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September 21, 2007
"Moonlight" -- neither particularly good nor very bad. Discuss.
It's never a good sign when a network almost completely recasts a show, and delays sending out review screeners to the press until a week before the show premieres.
Such has been the case with "Moonlight," CBS's freshman drama about a private investigator who also happens to be a vampire. Shortly after CBS announced the show was on its fall schedule, there were reports of rampant recasting. Turns out, nearly every actor except for the lead, Alex O'Loughlin, was replaced. The pilot was reshot, and the show wasn't included in the package of pilot review screeners CBS sent out in summer.
Thus buzz began -- just how bad was this thing?
Well, I've finally seen the first episode and I can tell you this: it's not a complete disaster. I mean, it's stiff and clunky in spots, but overall, there's some potential here.
O'Loughlin plays Mick St. John, a vampire who refuses to feed on humans and works as a private investigator. For reasons learned at the episode's end, he helps plucky internet reporter Beth Turner (Sophia Myles) who's looking into the murder of a young co-ed, which appears vampire related.Meanwhile, he tries to protect his secret identity, and that of other vampires living in modern-day Los Angeles.
The pilot episode had plenty of flaws. Myles has almost no charisma and the mystery plot is perfunctory and lame. In fact, the whole episode is a little flat, including some really cheesy "vampire" special effects.
But the show has done a few things right. The first was keeping O'Loughlin in the lead. The Australian actor (last seen as Vic's prospective replacement on "The Shield) is funny, charming and a solid leading man. An opening sequence in which he imagines being interviewed about his life as a blood sucker is fun and lively, mainly because it's all about him.
The second good thing about the show is the presence of the terrific Jason Dohring as Mick's vampire buddy, Josef. Fans of the late, lamented "Veronica Mars" will remember Dohring as poor little rich boy Logan Echolls. Here, he plays another likable rich jerk, but he does it so well that you don't even mind that he's essentially giving the same performance.
So no, "Moonlight" isn't a raging success. But it may be worth watching a couple of episodes to see where it goes.
If it gains its footing in the next couple of episodes, it could be a fun guilty pleasure.
"Moonlight" premieres 9 p.m. Sept. 28 on CBS.
Posted by amanda on September 21, 2007 9:51 AM
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