Moonlight: TNT Said to Be Interested
as Fans Plan to Gather
Thursday June 12, 2008
The fan site Moonlight United is reporting that, according to one of their sources, the Time Warner-owned TNT cable network is "definitely interested" in picking up the vampire detective drama, which CBS canceled last month. No confirmation or details of any negotiations have yet arisen; I'm working on trying to find out more, but network talks and rumors are equally difficult to track down.
The concerted fan effort to leverage the history of fairly regular eight million viewers on CBS and a People's Choice Award (for Best New Drama) may be attracting some attention. As TNT is a new prospect, the campaign is focusing on getting fans to contact TNT directly (instructions here).
Although Sci Fi, owned by NBC Universal, seems a less likely suitor due to its stated intention of pursuing its own shows, fans haven't given up on that possibility either, or on a co-sponsorship proposal to DirecTV.
A plan to hold early-afternoon regional events in various places across the country on Saturday, June 14, is still on. Locales for the rallies and picnics include New York's Central Park, Chavez Park in San Francisco, Griffith Park in Los Angeles, Schenley Park in Pittsburgh, Orlando, Dallas, Southfield, Michigan, and Portland, Oregon, with other events still in the planning stages. This grassroots effort on the part of lots of individual, committed fans to fight for their show against long odds and corporate indifference is certainly the most ambitious since the campaign to revive Jericho.
CBS president Nina Tassler blamed the cancellation on ratings (despite professing to personally love the show herself). CBS sources said in mid-May that the network chose not to pick up the series because it was failing to hold its Ghost Whisperer lead-in and its ratings had declined in the weeks after the writers' strike.
Since the cancellation, though, fans have argued that the real problem was that CBS wanted to change the tone and perhaps even the format of the show, to make it a better fit with the network's renewed emphasis (demonstrated in its announced fall 2008 line-up) on its roots in crime procedurals and comedies, which CBS says draws heavy contingents of female viewers. (Matt Roush did an in-depth look at CBS's clumsiness in thinking outside its usual parameters, leading to a decision to concentrate on what it does best.)
The most commonly heard comment is that CBS wanted to turn the show into CSI: Moonlight – in other words, recalibrate the show to place heavier emphasis on Mick's P.I. work and less on the supernatural angle. Alex O'Loughlin's thank-you and farewell to the fans certainly suggests that there was constant pressure to redirect the show in various ways before and during its run (perhaps this explains the relatively awkward crime drama/Hollywood glamor elements of "Click," one of the four post-writers' strike episodes). Changing the tone of Moonlight more toward Mick's P.I. work would put it more in line with CBS's other supernatural property, Ghost Whisperer, which emphasizes Melinda's cases over her abilities (a format also followed on NBC's Medium).
Sure, crime dramas bring in female viewers. How they can ignore the female following for Moonlight and its star, O'Loughlin (who scored "Sexiest Sci-Fi Guy" in a TV Guide poll), though, is beyond me. Nonetheless I'm starting to wonder whether this was the "real reason" the show was canceled: CBS was just constantly perplexed by a private detective show that wasn't really about solving crimes and catching criminals.
The concerted fan effort to leverage the history of fairly regular eight million viewers on CBS and a People's Choice Award (for Best New Drama) may be attracting some attention. As TNT is a new prospect, the campaign is focusing on getting fans to contact TNT directly (instructions here).
Although Sci Fi, owned by NBC Universal, seems a less likely suitor due to its stated intention of pursuing its own shows, fans haven't given up on that possibility either, or on a co-sponsorship proposal to DirecTV.
A plan to hold early-afternoon regional events in various places across the country on Saturday, June 14, is still on. Locales for the rallies and picnics include New York's Central Park, Chavez Park in San Francisco, Griffith Park in Los Angeles, Schenley Park in Pittsburgh, Orlando, Dallas, Southfield, Michigan, and Portland, Oregon, with other events still in the planning stages. This grassroots effort on the part of lots of individual, committed fans to fight for their show against long odds and corporate indifference is certainly the most ambitious since the campaign to revive Jericho.
CBS president Nina Tassler blamed the cancellation on ratings (despite professing to personally love the show herself). CBS sources said in mid-May that the network chose not to pick up the series because it was failing to hold its Ghost Whisperer lead-in and its ratings had declined in the weeks after the writers' strike.
Since the cancellation, though, fans have argued that the real problem was that CBS wanted to change the tone and perhaps even the format of the show, to make it a better fit with the network's renewed emphasis (demonstrated in its announced fall 2008 line-up) on its roots in crime procedurals and comedies, which CBS says draws heavy contingents of female viewers. (Matt Roush did an in-depth look at CBS's clumsiness in thinking outside its usual parameters, leading to a decision to concentrate on what it does best.)
The most commonly heard comment is that CBS wanted to turn the show into CSI: Moonlight – in other words, recalibrate the show to place heavier emphasis on Mick's P.I. work and less on the supernatural angle. Alex O'Loughlin's thank-you and farewell to the fans certainly suggests that there was constant pressure to redirect the show in various ways before and during its run (perhaps this explains the relatively awkward crime drama/Hollywood glamor elements of "Click," one of the four post-writers' strike episodes). Changing the tone of Moonlight more toward Mick's P.I. work would put it more in line with CBS's other supernatural property, Ghost Whisperer, which emphasizes Melinda's cases over her abilities (a format also followed on NBC's Medium).
Sure, crime dramas bring in female viewers. How they can ignore the female following for Moonlight and its star, O'Loughlin (who scored "Sexiest Sci-Fi Guy" in a TV Guide poll), though, is beyond me. Nonetheless I'm starting to wonder whether this was the "real reason" the show was canceled: CBS was just constantly perplexed by a private detective show that wasn't really about solving crimes and catching criminals.
Comments
Wow, Mark. What a terrific article. You touched on so many points that we Moonlight fans feel strongly about. Thank you so much! I’ll be at the Moonlight Rally in Central Park on 6/14/08. Stop by if you are in New York. We’ll feed you!
Thank you for another great article about Moonlight.
Thank you Mark, we are all hoping for this fantastic show’s return.
Thank you Mark for this wonderful article. We Moonlight fans are a force to be reckoned with. Thanks for your positive information on Moonlight. Makes me feel alot better. Vampire Solidarity Rah,Rah,Rah.
Thanks Mark for your continuing support and I agree TNT would seem to be a logical “new home” for Moonlight.
Personally I’m hoping that TNT picks up Moonlight because they televise half the races of NASCAR and I would personally feel as if I had died and gone to heaven seeing a picture of Mick St. John all “vamped out” on the hood of either Dale Jr. or Tony Stewart…they’re my “boys!”
Now back to sending posty cards and emails!
Thanks again Mark!
Since when fan sites are reliable sources for anything?
It’s all nothing but wishful thinking on a part of a fan. I’m surprised and disappointed to see a wild unsubstantiated rumor posted as a “news item”.
Thank you for this article about this fantastic show. At the risk of sounding corny…there was something magical about Moonlight. A feel that no other show had and the characters were so real ..it just pulled you in…there was a procedural element to the show but the emphasis didn’t need to surround that..it was about the complexity of the characters and their relation with one another. I’m a huge TV fanatic but nothing ever stole my heart like Moonlight. I’m looking forward to the rally Saturday and being around fellow fans to encourage one another to keep fighting…we can’t let something this good go without a fight.
Thank you for the story on Moonlight and thank you for investigating the “true” reason for Moonlight’s cancelation at CBS. We fans know that ratings had nothing to so with this.
Hopefully TNT will pick up Moonlight. It is a great show and since TNT is all about drama Moonlight would fit right in.
Thanks for the insightful article. You ask many questions the fans have been asking. Moonlight was and is something special, and perhaps it’s no wonder the network had no earthly idea how to handle it. TNT would be a great fit, and I hope that move comes to fruition.
Absolutely on target. For all Tassler’s talk about wanting to increase female viewership, CBS has absolutely nothing on the fall schedule that will even come close to the draw of “Moonlight”. The fact is, every straight woman and gay guy I know took one look at Alex O’Loughlin and programmed “Moonlight” on their DVR. 9PM on Fridays is a black hole. Moonlight won its timeslot every time it aired a new episode. However, both Ghost Whisperer and Numb3rs have been unable to carry the timeslot since Moonlight left, loosing as much as 40% of their viewers in the 9PM hour.
Thanks for posting the article, Mark! You managed to cram a lot of vital info in there. Good stuff and thanks for the support of the campaign.
PS Lily, just so you know, the fearless leader of the Save Moonlight campaign, Leeser, has contacts who are close to those who are shopping the show around, and all major campaign efforts are only put into action once those people have been contacted by Leeser and she gets the word that it would be a beneficial move, so it’s anything but mere “wishful thinking”. Until we get word directly from Joel Silver that the fight is over, we’ll continue doing all we can to help find Moonlight a new home, and the word from his camp thus far is to not give up!
Mark – if I could I would hug you right now! Thank you for a wonderful article that focuses on so many of the points that are near and dear to the hearts of Moonlight fans.
CBS is incapable of handling anything “new” – pure and simple. If hey had given half the time and attention to Moonlight that they are giving to “some” of their new shows (that are unbelievably BAD) they would have had a hit that would rival no other.
I double that invite — if you happen to be in NYC come join us on Saturday – we owe ya at least lunch for such a great article.
Thank you so much for this article about my beloved Moonlight. This weekend, at the Dallas rally in Thanksgiving Square (11-4) I will be donating blood for the first time. It is important for people who are frowning on the efforts and persistance of the fans to remember how much good we are doing. It is not just about saving a TV show we love to us. It is about giving back and becoming better people. Many of us have given blood. Many of us have given money to food banks and disaster relief. Thank you so much for the positive comments in this article. It means the world to us!
Thanks Mark. This article really covers alot of what the fans are talking about. I appreciate your insightful comments about the real reasons CBS made this decision. It certainly boggles the mind why they let it go.
I will be at the Griffith Park Rally this weekend. If you are in LA, stop by for a bite (pun intended)!
Mark, thank you for this article. Moonlight has captured the hearts of so many viewers. It was a show that entire families watched and looked forward to -it had something for each member of the family. It was bringing families together and giving them something in common and to look forward to one hour of fantasy every Friday night. No other show has ever made me want to fight for it like this show does.
Mark, thank you very much for helping Moonlight fans to be heard. The show is simply too good to have been cancelled like it was. Many millions of us know this, and we won’t give up.
Again, thank you!
Thanks for the great comments and yep the fight goes on and now to TNT.. There will be Rallies all over Saturday the one in Dallas will be at Thanksgiving Plaza downtown Dallas… 8 million fans agree Moonlight is the best show going..
I can’t remember ever feeling as passionately about seeing a show return to the air as I do Moonlight. The fans that love this show are arguably the most committed and single-minded people I’ve encountered and their continued efforts to find a new home for Moonlight should be applauded.
Any network executive should recognize an instant audience when they spot one. Whichever network scoops up Moonlight for season two will make eight million people — and their advertisers — very happy this fall.
Nice article. Glad to see someone in the media is just as skeptical about Nina’s reason for canceling Moonlight as we fans are.
Thank you so much for the artical
Moonlight never deserved to be cancelled and CBS made a stupid mistake doing that. Again thank you Mark
Thank you for such a great article! I LOVE Moonlight and will write, phone or email any network willing to acquire this series. With the success of the Stephanie Meyers novels–including an upcoming movie you would think that networks would jump at the chance to get ahead start on this–and this series is wonderful. Yah, so is Alex, Sophia, and Jason in this series.
Thank you for an article that finally says what we, as fans, have been wanting to say!!!!! I could live with the CSI:Moonlight version, if it was offered, but how they can say they need something that draws more female viewers than Alex O’Loughlin is completely beyond me. As a previous poster state, one look was all it took to hook me!
THANKS FOR THE GREAT MOONLIGHT ARTICLE, AS A MOONLIGHT FAN I HAVE BEEN FIGHTING FOR MY SHOW, AS HAVE ALL THE OTHER FANS HERE AND WORLD WIDE. THIS ARTILE SHOULD GET THE ATTENTION THAT MOONLIGHT NEEDS. PLEASE IF YOU HEAR OF ANY INFORMATION PLEASE PASS IT ON TO US. MILLIONS OF US ARE ON PINE AND NEEDLES FOR ANY NEWS. THANK AGAIN FOR A WONDERFUL ARTICLE.
MOONLIGHT FAN 4 EVER
Thank you for the article, Mark. Moonlight really has touched the lives of people all over the world. We are coming together to fight for our vampires.
Ratings had nothing to do with why Moonlight was canceled. It was due to CBS wanting more CSI:[Insert Your City Here] and Two Guys and a Little Guy or whatever that show is called.
I haven’t watched CBS since May 16th after the last Moonlight episode ended. That is a promise I will be keeping, even though I LOVE Craig Ferguson and miss him. I have principles.
The source of this story is a single fan who claims to have had an arranged meeting with Alex O’Loughlin.
She popped up out of no where- never officially posting at Moonlightfans.com or Moonlightline.com before this.
There is no evidence and no official word.
Beware of the rabid fan that says “SEND US MONEY”
Thank You Mark,for the wonderful article, and Thank You for the respectful way you referred to the fans. I am one of the millions that are hoping to get a second season of MOONLIGHT.
To # 11:
So another fan who assumed the title “fearless [virtual] leader” TOLD you – then it must be true? Wake up and smell the coffee, it’s the internet, and under the guise of anonymity anyone can say anything! I can claim I had tea with the queen yesterday, but I expect the intelligent and skeptical reader to seriously doubt that.
Thank you so much for this article. Moonlight is indeed worth all the effort fans are expending to find it a new home. Even now after the cancellation, news fan who are emerging after watching episodes downloaded from Amazon etc. I believe that with a second season the show will continue to grow its fanbase and rightly so. It is a wonderful combination of great storytelling, action, drama and romance with a terrific cast and crew. Thanks again for the article.
Thanks, Mark, for the great article! You really hit the nail on the head re: Moonlight’s cancellation and its devoted following. How sad for CBS that they have managed to lose their connection with terrific actors such as Alex O’loughlin, Sophia Myles, and Jason Dohring. Many feel O’Loughlin is the hottest thing around since Brad Pitt – CBS is truly going to regret losing him, I think!
Thanks for helping to keep Moonlight “alive” online. You really managed to put a lot of info in there about the show and the fans efforts to save it. It means so much to all of us. Keep it up!!
Thanks Mark. We always appreciate your support and respectful treatment of the show. I hope all this hard word pays off and we find a new home for our show!!
Thanks again!!
Unfortunately the information attributed to the fan site Moonlight United is inaccurate.
There are no negotiations taking place between TNT and representatives for Moonlight.
Thank you for the wonderful article on Moonlight.
Thank you for a great article. CBS definitely dropped the ball on this great show. The CSI’s of the world are starting to bore me, and I’m a woman in the coveted demo.
Again, thank you Mark.
Mark, thank you for the article. Moonlight was a wonderful show that has brought many people together. Ratings have nothing to do with the cancellation of the program. Overall, after the writers strike, we had one of the lowest viewer losses, I believe it was somewhere between 3-5%, compared to other shows such as House and Desperate Housewives that lost over 30%.
There are fan worldwide in 37 countries across 5 continents – I am from England. The network who picks up this show would hit gold-dust.
ps. Lily, the internet and anonymity has nothing to do with it. Many people have met our fearless leader Leeser at the Moonlight Convention, we know who we are dealing with – and we trust her. She has done an amazing job and we are all grateful to her. She deserves all the recognition she gets.
Thanks for the great update and insights in this continuing mystery: What the heck was the Eye Network thinking when they staked “Moonlight”??!!?? Your support for the show and the fans’ efforts to save it is so very appreciated!
As a die-hard Sci-fi/Fantasy fan, I watched the first few episodes of “Moonlight” more out of loyalty to the genre than anything else. By the 6th episode however I was totally hooked, and by the 16th I had become a rabid fan. With Harry Werksman at the helm, I genuinely loved the story arc and couldn’t wait to see where they were taking the story next. The Network That Shall Not Be Named’s last minute abandonment of the show left me heartsick. Its subsequent treatment of the cast, crew and fans has me flat out angry.
There is so much good about this show – its amazing cast and crew AND its fans – that I can’t imagine a network not wanting to claim the show for its own. Be it TNT, SciFi, USA or another network, that network will have me – and my disposable income – for life.
#35: Don’t be naive. The tone of your post alone attest to serious personality cult going on. You attribute magnanimity to a person you don’t really know, even if you’ve met, who sounds to me like a cult leader, out to cement her control over the believers (and their purses). I know you may not want to hear this, but she can tell you anything. So you’ve met her once. Do you really know her intentions? do you really know whether or not she is “connected” the way she tells you she is? All you have is her word. She’s just another fan, like you. Beware of false hopes, of rumor mongers and of funds extractors.
A little bit of healthy skepticism is in order.
Thank you so much. this is the best article yet about Our MOONLIGHT. I’m glad you are looking into the real reason for CBS’ huge mistake.It is still a mystery to all 8 million or so of us. Keep up the good work.We owe you a debt of gratitude.I believe in miracles and MOONLIGHT!!!
Thank you, Mark, for telling it like it is. After having watched one episode of “Swingtown” with all the drugs, silly dialogue, threesomes, 70s free love, bad music, bad hair, bad writing…my conclusion is that CBS is just completely lost on what the viewing public really wants to see.
Moonlight fans are having rallys/celebrations all over the United States on June 14th, including at Griffith Park in Los Angeles and in Central Park in New York. We appreciate the hard work that went into the creation of this show, and we want to show it.
Thanks again, Mark!!
you hit the nail on the head. how can a show with such a huge fan base be cancelled over ratings. some of the more popular shows had way smaller numbers after the strike than moonlight but they were renewed. they cancel moonlight for swingtown and the exlist. nina said they teste good, who were they testing on? bring back moonlight.
Thanks, Mark, for the article. Instead of realizing it had a potential sleeper hit on its hands, CBS tried to remake Moonlight in the CSI image. When that didn’t work, they tried neglect-few promos, pulling reruns for 3 months,ect. When the core audience came back after the strike when many established shows lost up to 25%, suddenly the ratings weren’t good enough and they wanted shows that appealed to more women. Hello, Moonlight’s fanbase is 90% women. Doesn’t add up, does it?
On another front, I realize scams do exist on the internet, but I have met Leeser in person and seen her sources. A couple hundred people at MoonlightCon did. I’ve also where any money I have contributed goes. This effort isn’t a scam.
Thanks for the great article! I have many friends that will be doing the happy dance if another network picks up this great show!
Thanks. Great article. Still support the show. Waiting in the wings for some good news as I am sure are MANY, MANY, MANY (did I stress that enough?) fans who can’t attend rallies, or send mounds of postcards, although I for one applaud and thank immensely those that do.
great writing, great show. It deserves to live on. Any channel would greatly benefit from this show. It has millions of fans world wide and will bring in many more.
I would like to thank you again for the support you’ve shown Moonlight. This show has inspired a great many people to give back to their community and in fact to the world.
This show is not only a refreshing change of pace but the most entrancing romance I’ve seen in decades. You can’t make chemistry like Mick and Beth. I have never been so enthralled by a show or its cast. I want to know what happens to these characters for more than a season. A network really needs to respect their viewers because its their loyalty that makes them a success.
Interesting article as I was dumbfounded by the cancellation of Moonlight. One thing not mentioned was the People’s Choice award presentation in 2007. What is the point to these awards if fan choice isn’t considered? Here’s hoping that TNT is truly a possibility and not just smoke and mirrors. Thanks.
Thank you for that article. My Moonlight saga is pretty much on the order of everyone else’s: I saw the initial promo, fell head over Manolos for Alex O’Loughlin and I’ve been in love with the show from the first episode. However, let me share how this show has changed my life:I gave blood for the first time in 10 years, got tested for bone marrow, bought an LCD big screen, an I Pod Touch, changed cable company so I could have DVR,got involved with a group(a first), worked through a crippling depression, sharpened my computer skills (which were pathetic), got a tattoo etc. Living in LA, I know Leeser and I’ve spent time with her. I am proud to call her “Fearless Leader” and, frankly I’d walk through fire for her (and her wonderful genius son, Kevin). She has never lied to me, led me astray or demonstrated anything but the utmost integrity. We are a devoted bunch, this Moonlight tribe. We all know ratings had nothing to do with CBS jettisoning our show. It’s a shame they can’t be honest. I don’t know one person who’s EVER watched Big Brother and they promoted it like Jesus was a cast member. In a time of AIDS and STDs it is unconscionable to have a show about sexual promiscuity. And if CBS thinks I, or any other intelligent woman would prefer to watch a 30ish woman whine about wanting a husband as opposed to watching gorgeous Alex, they are truly and hopelessly mad.
I bow to you, Mark, for being on spot with your assessment. I personally feel disenfranchised by the Nameless Network due to being beyond the golden demographic. What twenty-something is even home on a Friday night? They’re recording it and watching over the weekend. We grand dames are the ones home watching (and loving every minute of it!) I and my disposable income are eagerly awaiting news of season two at a more progressive network! By the way, I am having a one-woman rally on Saturday in Jerseyville Illinois, T-shirt and buttons ready, as I have to work and cannot attend anything official. Already took a week off to attend the Con in LA! LOL! Oh, wait, I’m too old to do stuff like that!
Lily, you have every right to be sceptical. We all should be. But on this one you are dead wrong. I have spend time with this lovely lady. I have seen the Moonlight Showrunner and the Moonlight writers interact with her. Seen this with my own eyes. It was obvious they knew her very well and respected her. She has contacts with the show and has provided very accurate information. You may believe or not believe whatever you wish. But I personally will take this information and channel it into constructive campaigning to get Moonlight back on the air.
Thank you for the positive article. We are hoping and praying MOONLIGHT will be saved by somebody soon. We are working hard to help it happen. Every reason CBS has given for the cancellation has proven top be false. That they want more programs for women is down right hilarious. Every fan/viewer of MOONLIGHT I know is a woman! We may never know the real reason. I’ll bet they never expected the outcry and furvor of the fans. Or the bad publicity they’ve gotten.
Some smart cookie will save it and then we can all settle down and watch the saga of Mick, Beth, Josef, and even Coraline continue.
Thanks for a nice upbeat article, Mark. I hope the TNT venue will come into fruition, but if anything, it gives a boost to the battle weary tribe. The fans of late Moonlight show refuse the order of the evil eye to go away quickly and quietly and we have been organizing conventions, blood drives, food drives, bone marrow drive, fan campaigns after campaigns. We are stoked, you name the place and the Moonlight fans will be there with bells on. As a matter of fact, this weekend, the Moonlight fans have organized several picnic rallies all over the country to highlight our efforts to save Moonlight: New York’s Central Park, downtown Orlando, Portland, Dallas, Pittsburgh, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Thank you Mark for the information. Also thank you for saying what the fans have all been saying. CBS has not been honest with why they cancelled the show. As others have said we may never know the truth.
I really don’t care who picks Moonlight up just that someone does. Thank you again chosing to write about Moonlight and our fight to get it back on the air.
Thanks for your forthright and tell-it-like-it-is article. We fans are fighting to bring Moonlight back for a second season. The show is too good to sink into oblivion after a writers’-strike-shortened season. Yes, the P.I. stuff is important, and the crime fighting, but so is the mortal/immortal dichotomy and the love story at the heart of it all.
Barbara
Thank you, Mark for the nice words. I still can not wrap up my mind around why CBS would cancel Moonlight. Although ratings were modest for CBS standards it hold the same number throughout the whole season even after strike unlike the rest of the shows on CBS. And in December Mr. Moonves was pretty happy with those numbers and was ready to renew Moonlight. Just like Matt Roush said “CBS blew it”. Just like other fans are saying if they would give Moonlight half of the promotion the are giving to “Swingtown”, they would have hit on their hand.
I hope another network will pick our show. I love TNT and in my opinion it would be nice home for Mick and Co.
And to those who is telling us not to trust Leeser. Tell us something that you can proof, otherwise just stop trashing good person and leave her along. She organized ML con last month, adds in media, and we almost ready to see our billboard up. So I trust her. I see proof of her decency in the Variety and HR were she bought full pages of adds for money fans are donated.
Thanks for the this article, here’s hoping another network picks up Moonlight, We have our fingers crossed
that TNT is a hopeful prospect.
Nice article, Mark.
You mentioned “Chavez Park in San Francisco”
No no no, it’s the oother one in Berkeley Marina, across the Bay Bridge from San Francisco.
Irregardless of whatever else has been said, MOONLIGHT was the Peoples Choice Award Winner for new dramatic series with over 10 million votes. Now even if there are ways to vote multiple times for this types of things I can hardly imagine a few thousand people sitting there night and day voting to get those figures. I am a big fan of the show and I didnt even vote as before the end of April I was not involved in the online aspect of television. How many others are out there like me or for that matter even less schooled in the internet and have no idea the show was cut down way before its time? Thank you Mark for helping us to get the word out.
Thanks so much, Mark, for the excellent article. I keep seeing references to Moonlight fans as wild-eyed, drooling TV geeks, slaves to mind-controlling guru wannabees. On the contrary, every ML fan I’ve met has been intelligent, reasonable, well educated, and fully able to make good judgments about which things and people to like and trust. We are fervently devoted to the show, its stars, its wonderful writers and creators, and all the people behind the scenes who have made Moonlight the wonderful, stylish, romantic, exciting, different show that it is.
I have personally met and talked with four of the writers, including the show-runner of the last 4 episodes. I happily participate in charity, blood, and marrow drives in the name of Moonlight, and I have documentation of where my money has gone. I must say, there may not be a person alive who is more scrupulously honest than Lisa (affectionately known to us as Leeser), whom I have met and worked with several times.
Moonlight deserves a chance to continue, and we’re fighting for it to be given that chance. TNT, SciFi, HBO…I don’t care where it goes, I’ll follow it, with my sponsor-supporting dollars in hand.
Thank you Mr. Wilson for the information. I live in Mexico and I was a little confused about the real reason for Moonlight cancellation. I am 44 years old female and I love Moonlight! It is one of the few shows on TV today that is different. I love the mix of drama, mystery, action, romance, humor, and vampires. I hope TNT will acquire Moonlight.
Thanks SO much for this article!!
This show has all the qualities that a show needs for everyone to enjoy and to carry on for many seasons to come, it has romance, action, comedy, drama, style, beautiful people and much more.
Heres hoping TNT will pick up this more then worthy show!!
Vampire solidarity rah,rah,rah!
Thank you so much for the positive article. It is nice to know that we are being heard! If there were a rally ANYWHERE close to where I am I’d be there, but until then I’ll just keep writing postcards and writing blogs!
Great article and what a way to boost the moral of us fans even more. The fight goes on. SciFi might be missing out here but hopefully TNT won’t!
Thank you for seeing the fans’ side of this. We love this show, & we’re working our tails off for it. For CBS to cancel it with a consistent 7 to 8 million viewers is beyond comprehension.
No matter what CBS said, ratings was not the reason for cancelling Moonlight in my opinion.
Thanks so much for writing this article. Hopefully, you can find out what the truth is.
Thank you Mark for talking about our struggles to keep Moonlight on the air! I have never fought for a show before or even cared when one got canceled. Moonlight, its wonderful characters, and beautiful relationship is what got me (a 33 year old female) HOOKED!!! WE NEED ANOTHER SEASON!!
i would like to point out to Lindy that its not just gay guys who support Moonlight. We straight men also love the show!!!!!!!!
I especially like your last sentence, Mark!! You’ve unlocked our deepest darkest secret, Mark, it’s that God-sent leading actor of the show [pardon for the drool.] Heck, even if the network wants Alex to play a milkman or a mailman, I’d still be doing the fan thing and beg for a Season 2. Just make Alex wear his hair long, like Mick’s. LOL
Robert #66 sounds like something my husband would write. Guys would only say they’re watching ML to support their wives… He would never admit to my face but I KNOW he thoroughly enjoys it too.
Thanks so much for seeing this in a different perspective. CBS already has plenty of crime shows, there should have been room in the lineup for this action/romance/drama. It is a crowd pleaser with the ladies for sure. This one was a mistake. Moonlight deserves a full season to be fair…especially following the writers strike. The fans are organized to support this show.
I just got this bulletin via MySpace:
ACCORDING TO JONATHAN KATZ WHO IS SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF PROGRAM PLANNING AND ACQUISITIONS FOR TNT:
“NO ONE REMOTELY CONNECTED WITH MOONLIGHT HAS CALLED ME TO SHOP THEIR SHOW TO ME, AND I WOULD BE THE ONE WHO WOULD KNOW ABOUT IT.”
THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN HONEST MISTAKE AND PUTTING OUT COMPLETELY *FALSE* INFORMATION QUOTING “SOURCES HIGH UP” AND NEVER SHOWING PROOF OF ANY OF THESE CONTACTS!
THOSE SO QUICK TO CRITICISE OTHERS SHOULD LOOK AT THEIR OWN TRACK RECORD FIRST?????????
Thanks for the coverage. There are so many fans across the country and even around the world fighting to save this very special program. Whatever network would pick up Moonlight would have a built in fan base and even more – a grateful one that is very united and willing to show gratitude by promoting that network and purchasing products from its advertisers.
Why do I get the feeling that the negative comments are from CBS plants?
(Thank you!)^2
Brilliant article. You have definitely been keeping up with the Moonlight fans!
Thank you for you very insightful article regarding MOONLIGHT.
We fans will never give up trying to find a station smart enough to pick up this graet show.Cbs will not truly understand what they have done until the fall, but they will trust us.This is not a game or a threat,just a fact simply stated sometimes it pays to listen to and know you fan base before you rashly cut the cord,,,,,,
Thanks SO much Mark! This is a wonderful summary of everything we think. Your support of our campain is priceless. Would you please talk about the international appeal of our show when you decide to talk about it again? We international fans feel powerless, but we are also lots of people and this should interest American networks. Moonlight has that cultural semi-neutrality which allows us from all foreign origins to attach to it without reservations.
THANKS AGAIN!!!
Thank you so much for keeping up with this story Mark. It’s greatly appreciated by many! Hopefully you come to us fans with some good news soon of Moonlight being picked up!!
Thanks again
Wow! One of the best Moonlight articles I’ve read!
If you are an Australian Moonlight fan please visit the following website:
http://aussieslovemoonlight.yuku.com/
We are trying to organise rallies in the Australian Capital Cities and also an Aussie campaign vid!
#70 : Anon – So, are you telling us that Jonathan Katz sent out a bulletin to all of his MySpace friends denying any contact from Moonlight’s creators? Or someone else has had a personal response from him and has made the content of his private email public? Or perhaps someone just made it up and posted it in Mr Katz’ name? Let’s be honest, we don’t even know who YOU are – you sign on as Anon and we’re supposed to believe what you have to say?
Personally, I’ll stick with Leeser and the gals (and guys) of MoonlightLine, Moonlight-United, and the Moonlight Army. Everything previously posted at these sites has so far turned out to be reliable, correct information, so I’m not going to start disbelieving them now.
Lynette – a UK Moonlight fan
P.S. Thanks Mark for such a positive, thought-provoking article. It’s nice to see that people outside of Moonlight fandom are noticing the same discrepancies in CBS’ reasoning that we fans have been querying from the moment the cancellation news was leaked.
Vicky, #72, you took the words right out of my head. Why are these people on here and why would they care if they are not fans? Every person on here is adult and can determine whether they want to trust someone or not. We don’t need “mother” to tell us what to do, thank you. Think CBS is feeling some heat right now?
Moonlight is an exciting giant thrill ride as Mick said. Why would 8M+ American fans and an international following from 37 countries waste time on campaigning for a dud? Don’t think so. Thank you Mark for your supportive article and for saying exactly what the fans have been saying all along.
Keep those letters, emails and calls going everyone to get our great show back on TV!
I can’t wait to see the moon and hear those 3 little chimes letting us know we have a treat coming! You get everthing with this show. Sex (who thought a shower scene with clothes could be sexy), exercise (did you see those pull ups!) Humor (Mick calling Josef dad) and whatever else we find in this show!! I was hoping USA would pick it up because I love their marathons and I would love a Mick marathon on the weekends. At least we got a good article about it from you. Thanks!!
HEYY GUYS ,I`M FROM COLOMBIA AND I REALLY LOVE MOONLIGHT ,IF I COULD BE THERE IN CENTRAL PARK WITH U , I WOULD!BUT AS I CAN`T I REALLY HOPE YOU DO THE BEST TO KEEP MOONLIGHT ALIVE.
HERE IN SOUTH AMERICA LOTS OF PEOPLE LOVE MOONLIGHT AS MUCH AS I DO AND WE DON`T WANT IT TO DIE OR TURN IN A DIFFERENT KIND OF SERIE.LOVE MOONLIGHT!
Thanks for the uplifting articles, Mark, I’ve read all 3 of yours on Moonlight. You provided great insights into what the evil eye misread about the 8-million viewers.
Have fun at the picnics tomorrow, gang! Please everyone (except the spineless Anonymous), post some feedback on the following blog.
http://www.ibabuzz.com/tvfreak/2008/06/11/moonlight-fans-refuse-to-give-up/
Great article. Moonlight brought in 7-8 million viewers on CBS Friday nights and also won the time slot consistently. It won the People’s Choice Award for Best New Drama and lead, Alex O’Loughlin, won TV Guide’s Sexiest Sci-Fi Actor award. Alex’s charisma and acting talent is off the charts. What more do you want?
Mark, thank you. The article provided a good perspective into what the viewers want in a racy and non-procedural show like Moonlight.
Moonlight also reflects a growing audience in the gothic genre. Book publishers have known this for years. This genre is one of the fastest growing in America and shows no signs of stopping anytime soon. Finally the broadcast media is following suit with the making of Moonlight. I plead for your network to take Moonlight and continue your cutting-edge programming. I believe SCI FI will reap the rewards!
Many of the Moonlight fans are willing AND able to put their money where their remote is. Thousands have already done so by donating funds and blood to the Red Cross. They raised money to help a food bank in Los Angeles. They are also able to make your advertisers VERY happy indeed. Many fans have lots of disposable income that will have advertisers flocking to the
First of all, thank you Mark for this wonderfully positive article. I am a passionate Moonlight fan like my brothers and sisters here, and can’t thank you enough for giving us such Moonlight love! But you may be onto one of the main reasons we love it so much, and it comes in the gorgeous form of Alex O’Loughlin.
Secondly, Lily–as Suzanne posted above, you are certainly entitled to be skeptical, but if you would view this attachment: http://forums.moonlightline.com/viewtopic.php?f=169&t=8302 you will see that this is a panel discussion with 3 of the writer’s of Moonlight at the MoonlightCon held over Memorial Day weekend, with Leeser as the moderator. This is not a scam. It is just a bunch (um, 8 million or so) of fans trying to get our show back on the air. I wish you wouldn’t begrudge us our efforts.
Vampire Solidarity, Rah, Rah, Rah!!
For what it’s worth, TNT has specifically disavowed the Katz quote cited above, as not having come from that individual.
Well, it’s 2am on Sat. and Moonlight Detective just recanted the information they were given by Moonlightline and someone just fwd me an email from the writer of this artlcle (Mark), stating that the information related by Moonlightline in this story has been found to be false.
Show writers are not exactly “high up sources”. Quote me a source from WB or TNT and I’ll take notice. If I hear people saying that their “high up sources” have told them one more thing that turns out to be a false lead I’ll scream! First it was CW, then USA, then SciFi, Fox, FX, TNT; and the lemmings just eat it up and spend their time and efforts and considerable expense for someone who will have nothing to do if Moonlight isn’t picked up!
Whenever someone else happens to hear and report something before her she immediately responds by saying “I will be checking this out with my sources immediately” and then denounces it as false information!
Who checks HER rumors? Nobody DARES to!
Last night supposedly Alex was reported as having told a fan that Joel Silver was in talks with TNT; well, guess what? I happen to know FOR A FACT that no such statement came out of Alex’s mouth!
The fan who met Alex never said that he’d said anything about TNT. The only reason people knew she’d met him is because she had a photo of him and herself in her signature, so they asked her about it, (and she later elaborated that one of her friends knows him and set up the meeting for her). Her post just stated: “I have it on very good authority that TNT network could be interested in picking up Moonlight.” That info came from someone else, NOT from Alex, and is where this new PLAN B for our campaign originated.
Please renew Moonlight!! It is one of the best shows on TV. I am tired of the CSI stuff and this show has great writers and Nick is the sexiest man on TV. Please do not cancel Moonlight!!!!!!
#87 : Lacy Anne G. – Moonlight Detective have NOT recanted, they have CLARIFIED the position, which is an entirely different thing. I quote directly from ML-D website:
“In our excitement over the call to step up our efforts with TNT, it appears we caused some confusion in the ranks. To clarify, TNT has been added to our list of targeted networks based upon information provided by a member of Moonlightline, as well as a follow-up with one of our contacts who indicated that now would be a good time to increase our efforts with TNT. We have had no direct contact with anyone affiliated with TNT to confirm their interest in Moonlight, as such information is rarely made public during negotiations. We do apologize for any confusion.”
As stated above, nobody ever claimed that the suggestion to contact TNT came from “high up sources”. We are being *encouraged* to keep doing what we’re doing, and that is fighting to bring back a show that we love. If that means mass-mailing new networks every couple of weeks, then that’s what we’ll do.
As far as this e-mail from Mark, (nice to know someone has respect for private communication BTW) well, yes, if he’d been informed that MLL had said we’d been told officially that TNT were interested then that info would be false, but that claim has never been made.
As far as certain people’s “sources” go, people (not me as I’m based in the UK) have seen her interact with various members of ML’s crew – and not just the writers, so we know her claims are true. From your last comment, I assume you expect us to believe that you are in personal contact with Alex O’Loughlin? You may well be, but do YOU have any proof?
We are supposed to be fighting to get the show picked up by another network, not fighting amongst ourselves. If you don’t believe someone has a contacts close to the show then fair enough. Just please don’t cast aspersions on her integrity online. We’re supposed to be showing Vampire Solidarity!
Lynette (UK)
I don’t know why everyone is trying to explain something to people who are obviously only on here to 1- divide us or 2- don’t like us and only want to make trouble. To lily and Anon you can kiss my a$$. You aren’t worth my time.
Mark, you are the man. Your article mentions many of the things we Moonlight fans are saying.
Please God let TNT pick up Moonlight! The plot line for the show is so wonderful that we have to know more. I love Mick and Beth and need to see more of them.
Thanks so much for this! I wrote TNT already. I don’t get that channel but if it gets picked up I will find a way to watch it!!
Another great article, Mark!
I wish I had known about the Southfield, MI event before it happened; I would’ve gladly added one more voice to the Metro Detroiters who want Moonlight back.
I hope the TNT rumor is true, but judging from some of these comments it seems there is potential for a scam to be happening here.
Forgot to add:
It doesn’t surprise me to hear that the bean counters at CBS just didn’t know what to do with the show. No bean counter’s forte has ever been the whole “thinking outside the box” thing. This is an industry where everything is focus-grouped and homogenized to death, so of COURSE they want Moonlight to be just like every single other crime show out there, because the FORMULA has proven to work.
The rare times we DO get something really different, everybody else jumps on the bandwagon and starts doing it, too, or it gets cancelled, as in this case.
Gosh, I miss the good old days when networks like Fox still had guts and had a PURPOSE to do something different. (X-Files, anyone?) Even the old UPN and WB were sci-fi/fantasy/horror-friendly. After all, WB didn’t see the need to turn Angel into a walking, undead forensics lab, did they?
I am just disgusted by network television any more.
Thank you for a great article. I believe that CBS shot themselves in the foot with this one. I know I won’t be watching that network anymore. The fact that Moonlight was different was part of the attraction of the show (not to mention smokin’ hot Alex O’Loughlin)!!!
p.s. I agree with Aquarius and a lot of others’ comments. Meant to add that, but forgot.
Thanks, Patricia!
Mark–I’ve been thinking about this all day, and I had a question: along with all the great reporting you’ve given us on the crusade to save Moonlight, is there any chance you’d be researching whether or not there’s really a scam at work here? I think that knowing one way or another would set a lot of fans’ minds at ease.
Thanks.
Hi Mark,
I’m a fan of yours. Thank you for another great article on Moonlight, we need all the exposure we can get. Please please everyone can go and vote. Direct TV wants to see numbers.
THIS IS OUR MOONLIGHT THAT WE’RE FIGHTING FOR FOLKS! PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT AND GO AND VOTE AT MOONLIGHT LINE.
Here’s the link again:
http://forums.moonlightline.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=9676
(or)
http://forums.moonlightline.com/viewtopic.php?f=429&t=9676
both will lead you to the same topic and poll.
If you aren’t registered there please go to:
http://forums.moonlightline.com/
and you can sign up, if only to participate in the poll.
Thanks for this great article. You’re absolutely right that us, the fans, don’t want “CSI:Moonlight”. We want “our” show back. I can’t bear to think that we won’t win this fight, because it would just be such a kick in the guts – with all the crap that we have to put up with on tv these days, Moonlight was an escape, a breath of fresh air, a pure delight. It was special, and it was only just starting.
Over here in Australia it got NO promotion at all. I can’t remember even seeing one ad for it, and I only saw it by accidentally turning over to it on the first episode – and never changing the channel back! Since then it was a must-watch, and it still is – I can’t wait for the DVD to come out because we didn’t get all the episodes shown over here.
I love Moonlight, please please someone pick it up for a second season, do it right, and then sit back and let us flood you with ratings!!
This is a wonderful article and you can be reassured that all 8+ millino viewers, world wide, (You should see the web site from Aussie Land), will be right there to support our Moonkight if TNT will add our DRAMA to their drama list of shows. This is chemestry in the making, drama, romance, excitment, laughter and the characters/actors and writers are amazing. Moonlight Mic/Beth forever!!!!!!!!!! Bring back our Moonlight!!!
this was my absolute favourite show!!
im still freaking pissed they took it off!!!
i cant even buy the season set!! its out now but none of the stupid hmv stores have it out… cause they think its not popular enough… well everyone i knew loved it