May
12
Upfronts: 'Moonlight' dims at CBS
Frosh CBS drama "Moonlight" may be facing "Jericho" syndrome. The vampire drama starring Alex O'Loughlin has its rabid fans, but not quite enough of them to make it a slam-dunk pickup for season two.
The Warner Bros. TV drama seemed to be about 50-50 for a renewal during the weekend, but those odds are getting longer, insiders say. CBS is high on a bunch of its drama pilots this year (no surprise there) and thus, there may not be room on the Eye's sked for more "Moonlight" next season.
Speculation is that "The Unit," another bubble drama that is expected to secure a renewal, may move into "Moonlight's" Friday 9 p.m. berth in the fall.
Cynthia Littleton is deputy editor, news development at Variety and a veteran television reporter. 
Subscribe to this blog's feed
This is gutwrenching. If CBS is dumb enough to dump a show like Moonlight without giving it a chance to find the audience it will surely get (given a reasonable chance), they'll have lost me, and thousands of other fans. Period.
Posted by: Allegrita | May 12, 2008 at 09:49 AM
Wow. I can't believe what I'm reading right now. CBS would be making a HUGE mistake if they cancel Moonlight, and they will be losing a LOT of viewers...this is unbelievable. Speaking for myself, I will tune in elsewhere on Fridays if they replace Moonlight with "The Unit" or anything else.
Posted by: lunakasha | May 12, 2008 at 09:56 AM
Wow. I can't believe what I'm reading right now. CBS would be making a HUGE mistake if they cancel Moonlight, and they will be losing a LOT of viewers...this is unbelievable. Speaking for myself, I will tune in elsewhere on Fridays if they replace Moonlight with "The Unit" or anything else.
Posted by: lunakasha | May 12, 2008 at 09:59 AM
Holy Cow are these people serious?! Moonlight is the BEST show on CBS and I will be amazed if they let this show slip away! Come on CBS listen to those Rabid Fans who are your watchers! Renewal is the right thing to do and I personally will be shocked if MOONLIGHT is not! I am your audience I hope you listen to your viewers!
In Vampire Solidarity~~RAH~RAH~RAH~~~!!!
Moonchild*69* ......Beth
Posted by: MOONCHILD69 | May 12, 2008 at 09:59 AM
I just have to say something...CBS what is going on???? Moonlight is a great show...please give it a chance...and if you decide to cancel the show...I hope it goes to Cable.or another network picks it up...I am not a happy camper..please give Moonlight the greenlight for a 2nd season. Thanks...
Posted by: Mona | May 12, 2008 at 10:04 AM
I hope this isn't true :(
Hopefully CBS will renew this show, do they not see what the possibilities are for Moonlight if given the chance?
Please renew CBS....Please!!!!!!
Posted by: Dreamer | May 12, 2008 at 10:08 AM
hey Moonlight fans....welcome to JERICHO post traumatic stress syndrome...now you know how it feels.....
Posted by: dejaVUalloveragain | May 12, 2008 at 10:15 AM
Not surprising. Moonlight didn't get great ratings.
Posted by: Peachy | May 12, 2008 at 10:30 AM
here it is a likely pickup:-):
http://www.eonline.com/gossip/kristin/detail/index.jsp?uuid=91503a39-8916-48a1-ac7d-53f90d0c9318
Posted by: Mike | May 12, 2008 at 10:41 AM
If CBS doesn't give a show with the potential that Moonlight has a second chance at a normal season, then I am done watching CBS.
No drama, no screaming, just done. Why waste my time supporting a network that has such odd taste. I get that the ratings weren't great but it was an odd year to say the least. The one thing the writer's strike taught me was there are a lot of ways to spend my time. I have limited my tv viewing since the strike was over. This will seal the deal for me.
Posted by: Sue | May 12, 2008 at 10:47 AM
this show cant be too expensive, surely at least a mid-season pich up
Posted by: dave c | May 12, 2008 at 10:49 AM
CBS would be crazy to drop a quality show like Moonlight... If they do I will never watch another show on CBS again. I don't care what is! If they think I am kidding... they sure will find out. No CSI.. No Ghost Whisperer, there is nothing that will bring me back.
It's Moonlight or nothing!!!
Posted by: ferger1 | May 12, 2008 at 10:51 AM
I can't believe they gave Moonlight a full season. That show is an awful, third-rate knockoff of Forever Knight and Angel. I watched the first few episodes and couldn't believe something that campy and half-witted was actually made.
"Moonlight is the BEST show on CBS"
Actually that may be true. But that only speaks to the generally abysmal quality of shows on CBS. I'm always stunned every time I see a CSI, et al, at just how mind-numbingly awful those shows are.
But still, it's amazing that no matter how patently bad a show is, there's always a whole bunch of vocal internet fans who proclaim it to be the best thing ever.
Posted by: Kublai | May 12, 2008 at 10:55 AM
Well, you can add me to the list of folks who are done with CBS is they cancel Moonlight. I love this show and just cannot understand how CBS could not see it's potential.
Posted by: Suzanne | May 12, 2008 at 11:14 AM
While the article does not exactly exude confidence to the fate of our beloved Moonlight, I'm sure there are cable channels that are salivating over the prospect of getting ML on their stations. Breathe in, breathe out
Posted by: Becca | May 12, 2008 at 11:20 AM
Moonlight is the only show I really watch on CBS, but I was starting to stay watching a little later and give Numb3rs a shot and I was definitely going to check it out next year. Out of the new pilot pick ups, 'The X List' was the only one that caught my interest, so CBS wouldn't be drawing me in with a slew of great new shows. Moonlight and The X List were what I wanted to watch on CBS, but I was willing to give some other shows a chance. If CBS wants to keep us 18-35 yr old viewers, they need to keep shows like Moonlight.
Posted by: Lisa | May 12, 2008 at 11:43 AM
Moonlight was a mediocre show at best. That lead couldn't act his way out of a bag much less affect a consistently convincing American accent. Good riddance
Posted by: Quentin | May 12, 2008 at 11:50 AM
CBS,
If you are this dumb to cancel Moonlight - then I will stop watching the few shows I watch on CBS now and I will let the sponsors know that I am not buying their products. Your entire line up would be better if you dropped the reality and game shows - that would help stop the dumming down of America. All the reality shows do is to encourage everyday people to be more rude and nasty with everyone they encounter. CBS could attract more dedicated viewers by keeping the quality shows, Moonlight, and putting on shows that inform and educate the public. The informational shows do not have to be dull. Take a look at the old Digging for the Truth on History, and the new Expeditions into the Unknown with Josh Bernstein on Discovery. Josh Bernstein is a captivating host who neither dumbs down a show nor goes over everyone's heads. He had a HUGE following on History, the biggest show they ever had! When Josh went to Discovery, the new History host bombed and they didn't even finish showing the taped shows. History listened to its viewers when they yelled about the new host and they lost all the viewers. Viewers will walk and talk. All the RABID viewers will boycott CBS and its sponsors, do you really want to risk that? In this economy everyone is carefully choosing what they purchase, being angry with CBS sponsors will drive them to other companies' products.
Posted by: Karen Emrey | May 12, 2008 at 11:57 AM
Moonlight HAS to get picked up!!!!!
It is such a brilliant show with great actors CBS is deaf dunb and blind if they let this show go.
Come on CBS RENEW!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: nat | May 12, 2008 at 11:59 AM
you people are funny. if the show was a huge hit meaning CBS would lose A LOT of viewers, wouldn't it be doing better in the ratings and thus be renewed? jericho fans take note the show performed worse in season 2 and Nina Tasler clearly made a point if the show was to succeed it would have to do better then season 1. it didn't and now another show is in danger. if more people watched, then it wouldn't be in danger.
Posted by: anonymous | May 12, 2008 at 12:17 PM
i cannot believe after all of the efforts by loyal fans and even giving us hope for a second season; CBS is going to pull the rug out from under us at the last second. I was never much of a tv watcher anyway but this will put an end to ever watching anything again. CBS has no clue to what the viewer really wants. They just want to play it safe and force feed the same old crap.
Posted by: lunarlover | May 12, 2008 at 12:47 PM
That is the stupidest picture to represent MOONLIGHT. And CBS authorized that picture, then they are even more stupid to cancel the show. What show are they going to put in its place? A medical show about doctors in love? A show about pretty lawyers fighting horrible crimes? What other unoriginal show can CBS put on? MOONLIGHT is an original, sexy, mysterious show. But what do I know?
Posted by: Elia | May 12, 2008 at 12:51 PM
Moonlight is my guilty pleasure. I really enjoy watching and haven't missed a show. Great TV? Maybe not, but then, not much is these days. At least it's different... entertaining, with a good cast.
I refuse to watch reality garbage and quiz shows. That doesn't leave much that I care about on the tube, though I do watch cable shows... but as for network TV, it's mostly just awful.
Alex is such a charismatic hunk! I'd miss those striking eyes.
Posted by: Mimi | May 12, 2008 at 01:00 PM
WOW, my son and I both enjoy Moonlight. I have watched The Unit but he has no interest. The Unit seems an odd show to put on Friday. It costs a lot and Friday is not exactly a bumper night for TV viewing.
Moonlight was very enjoyable and a little different. I was looking forward to and still hope to see a second season. The Unit is not what I look for on a Friday evening before unwinding. Networks seem to like instant success or nothing. I will be very disappointed in CBS if drops Moonlight.
Posted by: jd | May 12, 2008 at 01:01 PM
Moonlight fans, Welcome to the Jericho Club! We tried to tell you - to tell all fandoms. The fight to save Jericho is about the fight to save quality TV.
CBS is in the business of selling advertising space - not quality TV shows. The show is just the vehicle to get advertisers to shell out the biggest bucks per second of time. So the formula is how much does it cost to produce a drama versus how much does CBS collect from advertisers per second during that time slot = return on investment. Reality TV is cheap to make which raises the return on investment and thereby increases the dividends to the shareholders and that is what they are in business to do. They don't care if they entertain you; they don't care if you don't watch because you don't have a Neilsen box and because you don't they won't even KNOW you are not watching.
I watched Moonlight too but I have learned to not care any more. As I don't count, I'll watch it online when I choose too. And the day is fast approaching that my new TV will become a great big computer monitor . . . like next month. NetFlix is about to increase their business big time! And while I have always been a reader, I am now a BIG-have-lots-of-time-to-read reader.
Unless and until all fandoms unite and fight for each other, TV dramas are dead.
Posted by: N2N2 | May 12, 2008 at 01:05 PM