CBS Fall TV Preview - Moonlight : a Return to a World of Vampires

CBS has been hard at work making its newly anticipated paranormal series, 'Moonlight', and is getting it ready for the approaching new season in order for it to join other smash successes such as 'How I Met Your Mother', 'CSI', and other CBS shows that have had the network riding the gravy train to success as the Number 1 top-rated network. But, will 'Moonlight' join those ranks, or will it sink into adversity after a few years as many other shows of this type have done?

The show, which will have its premiere episode airing Friday, September 28th at 9 pm PST/EST, will take us into the world of Mick St. John, a private investigator who walks the streets at night protecting the innocent from criminals as well as others who would seek to do them harm, including his own kind. His own kind, you may ask? What, is he some sort of vampire or something? To answer it bluntly...yes. Mick is a vampire,(not a choice that he himself made after his wife converted him sixty years ago during their marriage), and has taken the job of private investigator to atone for the sins of his past and to help humanity stay safe from others that are like him who would not be as forgiving as he would. The first episode, entitled 'There's No Such Thing As Vampires', will introduce Mick as he is on the trail of a cold-blooded killer who has murdered several people very much in the way of what Mick identifies as a vampiric feeding as he sets off to catch the culprit and stop him from taking any more lives. But, things on the case become more complicated as a woman from Mick's past is seen mysteriously at one of the crime scenes. So, not only must he find who is commiting these slayings, he must also confront the woman and find out who she is and what she has been doing at the murder sites. That, and he's on the prowl of finding him a new girlfriend! Ah, the comlplicated life of being a vamp.

This series is being helmed by executive producers, Joel Silver (*whose credits are 'The Matrix' and the 'Lethal Weapon' series) and Chip Johanssen (* for him, it was the hit Fox series''Beverly Hills 90210' and 'Dark Angel'). Okay, so I'm hoping that maybe this isn't a combination of the two styles and we get another mishmash of teenaged angst while someone is sucking someone's blood? We can only wait and see what they have in mind!

The cast seems to be a varied lot, with Alex O'Laughlin taking the lead role as Mick. What we know about him is limited, but he is looking to be a bright and new shining face on the TV world, and a possible welcome one. At least to those of the fairer gender.

Here is what we know about Alex: Alex is originally from Canberra, Australia and studied acting at the National Dramatic Institute Of Dramatic Art in Sydney. He is now currently living in Los Angeles and has interests in motorcycles, rock climbing, playing guitar, and music. He has some film credits to his resume, including the hit crime series, 'The Shield', and an Australian series 'Mary Bryant'. He has done some film work, including the hit film 'The Hoilday' (starring Cameron Diaz) and another film 'Oyster Farmer'. He has other film projects slated for the year with such celebrities as Robin Williams, Terrance Howard, and Kate Beckinsale.

But, Alex will not be alone , as his supporting xast looks to be as fresh and new as he is, and undoubtedly, probably also as sexy. Sophia Myles, whom many may remember from such films as 'From Hell', a historical and speculative re-telling of the Jack The Ripper case starring Johnny Depp, and also 'Underworld', the supernatural thriller starring Kate Beckinsale, that dealt with a war between vampires and werewolves occurring in the shadows of the human world. Sophia is originally from London, and has in her past turned down an offer from the prestigious Cambridge University in order to act. She is also the daughter of an Anglican vicar. When she's not on set, she likes to ride horses, ski, and to swim. Her role in the series is as Beth Turner.

We now turn to our third cast member, Sasslyn Sossamon, who will be playing Coraline. Sossamon, born in Hononolulu and rasied in Reno, is a former dancer who turned to acting after being discovered DJing at a party in her early career. Her film credits include 'The Holiday', 'Kiss Kiss Bang Bang', 'Chasing Ghosts', and '40 Days and 40 Nights', just to name a few. When she's not acting, she writes music and is into photography.

Our fourth and final cast member, Jason Dohring, will play Josef. Doring is married and lives currently in Los Angeles, but born in Glensdale, California. Doring is an expert skier and also enjoys other activites such as boxing, golf, and snowboarding. He has starred in such series as 'JAG', 'Roswell', 'The Division', and others to his credit.

While the message boards at the official website of CBS have been buzzing in anticipation of the premiere, I do have a concern: The concept is not very original. The vampire-protecting-humanity-in-a-law-enforcement-field has been several years ago, with the TV-movie, 'Nick Knight', starring 80's father of modern rock and former 'General Hospital' soap hunk, Rick Springfield. This movie also spawned the late-night series 'Forever Knight', with replacement star Geraint Wyn-Davies as the vampire cop, who was not only in a battle to save humanity as well as himself, but was also at constant odds with those of his kind, including his creator, the vampire leader LaCroix. While this series was short lived, it still is remembered in the minds of cult fans that were fervent about the series when it was on.

But, where 'Moonlight' may be able to stand alone against that sort of humdrum is with O'Laughlin, whom from what I have seen is a very capable actor. From the TV sneek peaks that I have watched, he carries off the role of Mick with flair and passion. He shows that the character still has his humanity about him. But, unfortunately, even with that angle, it has been done. We cannot forget the WB's 'Angel', the spin-off series to the popular 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer', starring Sarah Michelle Gellar. 'Angel', which had David Borneaz in the title role, was a vampire with a soul that turned into an investigator in the hopes of getting his humanity back. If this is to truly work, O'Laughlin is going to really have to work hard in order to make Bormneaz's vampire alter-ego look bad compared to his character of St. John. He will have to make Mick satnd apart from other television vampires, and make him more identifiable to his viewers.

The stories are also going to have to be fresh and modern in order for this series to survive. They are going to have to tackle issues from every angle from Mick's attitude towards what he is to how he reacts to others that are like him and how he views humanity. Luckily, the writers have thrown in a few extras that do set Mick St. John apart from other televison vampires, and hopefully these will at least help.

For one, Mick doesn't sleep in a coffin like other vamps. He actually sleeps in a deep freezer that is coffin-shaped because he likes the feel of the cold. Second, Mick when he needs a drink, he doesn't go dowm to the local bar and get something. He actually goes to a blood bank and buys a six-pack of blood if he needs it! Now, that alone, shows me that the writers had some ingenuity when it came to stuff like that, as it shows me that they could also blend tongue-in-cheek humor with a series that deals with dark material such as this.

But, with all things considered, we still have to wait for the premiere on September 28th to see what happens. I am hoping myself that 'Moonlight' will be able to cast a large shadow on others that have come before it. While I was never a fan of 'Buffy' or 'Angel' myself due to its sophomoric antics, teenaged angst, and high-school style silliness, I am hoping that this series will carry the same edge as Hewitt's 'Ghost Whisperer', which always keeps its stories taught and full of suspense. Mick St. John hasd a lot of shoes to fill and I am hoping that this series will meet with great success. May the moonlight shine, and may Mick St. John truly show us the intimate, (yet at times), complicated life of a vampire!

For more information on the series, cast, and other things, go to http://www.cbs.com for more details.