Monday, May 19, 2008

TV Guide's Matt Roush says "CBS blew it" by canceling Moonlight


SPOILER ALERT.... for those who still have not seen Moonlight's season finale ~ Sonata (episode #1x16)

Matt Roush discusses Moonlight's finale & gives his opinion of the show's potential.

I love this part ~ "There was lots of untapped potential on this show. CBS blew it with this one." The yellow highlight is my emphasis!


Roush Dispatch
Finale Fever: The Critic's Notebook

Another show had a more permanent finale over the weekend. CBS’ cult fave Moonlight wisely faded to black with its romantic heroes, Mick and Beth (Alex O’Loughlin and Sophia Myles), in a clinch, not in some sort of mortal or immortal peril. A cliffhanger would have been the wrong way to go, even if the show had been renewed. “I can’t close the door on Beth,” Mick voice-overed, after Beth tearfully shuts the door on him and their star-crossed vamp-human romance. He rekindles the flame by declaring his love and, more important, remembering what she was wearing the day they met. Moonlight was just starting to deal with interesting notions of undying love among vamps: a vampire couple, together for 150 years, decides to go down in flames together rather than let one be sacrificed alone to “vampire justice” (administered in part by a ferocious Claudia Black of Farscape). We learned about the concept of “freshies,” human “donors” who freely offer their blood to vampire mates. (Josef naturally has one.) Beth was still struggling with feeling left out of all the vampire underworld intrigue, and Mick was still torn between his loyalty to his vampire buds and to his protective yearning for Beth. (“You want me to drink your blood?” he asked her after she catches him and Josef red-mouthed, sucking on Josef’s “freshie.”) There was lots of untapped potential on this show. CBS blew it with this one.

http://tinyurl.com/3q272w

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

I know there may not be much point in venting to CBS at this point... but what can I say, it felt good.

+++++++++++++++
Feedback I provided tonight on the CBS feedback form:

Probably too late, but do you realize even your industry's press is sitting back in amazement at your decision to cancel Moonlight?

"There was lots of untapped potential on this show. CBS blew it with this one." ... says Matt Roush.

Are you oblivious to the considerable internet noise around this short sighted decision (he said that, too).

Frankly, Ms Tessler is a very poor judge of business potential if this decision refclects the kind of insight as she has.

I wouldn't keep her employed, if it was my business. But then, I guess, you ARE CBS, aren't you?

Anonymous said...

i certanly did not understand what he meant. was he or wasn't a fan of moonlight. i hope he is suggesting that moonlight should come back

Anonymous said...

If only CBS knew how addictive this show was - but how could they - I can't even explain it myself. I have never watched anything vamp before or remotely like this show,(more into things like Desperate Housewifes & Friends), but it has SO got under my skin and I don't know what it is that makes it that way.

They best I can come up with is the characters - Mick, Beth & Josef. They are so well done they feel real - I've got so attached to them, especially Mick & Beth. Maybe the voiceovers help, so we actually FEEL his pain and his joy.

Like I said, I wish I knew what was so different about this show but I just can't explain it. I feel sick in the stomach knowing we will never see them again and I have never felt like that about a TV show before.

Anonymous said...

Anon #2... I don't get it either. I have never gotten this (or even much) involved in a TV show. Never joined fan groups, bulletin boards or blogs. There were shows I liked and some more than others, but nothing I thought about for very long after I watched it, watched over and over, or watched live (putting up with the ads).

I have tried myself to figure out what the intense fascination is and can't and now I am just hurt at the loss in the same way I would be hurt at the loss of a really good friend.

I posted a note on the CBS board a few weeks ago, asking if anyone else was -- like me -- a first time obsessee and you wouldn't believe how many responses I got saying yes. Like you and I, they say they never got involved like this before.

My point (which I made to CBS more than once) is that if this show was capable not only of capturing fans like this, but also capable of capturing so many "first timers" and hooking them so completely - then they really needed to try and understand the potential of the show and give it more of a chance and better exposure.

I guess they just didn't (don't) get it. I just hope all our campaigning will give some other network the chance to try.

emily said...

Please don't say its to late!!! Stay positive and email, mail or call today to save Moonlight. Go to Moonlight Army for suggestions to fight to keep Moonlight on. Your one attempt may be the one that saves this classic show.

Anonymous said...

CBS has removed all but two full-length videos from the website. Ack! What if they don't release a DVD?

Borek said...

what you think about it:
http://img160.imageshack.us/img160/7563/becoolje1.png

Anonymous said...

I agree that CBS blew this one !!!
they cancelled this and kept Brittney Spears' little cameos !!!
this is definatley more intriguing.
the potential for this show is endless and something different.
tired of reality crap...CSI crap...
how about a little fantasy ???!!!
at least is will keep the mid going.

Anonymous said...

There is some good stuff over on Moonlight-United. Terrific ad posted in Hollywood Reporter tomorrow and going into Variety thursday.

They are looking for contributions to run these ads.

Also some very encouraging words from Leeser just this morning.

Anonymous said...

What Matt Roush says is something that all of us Moonlight lovers know! Isn't this too little too late?

Anonymous said...

Hey Jude -- no worries, you can buy it for 1.99 a pop at Amazon Unbox or iTunes. I do both.