Moonlight: Vampires on CBS

I've always been fascinated by the supernatural and stories featuring Vampires, Werewolves, Witches and ghostly apparitions...when a new TV show appears on the horizon featuring any of these unearthly themes, my interest perks up and I know I will just have to give the show a try.

In this new CBS Fall TV line-up the show Moonlight was one that caught my eye. Fortunately for me I had nothing else on my agenda for the time it would be aired.

This series is about a Vampire, a very cute one at that, whose name is Mick St.John, (Alex O'Loughlin), he's a private eye with a twist since he's about 90 years old, though he appears to be about 30. What happened to him on wedding night 60 years ago is not what commonly happens on that special of all nights...Instead of the usual sweet love-making he was expecting, his new wife, Coraline, turned him into a Vampire with her, not so sweet, blood-sucking kiss on his neck.

Now 30 years later, a perpetually 30 year old Mick, after much soul searching and struggling, has decided to use his power to help others and to find a way to survive without killing people for blood...He has a friend who works in a blood bank, who is able to supply Mick all of that life giving fluid he needs...He also has a good friend, also a Vampire, Josef, who introduced him to the Vampire citizens in L.A. Who would have thought there was so much bloodsucking going on in that Metropolitan California city...Anyway, to complicate matters, he is getting involved with a mortal woman, Beth, who just happens to be a reporter...she suspects something strange is going on so the plot thickened this week when she walked in on him as he was drinking, (gulp) from one of the plastic casings from the blood bank.

One of the best effects of the show, and there are many, are Mick's eyes, a clear, almost translucent whitish/blue when he's transformed....These eyes are what Beth saw in the last scene when he admitted to her he was a vampire. What will happen next?

Meanwhile Coraline is still around and not too happy with Mick's new interests... it also seems that there are quite a few vampires who frequent parties where there are willing guests participating in bloodletting rituals. Mick also has a few quirks that don't usually follow vampire stories, he sleeps in a freezer not a coffin, crucifixes don't bother him neither does garlic or holy water and he doesn't turn into a bat...He also has heightened senses, which allow him to hear very well, he can look into the future and he can jump from rooftop to rooftop without getting winded...

Mick had become a private eye and his dealing with criminals will be one of the focuses of the show, as it did this week when one really nasty guy, who knew Mick was a vampire, when he had him arrested years ago, tried in vain to kill him with all sorts of Vampire killing techniques after he researched what he would need when he got out of prison... Thankfully none of them worked or the show would be over now.

There was a lot of buzz about the show before it even aired, that the cast had been almost completely revamped as was the creative/production team, by the big kahoonas at CBS so hopefully that will insure the quality of the show.

Will I continue watching Moonlight? I'm not sure yet... Since I'm home often on Friday nights, I probably will...I thought the show was pretty interesting with good special effects and the story line does interest me, at least during this Halloween Season...I am hoping the changes that took place before the premier aired will have been worthwhile and it will hold my interest as well as the vast TV audience...Only time will tell.

The cast:

Alex O'Loughlin: as Mick St. John
Sophia Myles as Beth Turner: Mick's new love interest
Jason Dohring as Josef Konstantin: a centuries old vampire
Shannyn Sossamon: Coraline: Mick's ex-wife
Jacob Vargas as Guillermo: works in the morgue and steals blood for himself and Mick
Brian J White: Lieutenant Carl Davis

The show was created by Ron Koslow and Trevor Munson..

This is a CBS show and airs Friday Nights at 9:00 P.M.