that time, 30 something baby boomers.
And then things began to unravel in the 1986-1987 season. The egos on the set - specifically the two stars - do not get along, and then Cybil Shepherd got pregnant. The show dealt with it in the worst possible way - after Maddie's long time astronaut boyfriend blows town, Maddie and David have one night of carnal bliss, then Maddie leaves town for the safety of her childhood home. For almost an entire season Addison is at the agency, and Maddie is in Chicago, until she returns to L.A. to add insult to injury to David, whom she obviously just does not think is good enough for her. And yes, the pregnancy was written into the script.
Too late to make a long story short, the viewers were jerked around by dead end story lines so much in 1987-1988, that like a disillusioned lover, when things returned to a semblance of normalcy in the 1988-1989 season, viewers just didn't care anymore. The show even had one particular prologue where they urged viewers to come back. They didn't. End of story.
My rating? I'd say that the first (very short) season and the second full season were 8/10, maybe a bit obvious but fun and different. The third season was 6/10 with the first half being pretty good and the last half being mediocre. The fourth season was a 4/10 - lots of waiting but nothing really happening. The fifth season pulled back up to a 6/10, no higher, because you just can't forget the backstory as easily as David and Maddie seem to have done.
Kudos go out to Allyce Beasley as admin Agnes DiPesto, a woman of plain looks but daring fashion, Curtis Armstrong of "Revenge of the Nerds" fame who is also no looker but commands your attention as employee, confidante of David, and at first reluctant heartthrob of Agnes. Eva Marie Saint and Robert Webber have continuing guest roles as Maddie's parents, and Maddie has to do some growing up when it comes to one aspect of her parents' marriage that she finds hard to swallow. Maddie is a woman that has a hard time forgiving human weakness in others - in fact that is HER biggest weakness, it seems.
I'd recommend it, but if you find yourself losing patience with it at the end of season three, you are not alone. -
nigelmacdonald-9717316 July 2021Why has it never been repeated? Why isn't it on Netflix or Amazon Prime or Disney? One of the best TV shows ever and yet its never on TV. What is going on?
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There's a lot to like about Moonlighting. Great actors, good chemistry, funny dialogue, breaking the fourth wall, serious 80s vibes, some sexual tension... what's not to like?
Let's just say I did overall enjoy watching the first 2.5 seasons. The show had problems from the beginning, but they became almost intolerable in the 3rd season. I stopped watching when the 4th season hit because apparently the creators didn't figure out how to pull the show out of its tail spin during their hiatus.
The first flaw is somewhat subjective, but it probably the one that most people will recognize right from the first episode. David Addison, played by Bruce Willis, is not a character that could appear on a show today, at least without being explicitly made a pariah. Addison is a very likeable character, but the crass humor and sexual innuendos come off as extremely dated. I'm not someone who gets offended easily, and I wasn't offended by Addison, but he's often very cringey.
The second problem is the inconsistent quality of writing. Dialogue is usually on point, but there are episodes sprinkled throughout the season with stories that were really easy to predict. I've seen episodes of Chip & Dale: Rescue Rangers that were more sophisticated than some of these Moonlighting episodes. At a rather high frequency, there are scenes that can last for minutes where characters are just walking or standing around doing nothing. Those scenes are directed to be emotional or to give the audience a breather, but it's especially obvious in the 3rd season that the writers are using these scenes to run out the clock because they didn't know what to do. In other cases, scenes that started out funny or with a rhythm fall flat on their face by the end, which is awkward because it sometimes makes it seem like the actors didn't know what to do and so they just cut it. I doubt that's what actually happened, but then again, who knows, given how supposedly chaotic things were on the set.
What starts out as endearing and ends up being tiring is the bickering between Maddie and David. Not just the bickering, but the characters talking right past each other. It becomes annoying after a while and loses its believability.
Something that becomes really annoying in the second and third seasons is the apparent delusions of grandeur the creators of the show have. It's kind of hard to explain unless you see it. There are many episodes that have pre-intro scenes that are self-referential. At first it's kind of cool and funny because most shows don't do this, but it became obvious that those involved in the creative process were way up their own ass with their egos. Clearly they thought they were excreting gold with every episode, including some incredible duds like the Shakespeare one.
What ultimately killed the show for me is what they did with Maddie.
I liked Maddie. Like David, she was highly flawed from the start, but we had a sense that her character was going somewhere. In my opinion, she became *worse* as time went on. By the end of season 3, she's so unhinged that it's unbearable. Yes, David had problems, many of which reared their head in season 3, but I actually think Maddie was more in the wrong than David was. Up to that point, David was really harmless to himself and others. Maddie really has David to thank for not only their detective agency remaining in business, allowing her to keep her mansion, but adding a sense of adventure to her life. Despite her willing participation, Maddie always had to act superior to David, even when he exceeded her expectations. It became obvious to me pretty quickly that she would never settle for David Addison, no matter what he did, because she would always think she's better than he is. And it turned out I was right. Not only does she *not* end up with David in any meaningful way, but she turned down a man who was closer to her perceived class who was also an astronaut, who she said was "perfect." Her superiority complex knows no bounds.
Character flaws like Maddie's are not necessarily bad for a story at face value. They're a problem in Moonlighting because of the expectations that were set up as far as character development. The audience also spent 3 seasons developing a soft spot for David. Watching David get emotionally abused by Maddie is hard to watch, and it's hard seeing Maddie become, as she put it, "ambivalent" in every way. For instance, she demands things of David that she would refuse to be demanded of herself. There comes a point where she flat out asks David how he feels about her. Does he love her or not? Now we know that David has a hangup about letting his guard down and taking off the mask, so David clams up at the question just like we would expect. He should have told her how he felt. But Maddie is more at fault. Why? For one, we know damn well based on how she'd been acting that there's no way that she would express to him her feelings. She's a hypocrite. In fact, she's worse than a hypocrite because, even if David didn't say "I love you", everything he did for Maddie up to that point was his way of expressing how he feels about her! Maddie wouldn't be running the detective agency if it weren't for him, and her life would have been boring and conventional. He didn't have to go through any of the effort that he did in order to work with Maddie. Any other man would have found a job at another company that's not run by another Maddie Hayes. Going back to what I mentioned before, it really should have been up to Maddie to express her feelings towards him because, unlike David, she never did in any meaningful way, subtle or otherwise. The closest thing to evidence we have that she so much as likes him is that she keeps working with him.
You would think by now that there's no way that those two are getting together, and you'd be right, sort of...
In spite of David nearly coming to his senses and telling Maddie to get a life, the two end up knoodling at the end of season 3. And they lived happily ever after?
Not so fast.
In the first episode of season 4, we find out that after just a month of being together, Maddie is now second guessing their relationship, which she refuses to call a relationship. Her rationalization is that all they do is have sex. That pig, David! Oh, wait, they only have sex because Maddie refused to let the world know that she's together with David and it was purely her idea to set up such an insane boundary! And this is somehow David's fault? The audience is then subjected to several arguments, all of which involve Maddie contradicting what she said in the last one. Maddie, if you loved David, the guy you left the freaking astronaut for, you would want to find a way to make things work with him, especially after just a month. You wouldn't be trying to hide his existence in your life from others (who frankly ought to have figured it by now anyway). I'm supposed to find this entertaining? Did the writers want us to hate Maddie? It certainly seems like it.
Oh yeah, by the end of that episode, she's hopped on a plane to who knows where. Unbelievable. Can't imagine why I had no interest on where she was going or if she would be coming back.
I could go on and on about what happens next, but you get the point. I stopped watching the show past season 4 because it lost all of the charm we wanted more of from the very first episode.
The moral of the story is watch this to get a slice of the 80s, but don't hesitate to stop watching when suddenly you're dreading another episode. Although it's possible the seasons I didn't watch improve, but based on what I've read I sincerely doubt it. -
When re-watching the series, it has all of what the 80's where about. A brilliant soundtrack: the temptations, rolling stones, ray Charles, Mitch Ryder, James brown,... Sexual innuendos, gender parity clashes. The actors from the times were also relevant: Whoopi Goldberg, Terry O'Quinn, Judd Nelson, Brooke Adams, and what about having an intro from Orson Welles and Eva Marie-Saint as Maddie's mother. The references to "old Hollywood" are excellent: Harold Loyd, a bit of Shakespeare and musicals. Each episode introduces different kind of creativity: the animated paste that will be later used in Celebrity deathmatch, the reference to John Landis type of comedy, the references to the horror movies of the time (chainsaw massacre, mike myers, exorcist, poltergeist, etc...). The dialogs are excellent and the second part which had lower audience at the time (series 4 and 5) are actually more appreciable now. It is like a concentrated package of all what was the 80's about into a 5-season TV series.
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LilyRessler3 June 2023IMHO Moonlighting is one of the best tv shows ever aired -- unless you don't care for screwball comedy. The show and many people involved with it won lots of awards.
Moonlighting's premise is that the accountant of retired top model Maddie Hayes (Cybill Shepherd) absconds with all her money, leaving her with a few businesses that served as tax write-offs. One is a money-losing detective agency headed by David Addison (Bruce Willis), who is immediately attracted to Maddie when she arrives to close the company. He talks her into keeping it open, and screwball-ness and world-class banter ensue for five seasons.
The show's humor ranges from light comedy to literal pie-in-the-face slapstick, plus some "in" jokes (for example, Peter Bogdanovich and Demi Moore have cameos). There is also singing and dancing. And most episodes feature a comical chase near the end. It all works.
A unique-for-its-time feature of the show is that it broke the fourth wall in many ways again and again, including lines spoken directly to the camera; a question posed to the camera, which moves back and forth to signal a "no" answer; and references to script, writers, and cable tv. However, the show didn't just break the fourth wall; by the end of the second season it crashed right through it with the action leaving the sound stage and continuing on the studio lot, reminiscent of Blazing Saddles. But that was just the beginning. One episode has a segment about an ABC casting call for replacements for the David Addison role.
It should be mentioned that the series is from decades ago, so is it dated by Maddie's Breck Girl hair styles, the landline telephones, pay phones, etc.
You'll soon realize the detective aspect of the show is just a vehicle for the screwball-ness and the romantic/sexual tension between Maddie and David that you could cut with a knife. The biggest mystery is how Shepherd's bleached blonde hair (L'Oreal: "I'm worth it") never had dark roots yet always appeared strong and healthy. It is possible that some of her hairdos were wigs, but sometimes it is obviously her own hair.
Shepherd's role was written with her in mind, and she does an excellent job as the "straight man" in the comic duo with Willis.
Willis also does an excellent job of a demanding role. (I saw him in one of his action movies, in which he spoke the same line at least three times -- "Look out! She's gonna blow!" What a waste of talent.)
If you decide not to watch the series, at least check out Willis's rendition of the Loving Spoonful's song "Good Lovin'" (in the "Atomic Shakespeare" episode) on YouTube; it is priceless. Willis would have had no way of knowing he would spend some of a future episode wearing only a diaper. For that matter, Curtis Armstrong, who played Herbert Viola, probably signed on without knowing what would be required of him, but that's another story.
BTW: Feel free to skip the episodes featuring receptionist Agnes DiPesto (Alyce Beasley) and sleuth wannabe Herbert Viola. They were just placeholders because the real episodes weren't ready yet.
Personal note #1: I love Shepherd's costumes. I suspect Costume Designer Robert Turturice thought he had died and gone to heaven to have a chance to dress her. The dresses, suits, evening gowns, shoes, furs, jewelry, purses -- all are designed to provide the most beautiful settings for the gemstone of her beauty. Turturice won an award for his efforts.
Personal note #2: I love the custom lettering in the opening credits of each episode except the pilot. Presumably the success of the pilot justified the expense for the series. -
ccthemovieman-118 May 2007I tried to like this program; I really did. I even bought the pilot film, first on VHS and later on DVD. However, I couldn't get into this story because its two main characters: "David" (Bruce Willis) and "Maddie" (Cybill Shepherd) just seemed to in love with themselves, for one thing. I admit was some clever dialog in the shows, which was a key part of the success of the TV program, and I did appreciate of lot of that dialog.
Basically, this was almost like the old screwball comedy movies of the '30s and '40s with male versus female. You get lots of arguing, accusations, yelling and screaming. A lot of people apparently love that sort of bickering, but I hate it, so I never got on the Moonlighting bandwagon.
Only Allyce Beasley as the hapless aide "Agnes," was entertaining. It's too bad she had such little air time. Shepherd was nice on the eyes and I suppose women would say the same for Willis, but too much arguing between the two finally turned me off. -
konrad448919 October 2004When I was 12 this was my favorite show on TV, but I've come to appreciate it more in my old age. Bruce and Cybill are great, but above all, the writing is among the best I've seen in a television series. The nonstop sledge hammer wit for a full hour makes me laugh out loud every episode. The scenes are always brilliantly constructed, the jokes always intelligent. The writers never got all the credit they deserved, I'm sure. No matter how funny one joke is, there is always a come back line. I think you have to get past the early episodes that were a little more serious. I didn't start watching until around the beginning of '86.
So much on TV nowadays is either over-the-top dramatic, or toilet humor. No one knows how to just have fun anymore. Moonlighting never forgot that it was just a television show, and it didn't mind poking fun at itself. Some lines that demonstrated this were, "Two teams [...] with the same story. Either someone's lying or the writers just Xeroxed the other scene", and, "What do we do now?" "Wrap this up in about 12 minutes so another show can come on the air."
After David and Maddie got together, then weren't together, then were, how did it end anyway? The show became a bit of a soap opera. But it was always a treat to watch. Everyone mentions Moonlighting's version of "The Taming of the Shrew." Some of my other favorite episodes are "The Bride of Tupperman", which ends with a hospital scene chase to 'Dem Bones, "Symphony in Knocked Flat" (guest appearance by Don King), "Yours Very Deadly" (Burt Viola's first appearance), and both Christmas episodes. And the show wouldn't be complete without the rhymes of Agnes Dipesto. If you aren't that familiar with the show, don't miss your next opportunity to see Moonlighting! -
dataconflossmoor29 May 2007This 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!!
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AIANDAS1 September 2013I had watched this shows first run and seeing it again now makes me fall in love with Maddie Hayes all over again.................did these 2 Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd have a chemistry!!!!!!!!!!
Good stuff along the same time when Miami Vice was burning TV down in decadent cocaine wars Miami, ABC offered us a screwball style comedy!!! This is definitely one of the greats from the 80s.
It was the thing to do on Tuesday nights before going out in NYC to see Moonlighting and then compare what happened and what will they do this week, whether the Bluemooners offshoot dream sequences or Ray Charles appearing in David's apartment. Really cool stuff! -
jcallows21 April 2015A candle that burns twice as bright lasts half as long. This is a show that's crammed with such witty, original dialogue in every episode that you just knew the writers couldn't keep this up for long. And, understandably, they couldn't. For me, this show lasted just three seasons. But those first three seasons were some of the best in TV history.
It's not just the witty dialogue and natural chemistry between Cybill Shephard and Bruce Willis, but it was also the unique plots and the interesting supporting cast. The plots, of course, were secondary and only served as a way to drive the conversational hari-kari between Cybill and Bruce. But despite their second class status, the plots were actually original and fairly interesting by themselves. Credit the writers for coming up with not just the witty dialogue but also unique and interesting story lines that were intriguing and that continued to develop the principle characters.
Credit also the casting director for not only finding the gems in Cybill and Bruce for the starring roles but also for the supporting cast. Aside from the obvious gem in Allyce Beasley, there were also Eva Marie Saint and Robert Webber as Cybill's parents and Charles Rocket as Bruce's brother. These were my favorite guest stars. Others I liked include Paul Sorvino as Bruce's dad and Dana Delany as Bruce's ex. These were not the usual suspects that appeared as guest stars on other TV shows at the time. Thus they were not on the forefront of every casting directors' minds. So when these actors were cast, you knew the casting director for Moonlighting spent a little more time and thought on picking them. And it paid off. I really loved Charles Rocket as David Addison's brother.
If I had to pick only five episodes to re-watch, these would be it: (1) Every Daughter's Father is a Virgin - This brings a tear to my eye every time. (2) Brother, Can You Spare a Blonde? - Charles Rocket was hilarious and seeing David vulnerable for once brought a tear to my eye. (3) Big Man on Mulberry Street - It was one of the few times Maddie overtly showed her feelings for David. (4) Knowing Her - Dana Delaney, the music and Maddie's behavior made this one fun to watch. (5) The Son also Rises - Paul Sorvino was great as David's dad plus we got to get to know David more. -
qqsingle17 April 2018One of the best TV shows ever.
The back and forth between Willis and Shepherd is what every couple comedy sence has tried to replicate. -
Cristi_Ciopron17 May 2008Gusto, this has to be the word for it—gusto, the unmatched gusto—of the series as such, of the leads' performances, of the brisk pace . Nothing like it—ever . And it has finesse, genuine finesse, it takes one to know one. Also the subdued blues. And Glenn Gordon Caron's brio; and by this sole man's insight we became the screwball's contemporaries-- Moonlighting's writing style.
What other TV show could have this much to offer? Willis, the comedy, the sex—comedy, the screwball, 'Maddie', the leads' chemistry, the charming atmosphere, the so lively and endearing fun, the countless one—liners, the inspiration—theirs, and to us; yesterday I have seen 6 episodes—almost the whole 1st season. Willis never did anything as good. And MOONLIGHTING is tens of hours of Willis in his best shape ever . We had screwball in the '80s—and not as a withered pastiche—but as a robust, original show, sharply written and awesomely played. The show's history demonstrates that this level was attained by work, professionalism, craft-work, etc.. The quality, and such quality, is the result of craftsmanship and professionalism, not of happy slapdash and improvisations; the series' history is therefore a lesson in how to achieve results.
In a sense, this TV show has always been with me, as I have watched it at 13 yrs, then at 16 yrs, then at 24 yrs, and again now at 31 yrs; so in a sense we have been fellow—travelers, or travel—fellows. At 29—30 yrs I longed intensely for it. I have been a schoolboy, a high—school guy, a medical student, then a physician while seeing this TV series; each time, it was Willis, the comedy, 'Maddie', the unique atmosphere, the style, the charm, the fun, the jokes, the pace, the music no less, the scripts and one—liners, the urbane jazzy feel—it rocked then, it rocks now. When I was 24 yrs I used to write much about it and to me it stood as the foremost comedy; it meant, to me, THE comedy, or what a comedy means and is and looks like. After seeing this series, everything else seemed crap. At that age I began to cherish again Willis' roles. I have written once a top 10 of TV shows; Willis' masterpiece was no. 3, and perhaps it should of been no. 1 (--were it not for another two series--). What about the age this writer is at, now? Well, nowadays I'm particularly fond of Cybill's performance; her indulgent and tolerant smile when faced to 'Dave's _immaturities; also, her courage and presence of spirit and initiative, the fact that she succeeds where he fails.
MOONLIGHTING is the epitome of the '80s cool (--and the characters talk a bit, now and then, about living in the '80s, etc.--)—and the '80s as passed into timelessness in an uniquely inspiring comedy. This TV series, and many of Rourke's early roles, define, for me, the '80s.
On the other hand—this series was a screwball, and therefore worked best when and as a screwball—and therefore should have stayed a screwball. The screwball ought not become romance—or, worse, idyll. Yet they turned the straight screwball into a straight soap—opera, a straight romance. This was a grievous error, a mistake. Curtis Armstrong's character was and should have stayed a supporting one. The show also declined because the two stars deserted it.
I loved this TV show more than it is usually allowable. When I have seen it first, I was 13 yrs old.I knew nothing about Willis—specifically, about his movie career.(I guess I had no notion of a favorite actor—I simply liked the TV series .) In short, Moonlighting was likable for a kid;later,it proved to be as likable for a grown—up.For me, Moonlighting was better without Curtis Armstrong and without the enlarged part of Agnes DiPesto—who needed so much an Agnes DiPesto on her own,anyway?One has to be fair enough to admit that Willis was so good—such a Leyda bottle—that almost any other actor put next to Willis would of seemed to spoil the show;yet Curtis Armstrong was particularly, peculiarly unpleasant and he was undermining the concept of this series as well.So,I may say I liked less the numerous Curtis Armstrong episodes.
Moonlighting meant,and was nonstop gags. It also had a sparklingly sexy blonde.Yet anyone else on that blessed set was absolutely eclipse by Willis' dynamism and hydraulic force and explosive drive. The series had undulations, modulations, an unequaled charm.
I do not know any role better than Willis' in a TV series.His performance is a jewel of inventiveness, instinct and charm.If you want to see a comic role perfectly acted, with seemingly endless resources, watch Willis playing his David.
Moonlighting had the greatest chance—that of an unrivaled male lead,Willis—another hallmark of the '80s (together with Rourke,Nolte,Gibson,etc.). Willis proved to be an unbelievably good comedy actor. Brando was as good;and,in a certain way,maybe Newman (I remember reading that Willis likes Newman's roles).It is too unfortunate that Willis' movie career did not exploit the way opened by Moonlighting—no other roles were written for Willis so that he may continue this so original and amazing line of comedy.
Yet in front of some mistaken ideas,a thing must be said—Willis is completely a '80s guy,not a sophisticated Grant/Flynn/Gable ( Tracy/Cooper/Bogart/Stewart) in disguise.His persona must not be seen as an updating of Grant's heroes.Willis is charming, yet not sophisticated, nor irresistible.
I hope someday I will put up some detailed reviews of liked episodes.
A TV series should be like a Samuel Johnson of the cinema—as one who creates well,and who creates much, reconciling these two often divorced but equally needed qualities. It should offer many times—and in many ways—what others offer only once. (This is why we like Dickens, Balzac, Dumas, Hugo, Shakespeare, Proust, Mme. Sand, Chesterton, Scott, Doyle, Wells, LN Tolstoy—what they have to offer, they offer plentifully). -
yespeaceispossible2 January 2023Watching this on DVD. The first two seasons were wonderful. Some of the best shows ever.
Then - mid season 3, omg - something seriously bad happened. I've read there were conflicts between Cybill and Bruce, but it's more than that. As each episode progressed, I could only wonder, "Who wrote this crap?" Just horrid. Once Bert popped out of a cake at a bachelor party, I figured it couldn't be redeemed, and it wasn't.
The way they handled the pregnancy was certainly different. Cold hearted in some ways, the way she just disappeared. But then - it's rare to have a character have a miscarriage.
Anyway - after fast-forwarding through a whole lot of this, I'm still in the 5th season. I do feel the need to watch all of it. But I'm not sure why. It doesn't seem to be returning to it's original greatness. -
Presently, "Moonlighting" is being shown on cable (Bravo)here in the U.S. I must say watching these episodes after fifteen years brings back a lot of joy for me. It was one of my favorite shows of the '80's. I remember enjoying the verbal sparring between Maddie and David. It was also fun to watch what antics David would pull. True, some episodes weren't all that great, but what T.V. show has been truly perfect? Anyway, for the most part "Moonlighting" was a wonderful show that was well-written. As I watch these episodes again, I'm struck by how beautiful Cybill Sheperd was photographed and how young looking Bruce Willis was. (I think they've aged pretty well.)Last night I saw "Twas the Episode Before Xmas" and loved how they (writers and actors) frequently broke through the "fourth wall". That's another thing I loved about the show. It frequently broke through the "fourth wall". In all, "Moonlighting" was a witty romantic comedic show that put a whole new spin on the detective show genre.
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hellraiser76 December 2019As an old saying in a song goes, two heads are better than one because they really can get the most accomplished.
Despite contrasting viewpoints of life, those contrasts serve a purpose as one can see and spot certain things the other may have missed. But also the other may 'be able to fill in a portion of the others life that is missing, though this it can really help the other become even better in life and in their connection toward it and the people around them and you.
This is one of my favorite detective TV shows, it's also one of those romance stories that I like because it's one of those that are done right. The influence of the show no doubt is echoed a lot of other shows and fictional couples throughout the years most notably "Castle" which was influenced by this show, as well as a little of Scott Lang/Ant Man and Hope Pym/Wasp in the Marvel films.
One of the things I love about the show are of course that theme song from the late great Al Jarreau. This is both one of my favorite theme songs of all time as well as songs in general, it's just beautiful as it has that romantic and noir quality that perfectly fits the show as it's somewhat of a neo noir.
There are some good mysteries that are though provoking and really gives you a sense of participation as both David and Maddie aren't just working the case, but we are also. Though some are on the easy side which I'll admit is one weakness of the show as in some of them sometimes an episode or two waves the answer right in front of us, but this only happens in some episodes.
Maddie is great as she is an ex model whom is on the upper-class end of things. Really like how throughout the show we see her struggling constantly making her transition for one type of life to another. You also get the feeling she was a person that may have been sheltered a bit much as there are some things on the outside, she doesn't get but at least she's trying. One of the funniest things is how on one episode as David is engaged in a fight, Maddie tries to help him by using a gun, lets just say she must suck at the video game "Duck Hunt"; though it makes sense as she's never used a gun before, let alone trained to deal with dangerous situations.
However, despite her shortcomings she is highly determined which is part of how she gets though the situations and solves the cases. I also really like how she has just this abrasive charisma to her and aggressiveness as she's a person that won't settle for less or sometimes loses her cool when things don't always go her way.
Really like David whom is my favorite character in the show and of course is played well by Bruce Willis. This show of course really was his launching debut which is the same with most other famous actors whom most had their start on TV. I'll admit when I first heard about and saw this show, I was surprised seeing one of my favorite action stars use to be a TV star, as I mainly saw the films, he stared in first.
David is awesome, he's a guy that is on the rough and tumble. He's obviously on the middle or blue-collar end of things as he has a bit of that mannerism. He's not very smooth which is why he doesn't always get the girl, he's a person that has a sharp mind but is also street smart. He's tough he can handle dangerous situations if not smoothly or well. Which makes sense as he's not a guy that has had extensive combat training as you see how he has a little trouble handling his opponents. Though it sort of makes the action a little realistic as in a real fight it would be smoothly choregraphed, let alone makes David human, but this works to the character benefit as it makes us bet on the guy to win. But what I really like about him is he has just this snappy charisma and wise cracking wit which makes him just constantly fun and funny.
Both interacting together is always beautiful, it really isn't a question of will they or won't they, we already know the answer to that and that is they will as both clearly do love each other but the question is when.
What really makes both work is despite their clashes and disagreements they both really do work well together. Sure alone both of them do fine, but their not that good there are certain jams that are harry and they couldn't possibly get out themselves or even certain details on a case they miss, both are able to help each other as we as use their expertise and whatever else they have.
I even like how the relationship between both slowly but surely develops, both in a way really do fill in that missing piece in their lives. Both hardly get along as both aren't really any better than the other. Maddie can be a little self-centered as she seems to have a high opinion about herself and not much for others, David he is a bit cocky and full of himself. They clash a lot which in a way could be considered not just fire of anger but passion for each other. Once the fire though goes down, both then are able to warm up to one another and are able to actually open up to each other they are unable to do with anyone else and are able to understand each other from their dilemmas, troubles, and feelings which is part of what love is about at least in my book anyway.
This is a detective/romance classic that shines in the moonlight.
Rating: 4 stars -
buzznzipp199512 September 2006I didn't pay much attention to the t.v. guide heading when this first aired. 'Who cares' I think I quipped. Al Jarreau worked with Alf Claussen and Lee Holdrige on the theme song that has been a good music staple for me for many years. I love that theme song!!! But almost twenty years later and the people in control putting this on DVD digitally remastered, for the first time, made the difference for me. I bought it, and I don't even really know why, except that I was interested in seeing it and willing to pay the price. I do remember having a cassette of the remastered VHS version that I watched, which contained only the pilot episode. I bought it in a pawn shop for, I think $3.00. I wore that one out. I turned on the first episode from the DVD and the picture and sound was excellent! I watched the pilot and then went on from there. The writers were a major talent in this no-doubt. Between the comedic fast-paced verbal sparring that these two did, to the action and the chemistry, it just all kept growing on me. I love this series, and I can't wait to buy the next DVD set!!
I remember seeing a media ad for the show's up coming season back in 1986 and the two David and Maddie, looked as if they were both 'Glowing' and in love. They had this look that I will not soon forget. I thought about it, but it took years before, I would watch the show. My wife used to watch it on tuesday nights with her grandma.
So now on Sunday nights we try to keep a new ritual alive. The funny part about this for me, is that every time I watch an episode, it just makes a 'time travel trip' possible. I feel like I'm there, at least point, it reminds me of when it was that year and I recall the feelings, smells, tastes of that period in my life. Amazing what a little fun can do for your life. That's where the real fountain of youth is, being able to enjoy a good sense of humor and clean living' no regrets.
I just picked up season three, at a local retailer and it just keeps getting better and better, with each episode. Time has done well with this series.
I recommend this sharply made comedy-drama to anyone with a sharp mind and good sense of humor (****) -
Ana_Banana23 July 2013As usually with series, it went down towards its ending, but many of the first episodes are real gems of humor, acting and timing. Bruce Willis delivered there one of the best comedic performances ever. Cybill was meant to be more annoying, and she managed that! He needed a side-kick anyways. The stories were not that exciting as they were, they even had something of a spoof sometimes, but the real treat was the comedy part. I could bear the silliest premises or the wackiest chases for the sake of some gems of David's one liners. Even hard work would be so much fun with a colleague like Mr. David Addison! Or if you turned in a person like him yourself. 'Don't take life too seriously, no one gets off alive from it.'
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imseeg4 April 2020The good: the dialogues in these series are absolutely to die for, because they are written so true to life, subtle, fast, sharp and witty, altough they are simultaneously a bit tacky and cheesy as well, but the good kind of tacky and cheesy!
No one less than ORSON WELLES, participated in this tv series. He loved it! That's a criticism few tv series have ever gotten, from such a legendary American director.
The basic story; two employees of a private eye agency (one male, one female) are CONSTANTLY bickering AND flirting with each other.
A contineous stream of terrific jokes, flirting and teasing and some silly detective story featured as a backdrop for all this frivolous eighties fun!
A MUST SEE for any eighties fan or Bruce Willis fans or Cybill Shepherd fans. These series were the BIRTH and THE VERY BEST of their young and promising careers, when they were both completely unknowns. -
safenoe3 October 2021I love so much about Moonlighting, the casting, the writing, the theme song by Al Jarreau, the mayhem, murder and mystery. I didn't realise the extent of the chaos behind the scenes, and that alone is worth a movie please. Please reboot Moonlighting! If so, I nominate acclaimed British actor Danny Dyer to reprise Bruce Willis's role as David, and Maya Erskine to play Cybill Shepherd's role of Maddie.