Matt Roush gives his opinion on whether or not CBS is trying to kill Moonlight

In his Ask Matt column today, TV Guide's Matt Roush gives his opinion regarding something that Moonlight fans have been concerned about for quite some time..... CBS' commitment to our show. He also agrees with us that Alex O'Loughlin is our show's biggest asset, and that the network knows they need to hold on to him.

Question :

Does it seem to you that CBS is actually trying to sabotage Moonlight? I mean, instead of repeating it, they put on The Price Is Right. Even if they wanted to air the game show, rerun Moonlight at 9 pm/ET in its regular slot, or even on another night to perhaps pick up a new fan base. I just watched New Amsterdam on Fox and frankly was unimpressed. I'll stay with it a while longer just to give it a shot, because I like this genre. The star (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) is a good-looking guy, but he really does not compare with Alex O'Loughlin. Does CBS understand what a gold mine they have in him? Granted, the character of Mick St. John is sultry, but the real draw is O'Loughlin's drop-dead gorgeous looks and style as an actor — he actually makes Mick funny. You can't help but love the character. His smile lights up the screen. Honestly, if they cancel Moonlight, it would really be a shame, because it's on the verge of an extremely interesting storyline and the fan base seems to be huge. Could another network possibly pick it up (like Forever Knight)? There are so many twists and turns this show could take. Perhaps they should do an end date like Lost, where Mick either dies (heaven forbid), becomes human, turns Beth or realizes that Coraline is the one for him and they stay vampires together forever. Any thoughts?— Debbie

Matt Roush :

Beyond advising you to take a deep breath and calm down? (Although this kind of advice recently got me in hot water with Supernatural fans.) As I've suggested before, if CBS really had it in for Moonlight, the show would already have a stake in it and you wouldn't be getting four new episodes next month. The current hiatus is a result of the strike and is more about CBS preserving the series from repeating the same handful of episodes over and over, which tends to diminish a show's overall ratings average. (The hardcore Moonlight fan may have no problem watching episodes repeatedly, but most people don't watch TV that way, and that's what video recorders are for.) I agree with you about Alex O'Loughlin's appeal. He's been the show's main asset from the start. (I also agree he's more fun to watch than New Amsterdam's more reserved immortal hottie.) The fact that the show remains in production, despite a fair amount of behind-the-scenes chaos, is a sign to me that CBS would like to keep this franchise going and that the network is aware of what a keeper this star is. Just because you don't agree with a programming decision doesn't mean they're out to kill it. (If you want to see an example of a network actively doing its best to harm a show, check out what's happened to ABC's Men in Trees.)

askmatt@tvguide.com