Review: "Moonlight"
When I heard that they were making a vampire TV series...I was apprehensive. Not that I didn't think it was going to be good, but I didn't think that it stood much of a chance making it very long. TV series these days aren't really given much of a chance to succeed. Hopefully, what happened with "Jericho" this past season, (where the fans stood up to the network and showed enough support that it's coming back for a shortened second season) could happen again with other shows that are potentially really strong...yet just need a chance.
That being said...I don't know if I necessarily want "Moonlight" to be one of those shows that get saved. At this point, I could go either way. If fans rallied behind it...OK...cool. If it got cancelled...too bad, so sad.
The Cast:
Alex O'Loughlin as Mick St. John Sophia Myles as Beth Turner
Shannyn Sossamon as Coraline Jason Dohring as Josef
The Premise:
Mick St. John is a vampire, 30 years young. Well...no...he was turned into a vampire 60 years ago, when he was 30 years old... by his new bride, Coraline, played by the beautiful Shannyn Sossamon ("A Knight's Tale," "Rules Of Attraction"). St. John, played by the relatively attractive Aussie, Alex O'Loughlin ("The Shield," "The Holiday") now lives in LA, where he works as P.I. Sound familiar? Yeah..."Angel" anyone?
Anyway...way back when he saved the life of a little girl from the fangs of another vampire. This little girl of course, turns out to be Beth Turner, a reporter for a trashy online gossip rag, "Buzzline." British actress Sophia Myles ("Mansfield Park," "Underworld") plays the part of Beth Turner, whose path of course, crosses with St. Johns while doing a story. St. John feels a connection to this girl, whom he saved so many years ago and is compelled to protect her...which of course leads her to discover his secret that he is in fact a creature of the night. Of course having friends in high places is necessary when you're a vampire living in LA. This is where Josef comes in...a wealthy hedge fund trader...who just happens to be a vampire as well. Josef, played by Jason Dohring ("Veronica Mars," "Deep Impact") is the money. He helps bail his fellow vampire out of a tight spot and offers him fresh blood and a shoulder to cry on.
The premise treads on familiar territory...vampire living in the City of Angels, trying to do good to make up for all the bad he's done in his past...blah-blah-blah. Been there, done that.
The Review:
The pilot bored me to tears. I was in fact almost ready to delete the second episode without even watching it...but I got drawn in. I don't know what did it. Maybe it was the story line? The cast of mostly unknowns is attractive and talented, yet rumours of a massive re-tooling/re-casting of the show early on didn't bode too well. Why was it re-tooled? What were the flaws and are those flaws still evident anywhere?
The script is a bit cheesy at times. The storylines are a bit...cliche...but in the end I think this could be a show that has potential. Having been a fan of "Angel" I may find it hard to grow attached to another vampire-themed tv show but the cast intrigues me. First off, Jason Dohring...wow....so cute! I loved him on "Veronica Mars" and seeing him a new role...is fun. The other recurring cast members, including Kevin Weismann ("Alias") are fun and adds some humour and wit to the show. The lead actor, O'Loughlin, is even a good choice. Shannyn Sossamon has yet to really appear, except in flashbacks, but I like her. She's probably the only real recognizeable star in the show. Seeing her in a few episodes of guilty-pleasure-show "Dirt" last season was fun and prompted me to ask the question, "where did she go?!"
The stand-alone storylines, plus the backstory that keeps cropping up in each episode is enough to keep me interested for the time being, but the show has seriously got to improve considerably in order for this to be called one of my favorites. Right now, I'm on the fence.