Moonlighting is TV series from back in the ’80, starring Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd; it is quippy, whimsical and a bit on the absurd side and I am here to tell you just how good it is.
Now, I’m not going to sugarcoat what I’m about to say: we have reached a point in time when TV series, having oversaturated the market for the past decades, have fallen to a point of relative stagnation. Even if, from time to time, a new one comes out that is over-hyped and actually has a decent-ish development, world-building and story-telling, that is usually limited to the first season. Then, because of its popularity, the demands of big corporate capitalistic conglomerates of continuing it for the foreseeable future make it plummet in terms of quality. That is pretty much, generally speaking, where I stand. And that is why I have started to revisit either some classic series or even some more obscure ones.
So…Moonlighting…as I said, it was a series that was relatively popular in the ’80. I will not say that it is one of the best ones, but it certainly has its moments. As the case with many others TV productions, you are never there for the plot (Moonlighting behaves as your run of the mill murder-mystery detective show), you are there for the chemistry between the two main characters. And there is so much of it going on that you would assume you are taking CHEM 2 in College. Bruce Willis has his signature one-liners, extremely expressive and darn-right hilarious delivery – the type of acting that you would expect, the very same that would pave the better part of his career. Cybill Shepherd is charming and should be the more stoic and level-headed of the duo, but it is hard not to notice that in many scenes even she has a hard time keeping a straight face.
I am not going to spoil it because there is not much to spoil except the development of the relationship between the two main characters. I will say that the writing is of the highest quality for what concerns fast-paced conversation and interactions between the cast. Props to Glenn Gordon Caron, creator and writer, whose style is also reminiscent of the 30’s/40’s type of fast-paced and witty dialogue – if you can understand what I’m referencing. Some stories are more compelling than others and, in many cases, the series doesn’t have problems with experimenting with different techniques (having made even a black and white episode where Orson Welles helped for the intro). In certain moments it even becomes ‘meta’, employing jokes addressed directly towards the audience, breaking the forth wall with no qualms and acknowledging its own reality of being a series. I will say that, because of funding, the ending is a bit abrupt and in my personal opinion the changes towards the third season was already heading towards a stalemate. I would have preferred it cut a bit shorter, prior that having been axed by the studio.
So why I am saying all this?
Well, even considering all that I have said, compared to today’s series, Moonlighting was a breath of fresh air, paradoxically considering that it’s about forty years old at this point. Although it accompanied mostly while eating or doing something on the side – as the case with many series – it was a pleasant company and had me bursting in laughter from time to time. It is not because of nostalgia that I choose to revisit series, it is because compared to the mediocre slop that is served today (where we tend to lose perspective of what is actually good), I prefer dedicating that time to something worthwhile. But that may be just me – try it for yourself and see where you stand.
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