Moonlight #8 on TV Guide's List of 15 Canceled Shows You Want to Bring Back

TV Guide has composed a new list of the 15 Canceled Shows You Want to Bring Back. Moonlight made the top ten! Yay! We took the #8 spot on their countdown, which also included Deadwood, Ringer, Jericho, Pushing Daisies, V, Ghost Whisperer, CSI Miami, Veronica Mars & Terra Nova. The top five shows are Heroes, Chuck, Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, Leverage and Firefly, at #1.

"Forbidden romance, a crime procedural, vampires — Moonlight had it all! Perhaps that's why so many of our users are still mourning its departure, especially with that cliff-hanger ending! Since it went off the air in 2008, fans haven't stopped hypothesizing about how Talbot's discovery of Mick's true nature would affect his future (and more importantly, his budding relationship with Beth!). Plus, any excuse to bring Jason Dohring back on TV is fine by us."

You can follow this link to leave your comments, hopes for our show and thoughts. http://www.tvguide.com/special/winter-preview/PhotoGallery/Shows-Bring-Back-1061152/1061160

Photograph ~ Mick St John (Alex O'Loughlin) in Moonlight's Love Lasts Forever episode (#01x11)

What does CBS stand for?

Several great Moonlightfan Blog readers have sent mail praising this article about CBS on the TVoholic website.

CBS: definitely doesn’t stand for Come Back Soon !
by Fred

CBS. Three letters that could mean so many things, and I’m sure many of you could think of a few significations for what you think those letters represent, I can already see the first letter linked to CSI or “Crap” for instance…

One thing these letters definitely do not stand for, though, is Come Back Soon. Nope, apparently The Eye doesn’t want you back, not really. It may pretend to, the press release might claim that’s the case, but we know better, don’t we?

I’m sure if you go on and ask fans of series like Jericho or Moonlight, you’ll find people who still haven’t given up on television, and are still willing to watch some, maybe lots even, and that might still include network television as well. Yet, mention CBS, and that one network could very well be on their blacklist. No big surprises here, when you have a look at the way the network treated them, and their beloved show.

But don’t feel alone, simple viewer that you are, because it’s the same thing on the other side of the screen, CBS treats everyone the same, obviously (and sadly), and now it’s not just viewers who are putting The Eye on their blacklist! So there might be hope…

Because it’s one thing that we, viewers, don’t tune back in on CBS, but it would be even better than people stop going to them when they got new, exciting projects. Not because it’s fun to hold a grudge, not because I don’t like CBS, but because they have proven, repeatedly, that they didn’t know how to love, handle, promote and support their shows, that they would try to control things, to change the shows, destroying them, alienating their audiences and eventually canceling them without ever giving them a fair chance.

Let’s be honest : with a network that supported a show like Moonlight, let it be and grow as the creative minds wanted it to, supporting them and promoting the show, it could have been a success. Maybe not the latest hit in TV land, but a very good & successful show nonetheless. But CBS wasn’t the place for such a thing, and now the show is dead.

We, viewers, don’t want to live through such an awful experience ever again, so we stay away from CBS. But if the creative minds on the other side decided as well never to go back to CBS, for the same reasons, because they do love & believe in their projects, maybe things could change.

A couple of days ago, Diane Ruggiero exited The Ex List over infamous famous “creative differences” between her and the network. Recently, she described said differences : “It’s like someone comes to you with a little black dress and says, ‘You can do anything you want with it, anything at all,’ and you go, ‘Oh, great,’ and then they come back and say, ‘But you need to wear this belt, and these shoes, and…’” — Sounds familiar?

Sure, CBS said they wanted her for her unique voice and her own take on the material, but that’s only words. If facts, they kept pushing her to stick as closely as possible to the Israeli show The Ex List is based on, even though this original version only ran for 11 half-hour episodes, as well as having other things that would come in the way of turning this into a long-running, hour-long-episode series (such as the fact that the heroine had no job, or no life outside of her romantic quest).

“They would keep coming to me talking about how they wanted the Israeli version, they wanted the Israeli version, and I’m going, ‘Test audiences loved the psychic, who was only in one scene (in the original). They loved her sister; she didn’t have a sister in the original. They loved the flower shop; she didn’t have a job in the original.’”

Ruggiero was allegedly brought on the project for her own voice, and she intended to do what she was hired to do. “I felt very strongly that she has to have a regular life, and this weird quest has to almost feel like a burden at times. She has to feel put upon, otherwise she bugs me. Every kind of spin they tried to put on it like that, they just wanted it to be happy and optimistic.”

Oh yes, CBS wanted to control everything, because, once again, they assumed they knew better. And this is why it got to ludicrous things such as this one : “They told me to stop using the word ‘dude’ so much because they didn’t think their audience would embrace the word ‘dude.’ I asked how many times I could use it, and they said, ‘Twice per episode.’”

Network exec just knew people wouldn’t embrace the word “dude” and that would drag them away from the show. Just like they didn’t want to witness an on-going romance developing in Moonlight, but more procedural P.I. elements, of course.

In the end, it was too much and since Ruggiero and CBS could agree on anything, and it was clear the network would not let her do the show she wanted to, despite claiming to be interested in her own voice they wanted nothing but what they had in mind, so she did the only thing left to do. “I’m not a fucking transcriber! Why would you hire me if you wanted a transcriber? I’m a pain in the ass. I have a specific thing that I do. If you don’t want that, go hire someone else.”

The worst part of this experience for Ruggiero, was how closely it mirrored what happened with That’s Life. Back then, CBS also told her they wanted a show with her distinct voice, but once she was on they kept hiring producers to work above her and give the show their voices, not hers. It’s just what those morons do, always, and now she knows better.

“I looked at the last CBS experience and that sucked, and I thought it was because I didn’t have any experience (in the industry), and now they would be cool. And instead I find myself smack in the same experience. ‘We want to do something different, we want your voice,’ and then they don’t want something different. I think they thought I’d be the same as last time, just nervous and acquiescent. But I didn’t need this.

Once we got started, I kind of knew what I wanted the show to be. It’s not reinventing the wheel, but for Friday nights at 9, I thought it would be fun and be funny, and it just became not. And it was such a bad experience, it wasn’t worth chunks of my life. It’s really sad. It’s all I’ve done since February, making the pilot. To keep doing that and having people be like, ‘Screw you’ is just too depressing.”

Conclusion ? “I’ll never work at CBS again!”

Well, I can only applaud this decision, because that’s what needs to happen now. CBS is an old network that is fading away, they have plenty of CSI and clones, and because it does well according to Nielsen, they just assume they know better than anyone else, never mind that every time they try to do something like that, it’s a failure, because then it’s not their fault, but those stupid creators/showrunners/writers who didn’t want to listen to them, of course.

So let’s all let CBS do their CSI’s over & over again, while we stick with other networks. If we don’t watch the network, if people don’t go there with their new projects, sooner or later they’ll have to think back their ways of dealing with everything, or just die. Last season, with the writers’ strike and months of American Idol versus reruns, CBS lost the title of most-watched network to Fox.

We’ll see this season if Fox changed and is indeed worthy now, but in the mean time, if you want things to change, if you don’t want another gem to be treated like crap, make sure CBS doesn’t get its title back !

PS: For the record, it’s Columbia Broadcasting System, what those three letters officially stand for.

http://tvoholic.com/news/cbs-definitely-doesnt-stand-for-come-back-soon/

TV Week asks Dawn Ostroff about Moonlight

TV Week's, Josef Adalian, had an oppotunity to interview Dawn Ostroff (CW's President of Entertainment). Thankfully, he asked her what Moonlight fans have been dying to know since CBS canceled our show..... if the network thought about picking it up. I had to let out a sad chuckle at her answer. How could they have seriously investigated Moonlight & yet didn't think it appealed to females?!?!? *sigh*

Ten Questions for The CW Boss Dawn Ostroff
By Josef Adalian

That giant whooshing noise heard by residents of Burbank, Calif., last week was the sound of the entire staff of The CW exhaling.

After another painful summer filled with barely-on-the-radar ratings and rumblings about the future, the first week of September produced some pretty good news for the folks at the 3-year-old network born from the ashes of The WB and UPN.

First, its cultural phenom “Gossip Girl” returned to near-record ratings. Then the super-hyped “90210” delivered network-best numbers for a scripted series. And while the Sept. 3 return of “America’s Next Top Model” didn’t wow, it did OK, given some strong unscripted competition.

At the center of the action: Dawn Ostroff, president of entertainment for the CW. While her network has done a good job of developing buzzworthy shows, from “Gossip Girl” and “90210” to “Aliens in America” and “Reaper,” translating hype into ratings has proven a tougher task.

Are the numbers for “90210” good enough to turn The CW around? Why didn’t the network pick up the CBS cult fave “Moonlight?” And are any more remakes of classic shows in the works?

Ms. Ostroff took a few minutes out of her busy week to answer 10 e-mailed questions from TelevisionWeek's Josef Adalian.

TVWeek: “Supernatural” and “Smallville” are solid players for you, and point out how well sci-fi does with your audience. Did you seriously consider picking up “Moonlight”? Is the genre a priority?

Ms. Ostroff: We look at all genres during development. Right now, in terms of new programming, we’re very focused on building The CW’s brand as a destination for young women. If a sci-fi/fantasy show came along that was really well done and would appeal to our young women demo, then we’d certainly consider it.

Of course, I only focused on the question dealing with Moonlight. To read the rest, follow this link ~
http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/09/ten_questions_for_the_cw_boss.php

Thanks to the lovely Sergio for making sure I had this information :)

Photograph ~ CW Network President of Entertainment Dawn Ostroff

TV Squad ~ Recently canceled shows I mourn

Debra, from TV Squad's website, has written an article detailing television shows that she misses since they were canceled. Moonlight is at the top of the list.

Note : She misspelled Alex O'Loughlin (as O'Laughlin) and Josef (as Joseph). I corrected the typos in the piece below.

Recently canceled shows I mourn
by Debra McDuffee

There will always be Buffy, Angel, Quantum Leap and Magnum, P.I. on my "Oh Man I Want New Episodes of These Shows" list, but what about the more recently canceled shows of the past few years? Are there any worth mourning?

Maybe not in the same way I mourn my culty loves and classic '80s shows, but there are a few worth mentioning....

Moonlight

Yep, I know, I am one of Those People -- a fan of Moonlight. Though I agree it was weak when it returned after the writer's strike, there were lots of things to love about this show: the vampire lore, the episodic mysteries, the way they could have taken the love story (had they not muffed it up in the last four episodes), the actors (Jason Dohring and Alex O'Loughlin; not Sophia Myles). I can't believe that I won't find out more of the back story with Josef's family and Coraline.

To read the rest of Debra's list....
http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/08/05/recently-canceled-shows-i-mourn/

TV Week ~ CBS needs to support shows like Moonlight

A great article in TV Week agrees with something we have all been saying... CBS needed to give a distinctive show such as Moonlight a chance to build & develop. You would think the executives could see that just based on the extensive & loyal fan base it garnered during a strange, Writer's Strike altered season. Moonlight was only gonna grow if it had the opportunity to run uninterrupted! After all, we reached eight million + viewers according to the outdated Nielsen ratings system.

In this excerpt, Josef Adalian compares NBC standing behind its shows to CBS canceling Moonlight & other programs instead of nurturing them.

Networks Must Evaluate Shows on Merits as Much as Ratings
By Josef Adalian

NBC renewed “The Office” and “30 Rock” even though both shows barely had pulses after their first seasons. The network is bringing back “Friday Night Lights” for a third season, and while some critics might not like the fact that it will air on DirecTV first, give credit to NBC for trying everything it can think of to make the show work for its air.

While the overwhelming critical support and upscale demographics for “Office” and “30 Rock” made the Peacock’s mission easier, it still took guts for NBC to stick by two series many network observers once considered hopeless.

CBS, which is home to no small number of very smart executives, has to start showing similar intestinal fortitude if it wants to avoid the fate of so many past winning networks that have hewed too closely to a winning formula. Too many times in recent years—think “Love Monkey,” “Moonlight,” “Cane,” “The Class”—the network has opted for short-term scheduling stability instead of supporting the kinds of shows that could help it evolve its brand and attract new audiences.

“Sooner or later, the networks are going to have to begin making some decisions to keep shows on, even if it doesn’t seem to make any economic sense,” one senior executive told me last week. “We’ve got to break out of this quarter-to-quarter mindset.”

http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/07/adalian_column_networks_must_e.php

TVoholic takes on Nina Tassler's comments regarding Moonlight fans

Another television blogger calls Nina Tassler (CBS Entertainment President) out on her recent comments that fans didn't actually love Moonlight as a show. We are not the only ones who think her statements are "a cheap thing to say." Thanks, Fred!

CBS President Nina Tassler: Fans Didn’t Care About Moonlight Anyway…
by Fred

Okay so first things first : I don’t really know much about Moonlight. From what I understand it was a new series of CBS last season, it got canceled already, and many fans are pissed. Was it actually good ? No idea. What is it about ? Except for that it might be about “a vampire P.I.” I don’t know, because I never watched. These things just happen you know, many new series on the air, choices must be made, and sometimes you just don’t even try one of those new shows…

Anyways, I was just reading about CBS President Nina Tassler comments on why they canceled Moonlight and why it’s alright, where she said that pretty much fans weren’t fans of the show, but the actors starring in it. As she explains it, unlike with Jericho where people love(d) the show, here it was just about people. “I spent a lot of time looking the blogs and the website. Look, I don’t want to say Moonlight fans weren’t fans of the show. They were. But in sort of sifting through all of it (the e-mails, etc.) it was very much about ‘our vampire, Alex (O’Loughlin).’” I read that, and I just had to ask : are there really any such fans out there, who didn’t care about the show, only the actor(s) ??

I’m asking because that just feels like a cheap thing to say, trying to justify the cancellation. Listen, back in the days there was a show called Ally McBeal, and had it been canceled I’m sure people would have yelled to get “Ally” back, because they wanted their favorite lawyer with the shortest mini-skirts ever on TV. But that didn’t mean they didn’t care about the show, or the other characters, not at all.

Should Fox decide to cancel House right now, I can see millions of angry fans asking for the return of America’s favorite doctor, the great Hugh Laurie. Now don’t mistake that statement as to mean they’d just want Hugh Laurie back on the air, they’d want him as House, they’d want him with all his team members (well, maybe not all of them, but…), they’d want him with Wilson and Cuddy.

We call him House, we call him Hugh, same difference when it comes to what we’re talking about here : it’s the guy, the character he portrays, and the show it all happens in. Just because fans would praise for their favorite vampire slayer, Sarah Michelle Gellar, didn’t mean they weren’t really talking about Buffy, the show, not just the character.

Somehow I feel this was the same here, Hell even Tassler said they asked for “their vampire” back. Now unless you go on and tell me that Alex O’Loughlin is actually a vampire, for real, which I would find very cool though demand undeniable proofs before accepting that idea, I think those fans meant him as Mick St. John, the vampire from Moonlight, and by extension they meant the show.

So, am I wrong, are there really any such fans out there, who didn’t care about the show, or the characters, only the actor(s) ??

http://tvoholic.com/news/cbs-president-nina-tassler-fans-didnt-care-about-moonlight-anyway/

Thank you to Bluedahlia3 for making sure I knew about this article :)

Poll ~ What was the most heart wrenching cancellation of the season?

Rachel Thomas reports on TV dramas for About.com. She has created a poll to ask "What was the most heart wrenching cancellation of the season?" Of course, Moonlight is included. Our show's treatment is the definition of heart wrenching!

You can also leave your comments on the page.

http://tvdramas.about.com/b/2008/06/04/what-was-the-most-heart-wrenching-cancellation-of-the-season.htm

Photo ~ Mick St John ( Alex O'Loughlin ) and Beth Turner ( Sophia Myles ) in Moonlight's pilot episode ~ No Such Thing as Vampires (#1x01)

Moonlight in two TV Squad polls

TV Squad is hosting two polls asking which show least deserved cancelation & which show has the most devoted fans? Easy for us to answer those questions :)

The Arrested Development Award Nominees
by Jane Boursaw

Did your favorite show get canceled? Yeah, mine too. It makes you think twice about investing time into a new show, because you never know how long it'll last. Sometimes even shows with fairly good ratings are sent to the chopping block.

Here at TV Squad, we're doing our part to bring attention to cool shows that were axed in the recent upfront announcements. Last week, I put out a call for considerations for The Arrested Development Award, a.k.a. The Show Least Deserving of Cancellation Award.

You made your opinions known - thank you! - and now we're into Phase 2: The Nominees. The Squad will pick our own winner, but we're giving you the chance to pick a Reader's Choice winner. Here are the nominees, and be sure to vote in the poll at the bottom.

1. Moonlight (CBS). Paired with the other-worldly Ghost Whisperer on Friday nights, this dark dramedy about a vampire who finds work as a private eye gained legions of fans over its short run this season. So much so that there's currently a big campaign to resurrect it from the dead. In some ways, this show is disturbing. It's downright freaky when the vamps' eyes glaze over and fangs protrude at the prospect of a "freshie." And when they actually chomp into someone's arm -- and the person likes it -- it's weird and dark. And maybe that's the appeal of this show. I guess you'd classify it as a crime-drama, but it's just different enough to bring something new to the prime-time table. Of course, the top-notch cast doesn't hurt either. As Mick St. John, Alex O'Loughlin is a cross between Keanu Reeves and John Corbett with some Matthew McConaughey thrown in. He's smart and sexy and seems to have a handle on the whole vampire-in-the-real-world thing. And I love that Sophia Myles, who plays his love interest Beth, isn't a size 2. She seems like a real girl, not some Hollywood version of a real girl. And as Josef Kostan, Jason Dohring is giving Justin Bartha a run for his money in the sidekick department. We deserve another season of Moonlight, and Mick and Beth deserve more time together. As Alex says in the final passionate moments of the finale, "This isn't about being a vampire or a human. This is about us and how we feel about one another, right here, right now." Ooh, yeah.

http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/05/29/the-arrested-development-award-nominees/

The Nuttiest Fans Award nominees
by Annie Wu

If we have learned anything, it's that there's a big difference between being a casual viewer and a truly passionate fan. Whether that means spreading the word, doing charity work in the name of the show or just plain being crazy, fans of TV programs have found various ways to show their love. After some intense responses in the call for considerations post and deep deliberation within the TV Squad team, we have boiled down the list of shows with the most dedicated fanbases. Here, we have five of the finest contenders, each of them deserving recognition for their fans' contributions.

Yes, it's obvious that there will be fans angry at the results, regardless of who wins. American Idol fans, form an orderly queue and meet me in the parking lot. But before we have an epic throwdown, read after the jump and vote for the Readers' Choice.

Moonlight :

Even as we speak, Moonlight fans are working hard to bring their beloved show to a new home. This was another fanbase that I had the chance to observe first-hand at this year's NYCC, and I couldn't help but bleed a little from the ears every time the crowd screamed for Alex O'Loughlin and Jason Dohring. Not only is their love super-intense, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's a Moonlight fan prerequisite to have operatic training. Ow. This group has also done some admirable charity work, including multiple blood drives in the name of the show.

http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/05/29/the-nuttiest-fans-award-nominees/

MSNBC Article ~ Moonlight on list of "canceled shows we loved"

MSNBC published an article about canceled tv programs that they will miss. Of course, Moonlight is on the list! They heap more praise on the fans for the amazing Moonlight Blood Drive. And, they single out Alex O'Loughlin as a highlight from our show :)

So, add MSNBC to the list of media entertainment outlets & tv gurus who have come out in support of Moonlight. YEA! Surely, other networks must see all these positive comments from very reputable sources. We can include quotes in our letters & emails.

Rest in peace, canceled shows we loved
‘Moonlight,’ ‘Men in Trees,’ ‘Jericho’ will be missed
By Jeff Hidek

“Moonlight”

Why it should have been renewed: It might have been the lowest-rated of CBS’s Friday night dramas, but "Moonlight" still consistently won its time slot against ABC and NBC offerings. That’s impressive, considering all of the tinkering that went on at this series about a blood-sucking private investigator. After multiple show-runner changes and a few shaky scripts, “Moonlight” seemed to just be settling into a charming routine in its post-strike episodes.

Series highlight: As brooding vampire Mick St. John, Alex O’Loughlin injected equal parts hot and cool into his leading-man role. A flash of his smile could make even an undead pulse quicken.

Silver lining: Fans should congratulate themselves on the most charitable “save our show” campaign ever. A well-orchestrated blood drive organized through YouChoose.net might not have been able to save the series, but it did help save lives. Mick would be proud.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24780304/

CBS Watch website still featuring Alex O'Loughlin

Hmmmmmmm..... The CBS Watch Magazine website is still featuring Alex O'Loughlin on its main page. It directs people to the article and interview with him that was in the April 2008 issue. Also, they showcase photos taken of Alex & Jason Dohring at the New York Comic Con. Very interesting considering that they canceled Moonlight! Why showcase the star of a show that is no longer on your network? Obviously, they want to continue to benefit from Alex's rising celebrity status even tho they let him & Moonlight go! Grrrrrrrr!

I reposted the article on my Alex O'Loughlin fan blog.

http://alexoloughlinfan.blogspot.com

Have you ever boycotted a network?

Mandi, from Entertainment Weekly's Pop Watch Blog, wants our comments. She did a post allowing fans to mourn canceled shows, including Moonlight. While reading the replies, she noticed that a lot of people are planning to boycott CBS. Now, she wants to hear more about it from the fans.

Ooooooo..... and Mandi also mentions the Hollywood Reporter stating that Moonlight is still being shopped :)

PopWatch Blog
Ever boycott a show or a network (and for how long)?

After reading the comments on my post mourning CBS' cancellation of Moonlight (pictured), in which some viewers vow to boycott the network, and those on Abby West's Bones season finale preview and postmortem, in which a handful of fans threaten to abandon the Fox drama after its rushed resolution to the Gormogon case, I'm wondering how often people actually follow through on such promises.

So, tell me: Have you ever boycotted an entire network? Or gone cold turkey on a show because you felt it did you wrong? And how long did you hold out? I'm fascinated.

P.S. While I'm the "obsessed colleague" who wouldn't stop complaining to Abby about Booth's beer helmet — (a) he had a tub caddy that could've held his cans and (b) I know he's a "dude," but he still shops at Spencer's? — I'll be back.

P.P.S. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Moonlight is still being shopped to cable networks, including TNT. Hmmm. While TNT has Angel repeats in the morning, I'm not sure I see vamps fitting into its primetime lineup. Angel alums on the other hand, yes: I went to the Turner upfronts last week, and saw that J. August Richards (Gunn) has a role in Steven Bochco's upcoming TNT legal drama, Raising the Bar, while Christian Kane (Lindsey) will be seen opposite Timothy Hutton in the net's Leverage. Of course, TNT already has a double dose of Boreanaz, with Tuesday night Bones repeats.

http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2008/05/moonlight-boyco.html

Photo ~ Alex O'Loughlin as Mick St John

Good news in negative Hollywood Reporter article

This is an article that James Hibberd wrote for The Hollywood Reporter. *sigh* Sadly, he agrees with CBS' decision to cancel Moonlight. He was one of the first to report about the Moonlight Blood Drive, and seemed supportive at the time.

I know that we have been nothing but positive & polite in our letters, emails, postcards and phone calls.... especially those directed to the WB. We have asked the studio to continue shopping Moonlight, and assured them of our support & intentions to follow the show to any network.

Even in this negative article, there is good news ~ "Producer Warner Bros. is still approaching cable nets, such as TNT. They’re scouting states where the show could be shot cheaper. There’s still a chance, albeit a very slim one."

Why 'Moonlight' Needed Killin'
by James Hibberd

“Very poor judgment call for CBS to have made. You weren't calculating accurately. At the NY Comic Con...it received an enormous crowd screaming for Season 2. You will kick yourself in the rear end with this grievous error! Reconsider your decision, CBS!”

That’s one of 93 hyperventilating comments on THR.com’s story of the “Moonlight” cancellation last week. Actually, it’s the very top comment -- you don’t need to burrow far down into the list to get the general idea.

“Moonlight” fans have always been scary-intense. They organized a national blood drive to try to save the show. With CBS lowering the axe, they went apocalyptic. They’re angrily emailing complaints to CBS, the media and even its studio, Warner Bros. (and the studio is, of course, the one party that’s actually trying to save the show).

In a sense, so much passion cannot be wrong. Any program that inspires this much intensity is inherently effective … even if it’s about a shirtless vampire with billowy hair and dreamy abs caught in an impossible forbidden romance with the one human who’s captured his heart.

So “Moonlight” has a devoted fan base and, sure, it deserves an afterlife … somewhere. But it did not deserve a second season on CBS. Some shows need killin’ and “Moonlight” was one of them.

The problem wasn’t the “Moonlight” ratings, precisely.

At first, the word from within CBS was that “Moonlight” would likely return. But then the numbers started going south. In the past few weeks, “Moonlight” won its time period, sure, but against mostly repeats. Even Friday’s season finale -- as if to underscore CBS’ decision -- hit a record-low 1.8 rating among adults 18 to 49.

If the “Moonlight” episodes were entirely self-contained stories, like CBS lead-in “Ghost Whisperer” and lead-out “Numbers,” a pickup could have been tempting. But “Moonlight” is semi-serialized, and ratings for such shows usually only trend one direction. Once viewers step out of an ongoing story line, they rarely step back in. This has been the case with “Lost,” “Heroes,” “Battlestar Galactica” and, yup, that CBS harbinger of cult-TV doom, “Jericho.”

Serialized shows also tend to suffer if there's any major scheduling gap. Based on how its cult-driven, sci-fi predecessors have performed, it was extremely unlikely “Moonlight” would return to higher numbers next fall. The show was going down by the head and CBS rightfully bailed.

Plus, with CBS’ “let’s get back in our box” programming strategy for next fall, “Moonlight” doesn’t fit. “Moonlight” would have stuck out on the schedule as a low-rated hangover from last season’s new experimental shows that didn’t work.

Does “Moonlight” have a chance someplace else? Producer Warner Bros. is still approaching cable nets, such as TNT. They’re scouting states where the show could be shot cheaper. There’s still a chance, albeit a very slim one.

The show’s overall cost makes it a tough sell. A lower-rated net might splurge to try and buy “Moonlight” for some publicity and fresh viewers. But star Alex O’Loughlin probably wouldn’t follow the series to anything less than a major cable net. Thanks to “Moonlight,” O’Loughlin is now in demand and is likely to wind up on another major series -- if he doesn’t stay hitched to the vampire drama.

http://www.thrfeed.com/2008/05/why-moonlight-n.html

Kristin Dos Santos speaks to Nina Tassler

Kristin Dos Santos, from E!, spoke to Nina Tassler about canceling Moonlight. For someone who says, "I personally love the show. I love working with Alex O'Loughlin and Joel Silver" she sure has a funny way of showing it, doesn't she?

Lindsay in Atlanta :

I am a little miffed at you, Mrs. Dos Santos. When it comes to TV watching, you are my go-to girl. If you tell me to watch it, I do. So, I'm miffed that now that Moonlight is gone, and I'm hooked. You have given us nothing to sooth our broken hearts. Where is your gritty (but always polite) interview with those evil CBS bosses? Give us something please!

Kristin Dos Santos :

I did talk to CBS president Nina Tassler last week at the CBS upfront about the cancellation of Moonlight, a show so many fans loved passionately, and she defended the decision, saying, "Once we got back up on the air it was about the numbers and the ratings, and we were just struggling a little bit. I loved the show. I personally love the show. I love working with Alex O'Loughlin and Joel Silver, and I just think we had to make some very tough decisions. It was hard." Not half as hard as it is for the fans who went to great lengths to save this series, Nina! Just sayin'! I'm also working on getting an exit interview with one of the stars or producers for later this week, so stand by.

http://tinyurl.com/6xb7ma

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

Send messages to Alex O'Loughlin on his MySpace page

Tons of you have asked where you can send messages of thanks and support to Alex O'Loughlin regarding Moonlight's cancelation. He is fortunate to have such concerned and wonderful fans! If you have a MySpace account, send him a friend request. Once you are accepted, you can write to him & leave comments on his page :)

www.myspace.com/alexoloughlin

Video ~ The show CBS will air in Moonlight's time slot

Video promo for the new CBS fall show, The Ex-List. You are kidding me, right? THIS is what they will be airing in Moonlight's spot?!?!

Even the official description sounds lame.......... "Bella Bloom (Elizabeth Reaser), an attractive 30-something successful business owner is surprised to learn from a psychic (Anne Bedian) that she's already dated her future husband AND there's a catch: if she doesn't find him in the next year, she'll remain alone forever ."

What do you think?

Moonlight questions in Ask Matt column

Two Moonlight questions from TV Guide's Ask Matt column.

Mourning Moonlight

Question:
I know you'll be getting millions of heartbroken letters from fans of TV shows (in addition to Moonlight) that were cancelled, but I'm writing because my feelings this season are bigger than my normal disappointment from upfronts. I actually think I'm done with network TV. I am so upset with the trend to cancel shows that don't instantly perform that I will be tuning out and going to cable. First Veronica Mars, then Jericho and finally the stake in the heart of Moonlight. It is so depressing to invest in great shows that deserve a bigger audience, but never get them because they are labeled as "quirky" or "genre" or are in "TV death slots." At times it feels like we (the TV watchers) work harder than the networks to create buzz for shows. The one network that may have succeeded in picking me up as a viewer again may be the CW. After Veronica Mars, I boycotted the station, but the loyalty the network seems to be showing to promising shows with low ratings like Gossip Girl and Reaper may have won me over for at least a trial run this year. All I have been hearing about is the drop in viewers for prime time, but it seems like the networks don't understand that they play a big part in this. Why be loyal to a station that isn't loyal to its shows or its viewers? So, stick a fork in me, CBS — I'm done. I and my wallet will be watching commercials on another station. — A.M.

Matt Roush:
With all due respect, and with all possible sympathy, I hear variations on this rant every year at this time. There's always some show (often more than one) that triggers this kind of outpouring, and I don't deny it's genuine, but it's nothing new. Shows get canceled every season. It's a function of the business, which has a terribly high casualty rate, especially for shows that don't hew to a particular network's formula. And while I freely admit that CBS's axing of Moonlight took me by disappointed surprise, you'll never get me to advocate a boycott. Life, and TV, goes on. You never know where the next terrific show will turn up, maybe even on CBS, maybe even on Fridays. I can't afford not to keep an open mind. Getting hooked on a TV show always carries an element of risk. I still think it's worth it. As for giving too much credit to the CW for sticking with its low-rated shows, what choice does it have? If Moonlight had aired on the CW, it probably would have survived. But given that network's parameters, Mick would probably have been a teenage vampire, so it's a bit apples and oranges, no?

Question:
Is there any possibility that another network might pick up Moonlight, now that CBS has canceled it? I know that the show was on the bubble, but I was really surprised by its demise, considering all the buzz that surrounds it. I hope that you are enjoying the upfronts! — Sarah Anne

Matt Roush:
Thanks, but I'd be enjoying them a lot more if they didn't throw curveballs like the Moonlight cancellation my way. My instinct, as always, is to say there's little if no chance that anyone will come along to rescue Moonlight, although as I write this column on a crazy Upfront-week deadline, there's a report that the company renting space on Sunday from the CW may be mulling over putting Moonlight into their mix. I'll believe that when it becomes a reality, but until then, no false hope from this corner.

askmatt@tvguide.com

Video ~ Nina Tassler says Moonlight canceled based on ratings

TV Week has a video interview with CBS President of Entertainment, Nina Tassler. Around the 1:05 mark of the clip, she talks about what led to Moonlight being canceled. She says, "It was a very hard decision... but it was based on the ratings." Our show has never been given the chance to run uninterrupted in order to gain even more viewers. It obviously means nothing to them that Moonlight managed to grow such a devoted and loyal fan base, and get around 8 million viewers DESPITE all the adversity it faced! Writer's Strike, never knowing if CBS was gonna schedule a new episode or a repeat, reruns airing then yanked for 3 months, being a freshman show..... on and on.....

http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/05/post_1.php

CBS wants more female fans?!?! HELLO!

Something has been bothering me ever since I read it in Variety.........

"This year, CBS Entertainment prexy Nina Tassler said her mandate was less flashy: Focus on growing the Eye's laffers, soften up its procedurals and bring more women to the network."

and

"Tassler said the network even talked with creators about taking male roles and reconceiving them for women."

You want more female viewers, but you cancel Moonlight?!??! How in the world does that make sense? So frustrating! *sigh*

I think the photo of Mick St John's (Alex O'loughlin) famous eyebrow raise and quizzical expression is very fitting. It is from Moonlight's Arrested Development episode (#1x05).

Another update! Update from Deadline Hollywood Daily

Nikki has posted this update to Moonlight's ongoing story......

UPDATE: I hear MRC now has been asked to consider Moonlight for mid-season. This is such a shot in the dark it's barely worth posting. But I'm posting nonetheless.

ANOTHER UPDATE to her previous update ~ Nikki just added this to the above.... I've also been told that CBS continues to hold an option on the star of the show, Alex O"Loughlin, and that he's in demand for other projects.

http://deadlinehollywooddaily.com/