Believe it or not, there was a time when Bruce Willis was a relative unknown. It was a time before “Die Hard” and way before “Demi Moore.” The first time I ever saw him was on network television. He had a role in an episode of “Miami Vice” (1984), which was followed by an appearance in an episode of the “New Twilight Zone” (1985), both of which were memorable in their own way. But it was during this time that his fame began its rise, as the series “Moonlighting” took audiences by storm. “Moonlighting” was easily one of my favorite shows from the 80’s, mostly due to the attitude and personality of its main stars. The main star at the time was Cybill Shepherd, who played ex-model Maddie Hayes. In the series pilot we learn that she has recently lost all of her money to a corrupt business manager. She is for all intents and purposes… broke. But she does still own some small companies that were kept to use as tax write-offs. Willis starred as David Addison, the head of one of these companies, a down and out detective agency.

When they first meet, sparks fly, but not the good kind. She intends to shut the company down, but he persuades her to keep it open with the promise that detective agencies can be very lucrative.

From the outset it was obvious that “Moonlighting” was like no other detective series. The stories were interesting enough as it was, but it was the banter between the two stars that made it popular enough to run for five seasons. During that time, it continued to gather even greater numbers of viewers, and shot down an age old formula in TV shows. In the past (and in most shows today), it was believed that if you had two characters with a strong sexual attraction, you had to keep them apart. In the case of Maddie and David, they were kept apart by the pretense that they couldn’t stand one another and constantly bickered to prove it. It was a no-no to ever get characters like this together to consummate the relationship, because then audiences would lose interest or the show would lose steam. “Moonlighting” broke that rule over halfway into its run, and the series continued to be as good and as popular as before.

I stuck with the show through all of its five seasons, and was really sad when it was finally cancelled. Of course, the good news was that Shepherd would continue to make good films and funny series, and Willis was starting his feature film career. Thankfully we didn’t lose either of these actors to obscurity, which is usually the case.

If you’ve never seen “Moonlighting”, I’m honestly sorry for you. It was groundbreaking in style and content, and was a constant source of entertainment. If you’re interested in seeing one of the great detective shows of the 80’s, Lions Gate is about to release both the first and second seasons in one 6-disc DVD set. The first season was made up of only 6 episodes (one of which was the 2 part Pilot), since it was a mid-season replacement, so it was easy to put the two seasons together in one set.

What surprised me was the quality of the extra features that were added to the set. There is a lengthy 2-part documentary all about the creation of the series, each part focusing on one of the seasons. This documentary is full of tons of information about the series and features a number of interviews with the cast and crew, including Shepherd and Willis. Many of them even take part in commentaries on some of the episodes, a move I found really surprising considering Willis’ stature in the film industry. But what a lot of fans will really find fun to watch is a featurette on the phenomenon of the series. This featurette takes a look at the shows popularity, not just when it originally aired but also in recent times, years after it’s cancellation.

There are those who felt that “Moonlighting” was not only one of the best detective shows ever, but one of the best TV shows. I’m not sure I agree with the latter opinion, but as far as detective shows go, it IS one of the best. The dialogue is terrific, full of often self-reverential humor. It was very much a character driven show, headed up by two extremely wacky characters.

Episodes:
Pilot
Gunfight at the So-So Corral
Read the Mind, See the Murder
The Next Murder You Hear
Next Stop, Murder
The Murder’s in the Mail
Brother, Can You Spare a Blonde?
The Lady in the Iron Mask
Money Talks – Maddie Walks
The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice
My Fair David
Knowing Her
Somewhere Under the Rainbow
Portrait of Maddie
Atlas Belched
‘Twas the Episode Before Christmas
The Bride of Tupperman
North by North Dipesto
In God We Strongly Suspect
Every Father’s Daughter is a Virgin
Witness for the Execution
Sleep Talkin’ Guy
Funeral for a Door Nail
Camille

Starring: Cybill Shepherd, Bruce Willis, Allyce Beasley
Extras: “Not Just a Day Job: The Story of Moonlighting, Part 1”, “Inside the Blue Moon Detective Agency: The Story of Moonlighting, Part 2, The Moonlighting Phenomenon, Select Episode Commentaries
Specifications: Full Screen
Studio: Lion’s Gate
Release Date: 5/312005
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give Moonlighting: Seasons 1&2 an A.