"Moonlighting" (1985) TV series 1985-1989

Creator:

Glenn Gordon Caron

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Release Date:

5 March 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Mystery | Romance

Plot:

The quirky cases of an ex model and a wiseguy detective who co-run a private detective agency.

Plot Keywords:

Private Detective | Ex Model | Wisecrack Humor | Sexual Tension | Stalking

Awards:

Won 3 Golden Globes. Another 12 wins & 51 nominations

Cast

Cybill Shepherd	...	Madelyn 'Maddie' Hayes / ... (54 episodes, 1985-1989)
Allyce Beasley	...	Agnes DiPesto / ... (54 episodes, 1985-1989)
Bruce Willis	...	David Addison Jr. / ... (54 episodes, 1985-1989)
Curtis Armstrong	...	Herbert Quentin Viola (23 episodes, 1986-1989)
Jack Blessing	...	MacGillicudy (17 episodes, 1986-1989)

Runtime:

60 min (66 episodes) | Argentina:60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 (seasons 1 and 2) | Singapore:PG (season 3) (season 4) | Finland:K-18 (DVD) (2005) (self applied) | Australia:M (some episodes) | Netherlands:6 | Australia:PG | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

ABC Entertainment Center - 2040 Avenue of the Stars, Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

ABC Circle Films

Trivia:

Because of the trademark conversations/arguments on this show (mostly, but not always, between David and Maddie), in which two or more characters are talking at length simultaneously, the scripts for this show were typically two to three times the length of a script for a similar hour-long drama.

Quotes:

Lucentio/Viola: Stay! Didst I hear, "I come to wive it wealthily in Padua?"
Petruchio/Addison: Pray sir, yea sir, I dare say I did say.
Lucentio/Viola: Yea sir, you do say you did say?
Petruchio/Addison: Yea, I say, but why do you bray? Do not gainsay what I say that we may make headway. I foray this way that I may be home ere midday.
Lucentio/Viola: Hooray for this day and the words that you say and forgive my display, but I have something to say.
Petruchio/Addison: Then without further delay, I say, fire away!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)

Soundtrack:

Moonlighting

If you agree that"birds bird and bees bee" you'll love this!

In the finest tradition of Gable&Lombard and Tracey&Hepburn, Cybil Sheppard and Bruce Willis bring drama, comedy, and wit to TV together with a sexual tension that underscores their partnership in the Blue Moon Detective Agency.

Shepard, who plays Maddie Hayes, wakes up one morning to find out her accountant has absconded with the fortune she made as a high fashion model. Obviously it was not a stretch for Cybil to adapt to this role! In the course of finding out that she needs to sell everything, she happens in on this little detective agency(Blue Moon), she owns only because it was a great tax writeoff. The staff is morabund, and the head sleuth is a wise cracking obnoxious male chauvenist named David Addison, played by an unknown(at the time) Bruce Willis. The immediate rapport between the two brought viewers back for more. The endless stream of double entendre's, malaprops, and overall office antics made the show lovable and audiences craved for more.

Glenn Gordon Caron's writing and vision had the writers, actors, and directors take license with certain rules in primetime that were never questioned. E.G. In one particular episode Maddie asks David to get more explicit with an explanation and David responds by telling her if they get any more explicit they'll have to move the show to cable. It is precisely these departures from the norm, along with the genius idea to have the two main characters talk to each other AT THE SAME TIME, that made critics and fans follow their every move.

It's probably best to say that this show's run was cut short due to the emergence of Willis as a bonafide star. Once he made his mark on the big screen, in Die Hard, Bruce was looking for ways to exit TV. In interviews he talked of the brutal schedules for TV primetime and the difficulty in exploring the boundaries of his talents and appetite for acting. As the show fragmented the practice of in season repeat episodes was probably accepted more , if not born out of necessity. Expanded roles were given in onscreen time and plots to Allyce Beasley(who played a great Agnes DiPesto) and her Blue Moon boyfriend Herbert Viola, played by Curtis Armstrong. These shows were often almost difficult to watch, through no fault of Beasley and Armstrong, but rather the desire to see Maddie and David cavort as usual.

Reruns have been syndicated and you can find them sometimes, most recently on cable channel BRAVO. If you do see the shows, and they are regularly scheduled, it would be well worth it to look for four of my favorites...the first episode of Moonlighting's second season entitled "Brother Can You Spare A Blond", a later episode when Maddie and David have had one of their innumerable fights and they are both interviewed by Rona Barrett in an attempt to reconcile their differences, the episode that co-stars Dana Delaney as the ex-fiance that jilted David, and a classic show guest hosted by Orson Welles shot just before Welles' death. The show signifies the great love/hate relationship between the two main characters and is brilliantly shot in both color and black and white. I think you'll get the spirit and essence of this show if you see any of these.