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Fred,

You’re absolutely right. Moonlight was a beautifully crafted show – well written and acted with rich, engaging characters. Yes, it was a genre show, but that certainly doesn’t make it bad! It had a wonderful, angst-ridden romance between the two lead characters (Mick and Beth), humor and snark (especially from Mick’s best friend and fellow vampire, Josef), knock-down/drag out vamp fights, evil ex’s, and even some investigative cases. And if you’re a fan of the technical side of things, check out the incredible cinematography and film noire shots.

The fanbase was across the board, but largely female. Fans online ranged from early teens to septagenarians, with the majority in the 25-50 range. In otherwords, female heads of household – exactly the demographic CBS says they want to attract.

So the question still remains – do we miss Alex O’Loughlin, Sophia Myles and Jason Dohring or do we miss Mick, Beth and Josef? ALL of them. The characters and the show as a whole grabbed us and we became devotees. Because of that, we started to dig into the backgrounds and other work done by the three leads and became fans of theirs as well.

Yes, we’ll watch other things these three do. But I guarantee you….we’d vote hands down to see them in Moonlight rather than other miscellaneous generic junk.

We miss our Moonlight.

Fred,
Thank you for the interesting article. I am a Moonlight fan, was totally hooked after the fourth episode, Fever. Do I think that Alex O is handsome? Of, course! But I fell in love with Mick St. John, his co-horts and their wonderful story. Moonlight’s ageless themes of fate, secrecy, love, betrayal, and friendship made it a classic in its own right. I couldn’t wait for Friday night to come and I have NEVER felt that way about a television show!

The fans were slammed by Ms. Tassler. She laughed at us when she announced that the show was canceled (at the May Upfronts). Now she further attacks us with her inane remark about the fans being actor-centric. She is truly off the mark, as you have so clearly pointed out.

Hopefully another network will consider Moonlight for a mid-season replacement. We would welcome a direct to DVD as well! There is just so much more story to be told!

And as for Jericho, I just received the complete DVD and am looking forward to watching it. Smart TV never goes out of style!

You are absolutely right, Fred. What’s the point of dissing fans for being fans, cause that’s what Nina Tassler did. We want Mick St. John back, and Beth and Josef and Guillermo and even Coraline… you get the picture. Nina basically says the response was just about the actors. A few sentences back she complained there was not much response at all. Something is fishy here. We know for a fact that many fans have been writing to save their show since November! When it got cancelled and Nina said she would never listen to the fans, they stopped mostly because of that.
Nina has a very let’s say unique way to defend CBS decisions. You could also call it inconsistent, insensitive and insulting. So, Nina is “in”. In trouble.

For the first time in several years I was finally drawn back to regular television viewing by the CBS drama Moonlight. Finally, something on television that encompassed the total package: drama, fantasy, talented acting, and a flowing story line that drew the viewer in; making them care about that happened to the leading characters. Sadly, as with all things that make sense, and have the potential to grow, CBS canceled Moonlight.

I never knew who Alex, Sophia or Jason were before this show but I will now support them in their careers. I watched Moonlight for the story line and then fell in love with each of the characters.

So I believe Ms. Tassler is incorrect in her assessment of the fans loyalty. We love our actors/actresses but we love them even more as stars of our show!

When I first saw Moonlight I was fascinated by it because of the vampire genre. I had been a vampire fan since I was a kid (Dark Shadows, Bella Lugosi’s Dracula, etc…)and I’m now 46 years old and found the genre extremely sexy and mysterious…wanted to know if there were vampires that actually existed. While watching Moonlight, I fell in love with the stories that the show began to tell but unfortunately due to the cancellation would never see fruition. I loved the love between Mick & Beth, the friendship between Josef & Mick (they are two characters that you would never see being friends…such an Odd Couple, but are the best of friends…would “die” for the other), the “snarkiness” of Josef and that he loves being a lover and not a fighter (and he’s a vampire), the friendship forming between Beth & Josef, the love between Josef & Simone, the start of a friendship between Beth & Simone, etc… Yes, I admit, that Alex O’loughlin did ooze sex appeal but so did Jason Dohring, and Sophia Myles, and lest we not forget Shannyn Sossamon…she portrayed Mick’s crazy ex wife Coraline who in the end had a heart…she is sexy personified. Nina Tassler is wrong. She just wanted to cancel the show and wanted to find a scapegoat to justify her cancellation.

If all we were interested in was Alex O’Loughlin, why would fans fight for the show itself? We would be out promoting Alex alone for a new project. We love the ensemble cast, the storyline, the wonderful romance and humor of Moonlight. Alex is the lead, and of course a lot of attention is centered on him; that’s only logical. But he’s by far not the only reason we watched Moonlight.

Ms. Tassler has yet to come up with a logical reason for canceling a popular show, and on top of that has put in its place an offensive show about drugs, threesomes and crass behavior that is tanking in the ratings. Apparently it is too much to admit that her network has made a grave error in canceling Moonlight, so she dismisses the people who watched CBS as “actor-centric”. I’m sure other networks will be glad to take on the 8 million fans she does not feel CBS needs.

Thank you Fred and for the record, I cared for the show, the actors, and the characters. I also cared for the crew, the writers, the directors, the producers and show-runners. I also cared for the people in need when Moonlight fans donated to the LA Food Bank and I cared for people who depend on blood when I’ve and other Moonlight fans donated to the Red Cross in the name of Moonlight.

And to this day, I’m still perplexed why Ms. Tassler made this statement. The only reason I could come up with is that her first explanation as to why Moonlight was cancelled, the ratings were too low, is coming under fire and you know the saying; “the best defense is a good offense.”

I also suspect that the recent news of Twilight and True Blood might have made recent corporate meetings at CBS very interesting. Picture it…

TPTB at CBS: Nina. Have you read in the trades that critics are saying that Twilight will be the next Harry Potter and our sister network Showtime’s rival HBO will be airing True Blood this Fall? Good work Nina in having the foresight in green-lighting Moonlight.

Nina: But…But…err…But…I’ve cancelled it.

TPTB at CBS: You did what???

Nina: Don’t worry. We have Swingtown!

What confounds me more than Ms. Tassler’s statement is, from the accounts I’ve read, that no journalist questioned her further. The sad truth, Moonlight was not a “critic’s darling” It’s just my personal opinion that it was the journalists who didn’t care about Moonlight nor its fans. They didn’t care enough to pin Ms. Tassler down on her, as you rightly pointed out “cheap shot.” And I guess you missed an account that I read in which Ms. Tassler said, and I’m paraphrasing, that Moonlight fans didn’t campaign as well as the Jericho fans. Nice try lady, but I’m not going to be baited into a manufactured competition to take the heat off your decisions.

And Fred, let me be the first to let you in on a potential NEWSFLASH…I believe a network is interested in Moonlight. Once I get the official word, you’ll be the first to know.

Maybe it’s both! They want their vampire back but if that’s not going to happen they want Alex O’Loughlin back! We can’t know what Tassler’s mail said, what she saw of it that is. Or it could be spin, who knows? Bottom line is MANY want O’Loughlin back however we can get him! Nothing wrong with that!

I didn’t start watching Moonlight because Alex O’Loughlin was in it. Heck, it wasn’t until the show had been on for a month that I could recall his name off the top of my head. I watched Moonlight because of the stories, the acting (of all the performers) and the wonderful combination of emotion and humor in the writing. Given the fact that I’ve written to CBS a number of times to express my feelings about Moonlight and I’ve seen a number of letters others have written I have to say that I’ve yet to see one that was actor centric. I believe Ms. Tassler may be, once again, manipulating the facts a bit.

Thank you so much for this article,And I have to say that yes, Fan’s Love Alex O’loughlin He was the lead in this amazing and wonderful show,But to say that Alex was the only reason fan’s loved this show was just plan stupid or ignorant on Nina Tassler’s part.Does she know her viewers at all? Is anyone doing research for her? I have to say No to both question’s.fan’s loved this show for the humor, action, romance,friendhip,acting ,writing,fantastic cast and because it was a breath of fresh air from everything else on television,I have not watched television since May 16,and like someone else said none of the new fall show’s even look half way interesting,Well In my Opinion with Twilight hitting the theater’s in Dec and tru blood on HBO in the fall CBS has really missed the boat on what will be the year of the vampire,They had Mick St John and Josef Konstan and would have been credited with leading the vampire craz but they through it out the window when they canceled Moonlight.

Fred, you are so very right about what Nielsen reporting being very inaccurate and that good quality programming suffers because of the out dated ratings system. The Nielsen system fails to take into consideration the fact that many people download shows on Itunes or Amazon also. I am just one of the many fans of Moonlight that was not counted because I am not a Nielsen viewer. Many people have watched Moonlight on Itunes or Amazon downloads and are not counted by the current rating system in place. There needs to be a system that accurately reflects the viewing trend of everyone, not just the people that are Nielsen families.

Fred-

Thanks for writing this article. I just wanted to add that the sets were taking down and stored in May. They kept the sets up to allow the tour of Moonlight fans to see them, then they put them away. They are not destroyed.

Thanks for the article Fred! Its about time someone else questioned Nina Tassler’s comments about the cancellation of Moonlight. Her spin tactics just don’t add up.
Her comments about the fans being “actor-centric” are incorrect. I originally caught just a part of the show at a neighbors house then made sure to watch a full episode the following week. I was hooked. As a fan of the genre, it was a different take on what has been already offered on tv. I didn’t know who any of the actors were by name but thought they all had great chemistry together. I even downloaded all of the episodes from Itunes to get caught up. I eventually did my own investigation online at the CBS site and other fan sites to find out more about the show and its actors. I eagerly looked forward to every Friday night and once again became a regular tv viewer. I was shocked when the show was suddenly cancelled at the end of the season. Anything I read online via entertainment news felt renewal was a shoe-in. And I,like so many other fans took to calling, emailing and snail mailing to request CBS to reconsider their decision to no avail. Eventually, those efforts became refocused to start contacting other networks to pick up the show. I want CBS to understand that our efforts are not just about one particular actor of the show but the WHOLE show. Moonlight offers so much on so many levels, CBS doesn’t even understand the interest, popularity, love for of one of their own shows. Try as they may with their comments to cause a rift between the fans,but it won’t happen. The tribe just keeps getting bigger, stronger and more determined to prove CBS wrong.

Fred, you hit the nail on the head. I couldn’t have said it better myself. We the fans of Moonlight have been fight for another season of Moonlight since before the official cancellation. The show was “on the bubble” for months, as they say in the business. Alex wasn’t “on the bubble”. Our cries have been “more Moonlight please”. We gave from our hearts. We donated money, food, toys and even our blood, all in the name of MOONLIGHT, not Alex. But Ms. Tassler didn’t seem to hear us. She only saw and heard what she wanted to see, to bad it was the wrong thing.

Fred first off I want to thank you for the article, As a Moonlight Fan who has been in the trenches so to speak actively campaigning to bring Moonlight back I”d like to enlighten on one thing reguarding the sets. Then I’ll get to Nina Tassler’s remarks

The sets bring struck is old news for fans of the show and here is why MoonlightCon 2008 was held in LA that same weekend which was Memorial Day Weekend that thet sets were being struck but They were stored and photos were taken so that if the show is picked up by another network they can be re-created.The reason that this is old news to us because many of the fans were in LA for the con and did get the chance to go to the Warner Brothers studios where they did get to tour the Moonlight Sets. We also knew that the soundstage been booked by which is not uncommon.

My personal opinion is once again Nina Tassler is trying to justify her decsion to cancel Moonlight. First she blamed it on ratings now she is trying to turn it around on the fans which is utter BS and she knows it. But I have to ask what world is she living in ? My God is she that delusional ?

I have just one question If Moonlight is dead why do you people keep writing about it and why does Ms. Tassler keep bringing it up ? Could it be that we are making an impact ? If that is indeed the case are you listening ? I’m guessing the reason she made the comments to begin with is because we as fans must be making an impact and she doesn’t want to see or hear anything about Moonlight because it’s an everyday constant reminder that she made a mistake. Which is something she will not ever admit to so she is trying to divde the fanbase. Nina knows that we are out here and that we are not going away.

Over the weekend I read Nina Tassler’s comments and I took great offense to her comments about the Moonlight Fans Campaign efforts to save the show being actor-centric in regards to our efforts to save this amazing show and she couldn’t be more wrong.

I along with other fans have been out in the trenches so to speak fighting to save this show for several months now I will continue to do so.

Like other fans I have been riding this roller-coater of huge ups and downs ranging from the words of a definite renewal right down to the sudden and unexpected cancellation and through it all never once did I hear that we were fighting to Save Alex O’Loughlin.

Granted Alex O’Loughlin is the central and integral part of the show because he is the lead actor in the leading role and he brings the character of Mick St. John to life with his amazing talent. But that being said is not what Moonlight is all about and it is not the only thing that endeared Moonlight to us. Moonlight to us is not just Alex O’Loughlin as Mick St. John, But it’s also Jason Dohring as Josef Kostan, Sophia Myles as Beth Turner, David Blue, Jacob Vargas, and the rest of the cast of recurring characters everyone of these actors brought their characters to life and & had great chemistry with one another which is a rare exception.

Moonlight to us is also the shows writers, because without them we wouldn’t have the great storylines that we have come to love & miss. Moonlight is also the shows creators & showrunners Trevor Munson & Ron Koslow, Harry Weksmen & Gabrielle Stanton. Moonlight is the entire mixture of the cast, the crew, the writers, etc. Everyone of them working together is what made Moonlight great.

Many of us have families, successful careers and have made the time to fight for Moonlight because of an unjustified cancellation. We have literally given our time, money and blood in the name of Moonlight, because I happen to be a proud of the accomplishments we as fans have made so far and still continue to make in our fight to save this great show.

First off we are fighting to save a show that we believe is worth saving and deserves a second season. Fans of of Moonlight have done alot and still continue to do alot in support of Moonlight and it’s Cast,Crew and Writers.

By that I mean that Moonlight Fans have banded together not only here in the USA but with other fans from around the the world in other countries. How have we banded together well here is how first of we all came together by raising money within a 72 hour period to place ads in The Hollywood Reporter and Variety on Memortial Day Weekend. There are billboard ads coming out in July in LA, Taxicab ads out in NYC and print ads coming out as well in the LA Times, New York Times. Back in on May on Memorial Day Weekend fans who were in LA for MoonlightCon 2008 even had a support rally outside of the WB studios, Moonlight Picnics & Rallies were held the weekend of June 14th at various cities across the USA in a show of solidarity & support for Moonlight & it’s Cast & Crew. Fans have also showed their continued support also by making blood & platelet donations to the Red Cross, signing up to be tested to be bone marrow donars and doing charity blood drives in the name of the Moonlight and even trying do what we can to help the victims of the cyclone in Burma, and most recently trying to help out the victims of the Midwest Floods and Tornadoes, etc At the MoonlightCon 2008 there was a charity auction held in which $6500.00 was raised and all of the 6500.00 when to buying I believe it was 3500 lbs of food items which was donated and hand delivered to the LA Food Bank by Moonlight fans.

These acomplishments are not actor-centric. Moonlight Fans have shown that we are in this for the long haul, we aren’t going anywhere. We will not give up, we will not surrender and we will not let Moonlight die.

As for CBS, well I have blocked it from my home because of the poor treatment that CBS gave to Moonlight’s cast,crew,and it’s fans, and because Ms. Tasslers comments & treatment of Moonlight Fans.

Dear Fred,
I’ll try to be succinct in my response, since others before me have said is so well. But, you have completely and totally summarized the fans position with Moonlight. We adore Alex – as Mick. For the purposes of the show, the two are indistinguishable.

Nina Tassler is, as usual, being completely disingenuous and trying to tap-dance her way out of the horrendous and cosmically stupid decision she made to cancel this spectacular show. Moonlight was a stand-out because it wasn’t just another formulaic CSI-style show. No matter how much I admire Mr. O’Loughlin, no matter how much Nina Tassler hopes for it – I and the other Moonlight fans will NOT follow him into a show like CSI. It’s simply not appealing. This is more idiocy like Tassler’s proclamation that since the viewers are largely women in this block of time, then we would want to see more women in the shows, like the forthcoming Ex-List. I still laugh when I think about that. Would I, a 30yr old woman, want to see the uber attractive Alex O’Loughlin? Or another woman my age with the same crap problems that I’m trying to escape when I flick on the television? It’s really quite breathtaking how wide CBS is from their mark. I could pray for their new shows to crash and burn, but they’ll do that all on their own. CBS could not have done more to deserve their upcoming failure – and the Moonlight fans will be celebrating it.

All of that said – thank you from the bottom of this Moonlight-loving heart for spotlighting the idiocy at the heart of this tragedy.

VSRRR!

Nice article Fred, thanks for pointing out Tasslers attempt to justify the Moonlight cancellation. For a new show, only aired on Fri. night it had a great start. A second season on a better night would have earned CBS a solid hit. But Tassler didn’t give it a chance and now she’s trying to cover her “mistake”.

I tuned in at first mainly because I like vampire shows and movies, I stayed because the show was wonderful…great writing that didn’t insult my intelligence and maturity, a beautiful cast WITH acting talent, a great story of true love, friendship along with just the right mix of action and a touch of clever humor.

Does that sound actor-centric?
Yes Alex is hot and nailed the role of Mick perfectly. Jason and Shopia also gave life to Josef and Beth, they all had such great chemistry, which helped make Moonlight the best show on TV in a long, long time. But it wasn’t the only thing.

I loved everything about the show, not just one actor.

Fred, As someone commented you really should see the show to get an idea of why we are so passionate. I would suggest seeing the first four episodes as it gets better with each one. By the end of the fourth episode you are really sucked in to Mick and Beth’s world.

I read thru the comments and I will have to agree with what my fellow fans are saying. There is not too much on TV that I truly enjoy but Moonlight is one of them. We are promoting Moonlight and it was fortunate to have great actors/actress. I have enjoyed many shows that have been cancelled – Men in Trees for example but I am not out there fighting for the show like I am with Moonlight. I am not bashing CBS for their decision but they should take responsibility and just fess up that they made a mistake. Don’t put blame on the fans and say we are not true fans. Nina-if you are reading these comments-maybe you should have a meeting with the “fans”!!.

Thank you for an article that talked about the show Moonlight, of which I am a devoted fan. A fan of the show not just an actor. Alex O’Loughlin is a great Mick St. John, but he would not have been without the other cast members, and the wonderful writers that brought him to life. I have always been a fan of the vampire genre, and found this show to be a wonderful way of bringing them to life. I predict that this genre will continue to be “hot”, especially if the Dark Shadows moveie is made with Johnny Depp as Barnabas. Ms Tassler had a winner and she threw it under the bus. TPTB at CBS will miss the revenue the show would have generated as it grew. Another network will reap the benefits.
8 million fans can not be wrong!!!

Fans are addicted to and love Moonlight for the story and the characters. Yes, the great actors do make the characters, but we as fans love Moonlight and everything about it. It is the finest TV romance that I have ever watched and I am deeply disappointed about not seeing the story continue. It is disturbing to see that a TV executive can be so out of touch with viewers. I don’t know Nina Tassler personally so I can’t comment on her personality, but can say that I feel she may not be correct person for the position she is filling at CBS. She has done her network a great disservice. Personally, I can say that I have not viewed any shows on CBS since the last episode of Moonlight and have no intentions of tuning in again unless Moonlight returns. As a viewer, I am tired of the continuous turnover of shows that never really get the opportunity to evolve. I long for the days of MASH and Friends when the stories were told in multiple seasons and the storylines were finished with an announced big finale. The way of TV today is only serving to have viewers tune out and go back to reading. It truly is a shame.

When Moonlight was first being put together, there was a completely different cast. It was obvious that Alex was the right guy as the lead, but the other 3 actors didn’t click with him. They were fired because the chemistry wasn’t there. The 3 lead actors who replaced them, Sophia, Jason and Shannyn, together with Alex had extraordinary chemistry. You can’t fake it,manufacture it, buy it or force it. It was just there. I’d never heard of any of the 4 leads before Moonlight. I watched because I like the vampire genre. What I didn’t expect was to fall in love (from the first episode) to the point of obsession. I’ve given my time, money and blood in honor of this show and I’ll keep doing it as long as it takes to get it back. No one likes to make mistakes; Tassler has not only made a big one, she compounds it with rudeness, evasion and crass lies. We fans will never know the real reason this show was canceled: the story changes weekly and not a reason has been true or made sense. CBS has shows with half the ratings of Moonlight that it has renewed over and over; we are globally still experiencing an AIDS epidemic but Tassler thinks the time is right to have a show like Swingtown. Oh good: sexual promiscurity on TV. Great, let’s compare our STDs. And the Ex-List? Why in God’s name would someone think that women want to see an unattractive 30 something female scrounge through her ex-boyfriends because she’s desperate for a husband? A woman who, in 2008 is consulting a fortune teller about her life decisions? Are they insane? There is nothing on God’s earth that is appealing about that premise.
Moonlight brought magic, humor, drama and romance to millions of lives. I loved these characters–all of them. I looked forward to Friday nights and without Moonlight now, I feel absolutely bereft. Look I don’t know why this show affected me as it has. There are lots of good shows, but none–NOT A ONE–has ever prompted me to donate my rare B+ blood or get tested for a bone marrow registry as Moonlight has done. This show has changed my life. I am a better and happier person because of it. When I say “Bring back my Vampire”, you can be assured that I mean “MOONLIGHT”.

Fred, it’s nice that you’ve provided a sounding board for the wounded moonlight fans. It’s just too bad that this won’t stop them from bombarding every message board of every article ever written!

I miss Mick!!! For me, it’s all about Mick and Beth and the romance!!! I wish Alex well, I really do, but I want to see him as Mick. Yes, I love my vampire, Ms. Tassler, but his name is MICK, not Alex!!!

I feel sorry for Alex reading some of these comments! How about loving him as him? As a talented actor who made your favorite show come to life! He needs to move on with his career, hard as that is for you to hear.

Ashley,
Please don’t take this as being snarky but I just felt I needed to respond to your post.

As an avid Moonlight fan I have come to know Alex and love as Mick St. John. I feel that I know Mick as a person (or vampire), it feels as if I get an insight into his character.

As for Alex himself, he seems like a great guy from what I have read, but do I actually know him? No. From what I gather I think that he prefers his anonymity. I do wish him well in everything that he does but I would be lying if I didn’t say that I wanted to see him in Moonlight more than anything else.

Thanks Fred for your article and comments. I have to echo the sentiments of the other Moonlight fans, because this show is a fresh, intriguing, take on an old genre. The writers and producers have managed to transform a classic, Gothic, tale with its suffering, damaged, main character and add fascinating dimensions to his salvation. Because Mick St. John’s misery and brooding would be sterile without the love and acceptance of Beth and Josef, we (the fans) fully understand how necessary they are to this story, as are all the other characters. The entire premise of Moonlight is based on the character’s reactions to each other and the modern complications of these relationships. I do believe this show had a large viewership that could not have been accurately measured with our current but antiquated rating system. So, to address your comment about CBS not wanting a strong fanbase in Jericho or Moonlight, they don’t have any real idea how many people are watching these or other shows. Since so much money is spent producing and sponsoring shows, greater accountablity is certainly warranted. I applaud the efforts of the fans of both shows, and I hope that CBS will realize that all this dissension and unrest can only mean loss of revenues and reputation. Somewhere along the way, CBS and other networks lost sight of one of the main reasons television has been welcomed into our lives: it is for entertainment. If so many consumers (fans) are entertained by a show, and they consider it a quality offering, why would the choice to remove it be made? Where is the accountablity? What recourse do the consumers have? In this situation, CBS has the perfect opportunity to admit they misjudged the popularity of Moonlight, and tell the millions of viewers that they understand the grievous mistake that was made. I am certain that the fans would much prefer watching and promoting their favorite show, Moonlight, to disrupting their lives fighting to bring it back.

For god’s sake, shut up about Moonlight.
It was a mediocre show, with a hot lead actor.
Stop acting as if it was a groundbreaking show, with great ratings. CBS was well within it’s right to cancel that nothing of a show.
Make fun of “crime drama” all you want, but when CSI first came out it was like NOTHING on tv.

Go kill yourself with this Moonlight blather.
Stop trying to get your ass kissed by looney ML fans.

Thanks, Fred, for pointing out that often what CBS execs say just doesn’t make sense. Does it make sense to cancel a show that wins its time slot, despite being pre-empted by Garth Brooks, Celine Dion, and The Price Is Right for weeks at a time? A freshman show that returns with its audience when other established shows (CSI) lose up to 37% of their audience after the writers’ strike. With the wave of new vampire projects that anyone in the entertainment business should know about-Twilight,True Blood,Dark Shadows-it would seem the smart thing to do would be to give Moonlight a true season with better promotion to grown on its lead rather than start from scratch with a new show and hope for the best. It really makes me wonder who ticked of whom because it doesn’t seem like a smart business decision to me.

As everyone has stated, Moonlight DOES deserve a second chance! I just want to add that my teenaged daughter and son enjoyed the show’s dynamic fight scenes, something you wouldn’t expect in a romantic-drama. And, it appealed to a broader audience because it was SO fresh and unique in its take on the vampire genre.

Alex is indeed a splendid actor, as are Jason, Sophia and Shannon, and all the other cast members. The writers and producers extremely talented in their own right.

Wasn’t television supposed to be entertainment??? And, if 8 Million fans were entertained, or likely… MORE, then how smart do you have to be to realize this show is a KEEPER. Bring Moonlight Back…PLEASE!

I love Moonlight, when I saw the promo I saw a show about vamps and yeah the lead guy was handsome. Finally a bit of eye candy for a gal that was old enough I didn’t have to feel bad lusting over him. I didn’t know that guy was Alex till I watched the show. It was the chemistry of the cast that hooked me. Beth and Mick’s romance was entrancing, Josef was down right funny, and Logan just made you chuckle. Most of us loved hating Coraline and loved the LA skyline. This show was more than just Alex it was the entire cast that I loved, and their storylines I miss. I want to know who sired Josef, where was Coraline taken by her brother, will Mick and Beth end up together as humans or vamps. There is so much more I want to know. It wasn’t fair for CBS to cancel a show that won its timeslot and demo w/o them even trying to advertise it. Its not Alex I miss its Mick St. John, Beth Turner, Josef Kostan.

Fred, I invite you and everybody in your business to check forums of Moonlight, Moonlight line or Moonlight army or Moonlight fans or even the one at CBS. Look around, people is talking about the show,Sophia,Alex and JAson.The romance, the friendship,the caring…You will see what Nina said about actor centric is not true. Just go to any of these places and check them out, nothing to hide. I really loved Moonlight. I never complained for a cancelation before. But a good show with 16 episodes in a 9 moths period, and in the deadly Friday spot…Not fair. We were always loyal to the show.CBS jus mistreated us, and as a loyal cbs viewer for years is hard to understand why.

A show about a vampire PI… good start!… a show with a forbidden love… neat! …. a show with a great male friendship that spans the bad as well as the good. And shows us both sides… what a fantastic concept to explore!… Great special FX, a fun noir feeling to the night shots, good story lines with well developed plots… Sounds like a winner… to everyone but the Evil Eye network. Who needs more “reality tv”, that couldn’t be further from “reality”? Who needs another hokey comedy with a canned laugh track? Who wants one more overdone procedural cop show or over-the-top medical drama? Puh-leeze… won’t waste my time walking over to turn on the set. Give us MOONLIGHT!!! All of it… not just the hunky lead, doing one more cop show, procedural drama, or medical show. And no, Nina, even Alex can’t save CSI… It’s had it’s day in the sun… now we need our vamp in the night.

Thanks, Fred. You hit it right on. Moonlight as a whole is the package. We want all of them and the writers back. The magic wouldn’t be there if the mix was different. Now, the city could change if a network in New York wanted to pick it up, but Moonlight Fans love our show in total.

Now that first comment you got by the Jericho fan. Oh, yeah, that show was based on reality. Not. Too bad a Jericho fan disrespected our show. By doing that Bill disrespected all of the Moonlight Fans.

Moonlight is the only show in over 5 years that I have been passionate about. I loved the characters, but the main hook was the development of the relationship between Mick and Beth. The fact that they came from different worlds and yet worked together to help others, to solve crimes and to eventually all in love kept me hooked to my TV every Friday night. Even my husband watched and enjoyed the show. We are devastated without it and would welcome any station that picked up the show again. CBS is no longer on my television.

hi, I am a Brazilian fan, and I can say I love the show, see a beautiful love story of love, and who does not like it is not. I very much regret the cancellation of the series, I think that had much to give, that penalty unable to exploit a fine show

Vivianne, BRAZIL

Thanks for writing the article, Fred. Your comment about CBS not actually wanting a strong fan base was interesting. I mean, they really treated us badly, and we aren’t gonna forget it. They even taunted us at the end of the season…”Only two more Micks…Only two more Beths”…We thought it was a joke and that the show would be picked up, only to find out they were serious about the cancellation. That was really a slap in the face. I think the Jericho and Moonlight fans just feel insulted.

First things first – to Bill who left the first comment – Moonlight Fans applauded and supported the efforts made by Jericho fans to bring their show back (still are) and you won’t find any of us disrespecting any of you. Moonlight didn’t replace Jericho. We weren’t responsible for its demise. I understand your anger, but you are directing it at the wrong people. CBS cancelled it (twice)! We would be just as happy for Jericho fans to have your show back as we would having Moonlight returned to us.

Second – thank you Fred for writing this article. Despite never having watched Moonlight you “get it”. It’s not just about the show being cancelled, it’s the disregard shown to us by Ms. Tassler. Just when I think she can’t put her foot any farther in her mouth…. She continues to insult our intelligence and is out and out lying about why we watched Moonlight and she knows it. While some may have tuned in originally for Alex, they stayed because this was television at its viewing best. Ms. Tassler doesn’t “get it”! It’s time for her to be put out to pasture…..

Thanks a lot for your article and for being one of the very few people in the media who write respectfully about our passion. We love Moonlight because it combines a variety of great aspects of TV production plus drama, action, humor, mystery fantasy and romance in just the proper, balanced measure. We love Alex because he is at the center of a wonderful cast, able to bring all this to us. But we understand the huge amount of group work necessary for accomplishing something so well done for the screen.
I think it is also important to acknowledge all the international support that Moonlight and the campaign to bring it back is getting right now. There is awsome hard work going on of millions of American fans who are trying very hard and quite intelligenly to get their voices heard. We, abroad, admire that, thank them for what they are doing for all of us, and are trying our best to help from our more than 30 countries. Moonlight breaks frontiers and connects us in fantastic ways.

Claudia, Bogotá – Colombia

I love moonlight and think it needs to come back.

I love Moonlight, it was big and stupid mistake the cancellation of the series. I hope somebody with a minimum of inteleigência notices this and make the series again. We continued in the fight. Thank you

Nina can spin it anyway she wants-she had the power to take out our Vamps, and if she thought we were just Alex fans she thought wrong. Each story of the 16 were totally engrossing and GOOD TV. CBS will have to dig pretty deep to find another Moonlight, or its loyal fans. Why would HBO spend millions on a new vamp show????

Dear Fred and Fellow Fans,
The first time we watched Moonlight, my husband said, “It’s too good -it will never last on network TV.” The truth is we were stunned: it was so well done in all aspects.

We are educated people, not particularly attracted to vampires, and part of the “Silver Tsunami”. We rarely watch anything on the major networks, because they rarely have anything of the quality to attract our attention.

As for Ms. Tassler, I am confounded by her apparent pursuit of some strange agenda that has little to do with bringing in viewers the sponsors can make money from. I would like to point out that M.A.S.H. was one of the longest running shows in television history and would have folded if they had swapped out Alan Alda for someone else, so her comment about actor-centric fans makes no sense. And about the dedication of fans, what could possibly be more dedicated than giving our own blood in the cause?

I have no doubt that Moonlight will rise like the undead and live on. Watch the episodes available and visit the fan websites. Most of the people involved are active, vital people with real lives who have finally said,”Enough is enough! We will no longer accept having no control over the offerings of the networks!”

I don’t understand WHERE Nina got the idea that Moonlight fans were only interested in Alex. Yes, he’s the star of the show and all their promos screamed that in everyone’s faces. Fans love THE SHOW and that means everything from the writing to the sets to the music (I bought lots of songs on iTunes because I heard them on the show) to the lighting to the actor’s chemistry and on and on. Everything clicked on Moonlight and it touched our lives.

You should try the show out. It’s a wonderful romantic show with drama, action and comedy in the mix as well. It it a fun show and when you watch it, you get hooked immediately. You fall in love with the characters and their world.

Moonlight wasn’t given a chance. With True Blood, Twilight and Johnny Depp/Tim Burton’s Dark Shadows movie…vampires are VERY popular right now and it doesn’t make sense to cancel Moonlight.

Thank you for a great article! If you have never watched moonlight, I highly recommend you take a break from the stress of everyday life and do so. IMO that will help you understand why we love this show.
As for your question “are there really any such fans out there, who didn’t care about the show, only the actor(s) ??” – not that I’ve met among Moonlight fans.
The attraction we feel toward Alex is just icing on the cake, so to speak!

When I first saw Moonlight, I told my wife that the cinematography was incredible. I am a professional photographer, so that caught my eye, first. We continued to watch Moonlight because it is great entertainment. The cast, crew, and music are all to be admired. it was one of the best quality shows to be on public TV in years. It should be reconsidered! This show has something for everyone to enjoy. It is incomprehensible, that it was not renewed!

Thank you very much, fred, for this great article!

First of all I’d like to answer the question, if there really are fans watching the series only because of Alex: In my opinion, no. It might have started with ‘Oh, a series with Alex O’Loughlin’ for some, but every fan I know grew to absolutely love the series for it’s own sake already after seeing a few episodes.

As to speak for myself: I’ve been a vampire fan as long as I can think. They always fascinated me somehow.. and that’s why I began watching Moonlight and it payed out, because it’s such a great show! I didn’t even KNOW Alex before I started watching Moonlight, same for many of the other main-cast characters. So tell me again it’s not about loving the show, but only it’s characters..

Anyone who thinks the fans were only watching for Alex, obviously never saw the show. The show had so many facinating aspects that to cancel it was insane. Those of you who are bad mouthing the show, please, keep commenting because the more comments, the more exposure we receive. I thank you all for your time and support! Moonlight is a terrific show. The actors are wonderful and have wonderful chemistry! IF you’ve never seen it, please go watch it on Amazon or you can find it else where if you don’t mind subtitles.

Last season CBS aired a program that took me by surprise. I’m a grandmother and I tell you it was the most amazing and beautiful show I have ever seen. It was magic. The actors, Alex O’Laughlin, Sophia Miles, Shannyn Sossamon, and Jason Dohring, are sensational, the writing incredibly creative, imaginative, sensitive, loving, feeling and healing. This show is a ROMANTIC FANTASY! Unlike the majority of shows on TV, MOONLIGHT is a FANTASY.

I am writing you because I am very angry and upset at the loss of this program. I strongly question the reason given by CBS since there are many (8 million +) who found Moonlight to be remarkable. This show won numerous People Choice Awards including Best New Show.

Moonlight was warm and beautiful. It showed, in its own way, how there are people around us that have illnesses we don’t understand, they have an impairment of health or a condition of abnormal functioning. People who may not be the same as you or me yet, deserve simple respect. People, even in their differences, still long for love, health and friendship.

In this day of TV viewers disappearing how can the networks not see the GOLD that is MOONLIGHT. It aired but a handful of times before the writers strike and yet it gained more than EIGHT (8) MILLION VIEWERS. It won countless awards. Viewers all over the world are asking for and missing this show.

Do the fans want this show back. You BET!

I remain in the DARK without MOONLIGHT!

The cancelation of Moonlight was not an earth moving event but as a fan of the show I really can’t understand the network cancelling a well written, beautifully filmed, well acted and highly entertaining show that so many people enjoyed. CBS may well have reasons for not continuing the show but so far I have not read anything that justify’s the decision. As for a the network belittling the fans for the way they refer to it surely the fact that they are still asking for it to be brought back 2 months later is far more important. I personnaly liked all the characters as the actors/writers gave them such interesting personna. Please listen to the public and for once give them what they are asking for.
Thanks

Do we love Alex as an actor? Of course we do! He’s very talented, not to mention pretty easy on the eyes. But why do we love Alex as an actor? Because we saw him on Moonlight and fell in love with his character Mick St John! Moonlight is the vehicle and whole reason we love Alex as an actor now, so to say we didn’t love the show is just a silly statement. Moonlight was and is the best show I’ve seen in years. It was given a ridiculous mandate to achieve on a Friday night in an interrupted season which was then cut short. It was never given an opportunity to shine like other shows on the network, and CBS knows it, hence the ridiculous ‘reasons’ for it’s cancellation.

Personally, I think Nina is a little off, if you know what I mean. Why would a network care why a show is popular? Actors, characters, chemistry, just what difference would any of this make to a network looking for successful shows? I think CBS should take that cancellation axe and chop off the true fat at their network…..Nina.

I started watching Moonlight because I LOVE Vampire shows. I didn’t even know who the actors were. I only recognized “coraline”. The SHOW was the best vampire show out there. Vampire fans are huge!!!! Alex filled the shoes with style and the chemistry of the cast was outstanding. So yes I love the actors but the
show just plain rocked!!!!

Fred, you hit the nail on the head. I am not surprised you didn’t see the show, it received virturally NO on-air promotion by CBS. Nevertheless, the promos that DID run were centered around…ALEX as MICK. I do not remember seeing ONE promo featurning anyone except Alex. CBS also ran a video clip entitled “How do your like your Mick?” It was so blatently aimed at making a sex object out of Alex (as Mick)it bordered on offensive. And Nina is upset that the fans want Alex back as Mick, “their vampire”? That is in fact they got exactly what their promotion set out to do. It was successful. So her reasoning is not believable.

Moonlight Isn’t Just About Alex… It’s About The STORY!
I thought it was about Alex when Moonlight started, I even thought it might be during the writers’ strike… but when the last week of May rolled around, I knew it wasn’t! Alex is the LEAD in Moonlight – but he wasn’t the whole show. I’ve seen some of his previous works since then. I’ve noticed him get better with Time, and I love what he does…BUT WATCHING HIS OTHER FILMS DOESN’T TAKE AWAY MY MISSING MOONLIGHT! I thought “the Alex-Fix” would ease my pain – BUT IT DOESN’T! I need Moonlight returned! I want Mick St. John back! AND Beth Turner. AND Josef Kostan. AND the other cast members… AND the Moonlight Story!

Thanks Fred for your positive feedback. Even you can see that it makes absolutely no sense what she is saying and doing. She said the ratings weren’t very good. That wasn’t true, Moonlight helped CBS to win the night every Friday it aired as well as its own timeslot. She cancels a vamp show when vampire movies are hot right now. ‘Twilight’ is coming and the books by Stephenie Meyers are selling out rapidly, ‘Tru Blood’ coming to HBO and the team of Johnny Depp and Tim Burton are doing a remake of ‘Dark Shadows’. Now does it make any sense that she would cancel a show that was doing respectably in the ratings and could have capitalized on all the vamp buzz? And now she’s throwing at us that we just loved the actor’s namely Alex O’Loughlin? The answer is NO!

I just wanted to add my two cents. I liked Moonlight for its action and special effects. The plot was also interesting. All the characters were well chosen for this story. My son who is nine liked Moonlight for the action and that there wasn’t a lot of kissing all the time. I wondered why Moonlight wasn’t moved to a different night, if CBS wasn’t impressed with its ratings. They move shows all the time. I think Moonlight should be given another chance, and this time a real chance to see what it can do.

I’m English, resident in the U.K. and was lucky enough to find the series Moonlight courtesy of the WWW, and Youtube; where within reside Moonlight clips & fan-vids. This was in early January 2008, -and I’ve watched little else on my normal “Terrestial” T.V. since finding, at long last I hasten to add! -a show that entertained me to the extent that Moonlight has.

The Vampire genre as a whole, has always managed to intrigue and fascinate me with its’ historic overtones, folk-law, and monumental soul-searching struggle, betwixt & between the light and shade of Good & Evil within the world of Immortals and their interaction with our Mortal kindred.

Time passes, and I outgrew the Vampire shows that were aimed at a more youthful audience. Whilst fully embracing the genuinely entertaining stories within “Buffy” & subsequently “Angel” shows, for example, I found myself yearning for something within the Genre of Immortals that appealed to the more grown-up 30/40 yr old generation.
I am happy to say that MOONLIGHT fulfills desires upon all levels. In true fact, I found that nothing within the series disappointed me whatsoever, -apart from its sudden & dramatic departure from the screen!

The charismatic on-screen presence of the 4 Main Characters, Mick, Beth, Josef & Coraline, gelled to a Superior Perfection. Each actor working off of, and responding to, each of the Character Portrayals with Sublime Interaction at each and every juncture. Better casting of Main & Supporting Actors & Actresses I have yet to see.

Alas, being a resident of the U.K., I admit to knowing very little of U.S. Television/Hollywood Politics. But, I am afraid to say, the more I hear of a certain Nina Tassler, the less I understand her reasoning. She has, I believe, given a multitude of various reasons following the subsesquent cancellation of Moonlight. The list of which I find myself growing increasingly bemused at, as these “reasons” seem to appear as changeable and diverse as Our Dear Old English Weather! There even appears to be a growing blitz-out in an attempt to obliterate any last vestiges of Moonlight that dare remain! Even going to the extent of dis-continuing re-runs of the show, which in this day of “show & re-show” appears totally incomprehensible.

I also find the total lack of respect & disregard for the viewers’ thoughts & opinions of her station, and fans of Moonlight in particular, completely un-justified and abhorrant; -especially for someone of such high-rank within the television hierarchy to be found making.
Such degrading comments of viewers & show-fans can only encourage viewers to think again about their loyalty to a particular t.v. network. And if, as appears to unfortunately be the case of recent times, whenever pronouncement of a NEW Series is made, viewers, I believe, shall question whether or not they really want to give up their personally valued free-time. As it seems that if viewers were to get involved in such a New show, -only to find it withdrawn from them after only a few short episodes, would be a waste of their valuable time.

This has been the case for Moonlight. The cancellation of which has pre-empted the new, growing interest in the Vampire Genre, as seen with the Twilight Books & Movie, as well as the new show set to appear later this year over at HBO. Vampires it seems, are set to be Big Winners for 2008/2009, for anyone with an ounce of imagination and foresight into their viewers wants and desires shall bear witness.

MOONLIGHT had it all. Yet questions abound over the “Trueness” of its historical vampyristic roots. Suffice to say, that even the 19th Century Victorian Author, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, possessed the ability to walk within the light without suffering from spontaneous “un-human” combustion! The portrayal of the mythology surrounding the Immortal world of Vampires has changed over the decades. MOONLIGHT brought an up-dated, 21st century version of a popular classic to its’ viewers. Moonlight’s Immortals have evolved enough to allow their interaction with humans to occur with a subtle, graceful, yet still equally powerful, hypnotic presence. Whether you agree with the new twist or not, -it is always prudent to remember that the World of Vampires is purely Fantasy after all!

I stress the point again, that Moonlight is a t.v. gem worth a second look, and a second series. An Entertaining, Intriguingly Romantic, Dramatic Thriller, with twists & turns, and Moral Code. Exquisitely acted, and beautifully filmed. A 21st Century, Fantasy Film-Noir.

Surely, in this day and age, the rights & views of television viewers should be taken into consideration? We are not robots, to be ordered about; to be force-fed the banal & mediocre. We are intelligent consumers of tele-visual entertainment, and, without we consumers, there would be no need for t.v. networks. Or am I wrong in thinking that this is a democratic society in which we free-thinkers do dwell?

Fred it seems like you are one of the only people that see the number of fans Moonlight has and you know it takes more than a quarterback to make a team. Moonlight has people that work great together and make you feel you really know them and can relate in some ways.CBS just didn’t get the whole meaning behind their show but the fans sure did and continue to be loyal. Thanks for your messages and we will continue to fight for our Moonlight team!!!!

I’m a Moonlight fan but also a consumer, Ms. Tassler’s remarks are so off base. The show has the best chemistry I have seen on tv ever. The romance is something we don’t see on tv and the fans love the story. I can’t imagine Moonlight without Sophia or Alex because they are Moonlight, its not the actors its the story and the complete cast. This show has so much more to tell and I for one feel very cheated by its cancellation especially since CBS, Les Moonves and all the critics said it would be back then they killed the show after 3 shows . This show came back after a strike and kept winning its timeslot it really deserved to come back with some promotion and even a new night. The genre is vampires and its everywhere from books to movie in Dec. and HBO, so tell me, what is CBS thinking? Please do not compare this show to Jericho or any other, this show didn’t get a chance , if anyone remembers we had a very long strike.

Fred, is there anything you can do to help us? Your article was great and captured our feelings.In order to love a show you have to love the actors. They make the show in addition to the writers. Nina’s excuse made no sense.

“Thanks” Fred,
You called it right on saying fans of Moonlight loved Alex as Mick St. John, the vampire, and by extension sincerely meant the show.

Ms Tassler indeed was gravely mistaken.
We loved the story of MOONLIGHT>

Fred, great article. Alex is very easy on the eyes. But it was the show that kept me tuning in each week.

Nina made a major mistake. We loved Moonlight, Alex was the star. You could not have the show without Mick St. John.

She just can’t believe we loved the show this much. I don’t usually watch the networks, because they offer such ho hum vanilla programming.

Well, Moonlight was not ho hum vanilla programming. I am 44, married with three teenagers and loved the show. CBS definitely missed the mark on this one. Thanks for the article.

Fred, I have never viewed TV Addict before but I will in the future to read your column. Such a great article, such insight from someone who has never seen the show, but then as an intelligent person you understand that when viewers say they truly love a show its has to be the whole production not just one actor or they would not care to the extend that the Moonlight fans have shown they care. I loved every element of Moonlight and as a fan of vampire lore it was so refreshing to meet a vampire who was heroic in his quest to do some good in the world. It is the humanity of Moonlight that is the hardest thing to give up; so few shows even try for noble endeavors and none have successed so completely as Moonlight has. Moonlight has to so touched the hearts of those who watched it that they wanted to do some good in the world, just like their beloved vampire, Mick St John, was doing. The fact that the charity donations and blood drives continue in Moonlight’s name after the show has failed to find a new home, is the true test that these acts of charity were just that – A Desire To Help Ohers – not just a means to get a show renewed. And, Alex O’Loughlin has shown that he is just as noble as the vampire he played by continuing to devote himself to the Red Cross cause of helping others

CBS never gave Moonlight is due, when the strike was on they pulled it from the air and did not promote it when being a freshman series showing repeats would have helped it find its full audience. Then after the strike, when Moonlight still managed to keep the numbers lead in it’s time slot, CBS says it is cancelling Moonlight because the ratings were not “big” enough as it did not keep the numbers of its lead-in Ghost Whispers which did have repeats aired during the strike and also had the advantage of being a seasoned show. I can only assume that CBS wanted Moonlight to fail. They are also either clueless as to what their viewers actually want, or they just don’t care.

I have not been able to bring myself to watch CBS since the cancellation of Moonlight and the ill treatment of the fans by Nina as representative of CBS. But it is noble to forgive, and if CBS would admit they were wrong and bring back Moonlight mid-season, I would come back to CBS. TV needs Moonlight because it brings out the best in its viewers .

Nina STOP blaming us for your terrible judgement in ending this outstanding show. Alex was the LEAD role and is Moonlight as is Sophia and Jason and the rest of the crew. 8 million + watched the show and voted it the People’s Choice Award. I hope you miss us now were gone.

P.S. to my last post. Fred, I had not read all the comments prior to posting so hadn’t seen your later question about the Nielsen ratings. I think the Nielsens are way way off about the number of viewers watching shows and also fail to take into account downloads of episodes off the internet and viewers watching episodes online from network sites. A lot of Moonlight fans like myself were watching episodes as they aired but also downloading them from iTunes or Amazon unbox. And there were many who only saw the episodes by purchasing them online or watching them online as CBS’s website. Moonlight had a lot of international fans who watched only online. On fan sites, I saw many fans posting about introducing their friends and families into watching the show and how they all seemed to also love it and get hooked. Yet none of this ever seemed to be reflected in the ratings especially during the airing of the final four. It really is as if the Nielsen viewers are all off in some separate world of their own detached from the rest of us. It is truly an old and obsolete system that clearly doesn’t correctly report how many people watch any show.

Fred,
Thank you for having the perceptiveness that the network execs clearly lack. Never heard of Alex before the show and yea, he wowed us, but we love Jason as snarky Josef and Sophia as sweetly brave Beth too. We love the story, it’s daring mix of noir romance, action, and off the wall humor.

I think all the comments from CBS/Nina Tassler are just smoke to hide the real reason.
Joel Silver has had several huge box office flops lately and his contract is soon up for renewal . They don’t want him to be at the head of a hit TV series when they want to dump him next year. Unfortunately Moonlight is sacrificed along with him.

This is a great article, Fred. It certainly inspired a lot of talk, and I’ve been thinking about what you and everyone else said. I’d like to throw in some other angles. Alright let’s Suppose the cancellation of Moonlight didn’t really have much to do with ratings, numbers, awards, etc. Let’s Suppose it had more to do with egos and being right, and so much more that is open for speculation. Let’s further Suppose that our terrific show, actors, crew and the fans all became innocent pawns in this Supposed situation. I don’t know how to undo all that caused the cancellation, but I do know that name calling and threatening are not going to help in any way, and will make the strained situation worse!
What we need to do is persuade TPTB to reconsider their attitudes and decisions in reference to Moonlight. We are Still here commenting on polls such as this one, and we are Still intent on swaying public opinion. Moonlight is Still in the news, and we are willing to spend time and money to gain even more attention. Perhaps, by remaining positive and strong, we can soften the decision that has already been made. The worst has already happened to our beloved Moonlight! Egos will still have to be assuaged and there’s always a kind way to say everything in order to save face.
I want TPTB to begin talking about how much the fans love Moonlight and its very real chance of becoming a cornerstone show if given more episodes.
I do believe the roles played by our talented actors are the roles of a lifetime for them. Just as we have our favorite Superman, or Batman, Alex will always be Mick, Sophia will always be Beth, Jason will always be Josef, and Shannyn will always be Coraline add the rest of the cast, too. They were simply perfect for those parts, and whoever did the casting is a genius! All the other aspects of the show such as writing, lighting, music–everything helped to create this fanbase after only 16 episodes! That is astounding! I can’t think of another time this much attention has been given to a show of only 16 episodes.
Our goal needs to be to get TPTB to see what We see in Moonlight. We as a group are stronger than they are as individuals and we want them to call meetings, begin discussing and change their decision about Moonlight, because we convince them that Support is strong and committed and they made a mistake! Reinstating Moonlight is a sound business decision! Everything can be negotiated, and compromise is another name for a healthy relationship between networks and viewers. Thanks again for the article and for allowing us to add our voices to the, Save Moonlight Movement!

If you mention Moonlight, you’ll get lots of comments! Finally, a respectful article without the author even being familiar with the show. Don’t know why Moonlight was treated the way it was by its network. Would love to find out the real scoop someday. Will we ever?

It was about Mick. Not Alex. You can’t get me to watch his earlier movies–way too wierd. Now, Moonlight, that’s different. I downloaded every episode and never missed the aired version either.

Think that is actor-centric? Not.

Whew! It only took me about ten minutes to scroll to the bottom of ALLLL these comments. You guys make me proud!

First, Fred I would like to thank you for boldly stating your opinion even though everyone knows the response to any opinions about Moonlight. I’m sure you will get some heat from people for agreeing with us, but thank you for writing this in spite of it; the mark of a great reporter!

Second, I first fell in love with Moonlight during the first episode because it was a great love story. Call me a hopeless romantic (though I’ve lost faith in love and humanity since May). I love the love story, the insight into Mick’s mind, the strong characterizations, and the vampirism. I like the actors, don’t get me wrong, but the show itself as a whole is what drew me in (besides Mick’s voice).

Third, I really don’t understand why Jericho fans are criticizing Moonlight. We are in the bigger fight together. We aren’t competing for a spot on CBS or anything, we are fighting together to change the way ratings are done (another good point Mr. Fred). I have never seen an episode of Jericho, but I just bought the DVD set. I wasn’t a fan of X-Files but I went to see the movie because I respected how hard the fans fought to get that movie. We are in this together and we have all been burned by short-sighted executive perspectives.

Moonlight will always live in my heart. I will never quit fighting for Moonlight because when I do, it dies. Long after Nina is gone, I will be showing Moonlight to my children and grandchildren (I’m 17, so they aren’t alive yet). Someday I may be able to look back on Moonlight without the tears coming and remember how Moonlight made me feel happy and excited and gave me something to look forward to each week. I will never forget this show as long as I live.

Wonderful article! I am so happy to read this as it definitely rings true with what happened to Moonlight. Thank you for your comments and having the gumption to say what needed to be said.

It is truly baffling to me how Ms. Tassler could not understand how all the numerous fans were hooked on Moonlight, the show, and not just Alex. Alex created Mick St John, so naturally, if we love the character, we love him (and we do). Likewise, Moonlight is more than just Alex. Sophia, Jason, Shannyn, Jacob Vargas and David Blue all make up what we love about this show. The chemistry between the cast is phenomenal!

Moonlight is a character driven show that revolves around relationships. It isn’t just about vampires. I wasn’t really a huge fan of the vampire genre but Moonlight pulled me in from the very first episode and had me hooked at the very beginning. Then it just kept getting better.

The show has so much untapped potential and it is so very sad for all of us fans who know and love this series. It is mind boggling trying to understand why CBS would cancel a show that consistently won its time slot on Friday nights, won a Peoples Choice Award, quickly developed a massive, dedicated fan base, and is associated with many charitable acts that were done by the fans on behalf of Moonlight. How does a business executive not see the potential here for profit? Especially with the interest in vampires created because of the Twilight movie and new HBO series.

I think Matt Roush said it best when commenting on CBS’ decision to cancel Moonlight. “CBS blew it.”

I will probably watch anything that Alex does in the future, but I don’t just want Alex… I want Moonlight back… I want Mick St. John!!!!!!!!!!!

First of all, there’s the great recurring characters like Logan, Guillermo, and Talbot. Each of them brought something wonderful to the show. I couldn’t wait to see more of them, (especially Talbot, I hadn’t decided whether I loved him or hated him).

Then there’s Beth… she made me feel like real women are deserving of love; something that I don’t get from Hollywood very often. She’s not anorexic, (that’s not a euphemism for she’s fat, either), she doesn’t pretend to be stupid or hold her tongue in an attempt to keep from scaring off the men in her life. She’s beautiful, strong willed, intelligent, ambitious, and emotionally available. In the first episode, Mick said to Beth, “Your kinda pushy, aren’t you?” Beth answered with, “You’ll get used to it!” I was hooked from that moment on!!!

And of course Joseph… his wit was wickedly wonderful! He’s the reason my husband loved the show as much as I did. The banter between he and Mick usually had me shaking my head in disapproval and amusement; I couldn’t help but love him.

Lastly, of course, there was Mick… Mick St. John was a man, er, vampire that I would kill to be loved by. He lived his undead life trying to redeem himself; trying desperately to hold on to his humanity and deny the monster he beleved himself to be. He was very respectful, chivalrous in fact, passionate, protective, loyal, witty, and had a heart the size of Mount Rushmore. ;) You couldn’t help but fall in love with him, and if your heart didn’t ache for him, that only means you were in fact dead. ;) He found himself falling in love with a woman, Beth, but he wouldn’t let himself love her because he was so afraid it would end up hurting her or putting her in danger because of him. Then he literally risked everything to protect her, again, (don’t ask). Mick couldn’t help but wear his heart on his sleeve, so she fell for him just as hard, and she broke down the emotional walls he’d been building for the past half-century. In the end, he agreed to love her, and convinced her to keep loving him… that’s when they took the story away from us! AAHHHHH!!!!!We never got to live the story of Mick/Beth!!! I long for it with all my heart!!!

So, if you ask me whether or not I will watch Alex O’Loughlin in the future, the answer is yes, of course, but what I really want to see is Alex as Mick St. John!!! I want my Moonlight back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for the well written article…It’s sad that Ms. Tassler can’t see that sometimes (often, in fact) the popularity of a show does indeed lie with one or two (a pairing) of actors on it. That being said, this really wasn’t the case with “Moonlight”. While I’m a “Mick” fan, for everyone like me there’s a handful of Josef gals … the ladies on the show were equally strong actresses with fanbases of their own.

Bottom line: Nina had a gem (several of them actually) and she let them go …

To answer the question posed in the article: Actor vs show?

Show, Ms. Tassler.

I like romantic vampire stories. That’s not to say I won’t follow the casts’ careers … I just hope they decide to try to grow some fangs again.

Pamela King, Ohio

Vampires are hot now. Just look at what is coming. Twilight was just on the cover of Entertainment Weekly along with a full page ad from HBO about “Vampires were people too” with a website to vist. I think CBS blew it when they canceled Moonlight and Nina Tassler is just trying to CYA by coming up with garbage that fans of Moonlight only watched it for the actors. I have never seen any of these actors in any other shows before. But Moonlight was my favorite show to watch and watch again and again. It is all over Youtube and the internet. It was the chemistry between all the characters that drew me to the show and made me fall in love. Everyone in my family had a favorite character. And yes we like the actors that play the characters because they make the characters real to us. But it is the total show we really loved. Friday night used to be family night with CBS at my house, but no more. I feel as if CBS has told me my opinion does not matter, nor do they care what I as a customer like to watch. So, I do what I can – I watch another channel.

I had never heard of any of the actors/actresses on Moonlight before the show. I was intrigued by the promos last summer that there was a new, grown-up, vampire show coming in the fall. It hooked me right away with the premise. I liked the noir feel of the show and was a little disappointed that CBS kept pulling away from that but it continued to be the only show I would not miss.

CBS has aging stock with most a lot of their shows. While I enjoyed the CSI shows, early on, you can only run so many of them for so long before you get tired of them. It seemed for awhile they would just add another city to the line-up when they were hard up for viewers.

While I will watch for the shows that the talented actors/actresses of Moonlight will move on to, they were not the initial draw to the show. It was the story-line and the characters. Alex, Sophia, Jason and Shannon did a wonderful job of bringing Mick, Beth, Josef and Coraline into our lives. We love the Moonlight world. How anyone could have misinterpreted that is beyond me.

In light of the fact that you can’t walk into a bookstore now without seeing vampires plastered across the walls I would think that someone at CBS would be wondering what kind of blunder Tassler has made. They were ahead of the game by having an established cast, crew and a storyline that was gaining in popularity.

I haven’t watched the trash on tv since Moonlight last aired. Reality shows don’t interest me in the least and the criminal shows are getting old.

Moonlight struck a chord with the viewers. The new shows on the line-up are just sour notes.

Ms. Tassler,
When fans ask for “our vampire” back, we mean we want “Moonlight” back. That should go without saying as Alex plays a vampire in the series. I really have a problem understanding something. You are in effect a sales person, right? Moonlight is the product, right? And we (the fans)are the customers, right? We’re asking you to please give us back our Moonlight. I don’t see where there should be a problem here. The customer is always right, right? Thank you, Tricia

I’m a little confused. Is this the same person that said CBS figured out women are in control of things (who the hell’s idea was that!) and they needed shows featuring women? Not an expert here, but that seems stupid to me.
And now she’s saying that fans just watched to see one man?
Wrong!
I’m just a straight guy who watched Moonlight for the action , fast pace, and Coraline is HOT! I root for the bad girls!

I want Moonlight back! I looked forward to my Friday night show! What will I watch now, I can tell you it won’t be Swingtown, I tried to watch it and didn’t like it. I don’t care what channel it’s on, I just hope someone makes it again!

I love Moonlight. Alex was definitely eye candy; however, I didn’t even know of Alex before the show started. In fact, Jason and Sophia were more known to me than Alex. I tuned in for the love story and the mysteries that needed solving. Moonlight was more than one actor; it was an ensemble cast. I miss Moonlight the show. Each of the actors are very talented and will find new work, but there will never be another Moonlight. It was special.

I agree with one of the previous writers who said this is bad timing (Twilight.. ah hello?). I get so tired of the copy cat writting from on network to another there are the same shows. I like fantasy, mystery, romance. This show had it all.

It’s clear that Nina Tassler’s brain isn’t firing on all cylinders. Hence her idiotic remarks.

While I realize that Alex O’Loughlin is “hot” and he’s a major part of the cast (& crew) responsible for this exceptional show that millions have fallen in love with, we fans are fighting for MOONLIGHT as a whole. Each cast member is an important part of what makes MOONLIGHT so great! We’re fighting for MOONLIGHT to live on, and Nina’s cryptic remarks won’t change that.

Come on CBS you know that we love Moonlight for itself and all the actors and crew. Settle your internal differences, and bring this gem of a show, back. The heroic efforts of the actors, producers, crew, and everyone else involved, should be rewarded, now. Reconsider this incredible show, and its loyal fans. You have the power to reinstate Moonlight, and it will be a powerhouse for you. We still love this show, and we are not going anywhere. Give Moonlight the chance it deserves, and erase all these negative feelings and press. You made a mistake; it’s just that simple. Admit it, and let’s get back to enjoying our amazing show!

I think it is all a bunch of crap. I will not watch another thing that CBS produces. Moonlight was one of the best shows in a long time. The characters, story line, everything about it was great. We had a whole group who watched the show togeter. You could not tear us away for anything; That show had so many fans it was unbelieveable. Ask CBS how many letters they received about not canceling the show, see if they will tell you. I am just plain pissed and I know many more who feel the same. You screwed up this time, CBS.

A fan or your’s no more!!!!!!!!!!!