Moonlighting: Season 3
Starring: Bruce Willis, Cybill Shepherd, Allyce Beasley, Curtis Armstrong, Don King, Mark Harmon, Paul Sorvino
Directed by: Various

Moonlighting: Season 3 Reviewed by Paul Heath

It's the mid-1980's, and a new TV phenomenon has hit the small screen. It starred a young hot goddess, and ex-beauty queen model named Cybill Shepherd, who had had a number of big screen successes in films like TAXI DRIVER and previous to that, THE LAST PICTURE SHOW. Joining her on screen was a newcomer, an unknown to many, Bruce Willis, who played David Addison Jnr.

The plot of Moonlighting is simple, model Maddie Hayes (Cybill Shepherd) and detective David Addison (Bruce Willis) come together to set up the Blue Moon Detective Agency as partners, and each week, the two undertake a different case. The charm of the series was the ongoing 'will they or won't they question as to whether the two would finally come together, the wonderful mix between comedy and drama and the quirky moments through all of the five series where the plot broke through that fourth wall, unique for a TV show of it's time.

I'm, or should I say I was a MOONLIGHTING virgin. Surprising to say the least as I'm possibly one of the world's number one Bruce Willis fans. DIE HARD ranks as one of my faces of all time, and the actor is still kicking it in Hollywood, calling his own shots twenty or so years later. I've always wanted to go back an watch MOONLIGHTING, but you see I'm a film buff, and television never played that big a role in my life. What a fool I am. MOONLIGHTING, looking back, or experiencing if for the first time like I am, is possibly one of the funniest, lovable, delightfully watchable series that I've seen for a long while.

This review is for season three, which has just been released on DVD on the region one market. Here, the characters are firmly established, and at the time the show was pulling in tens of millions of viewers every single week. You can see why. Cybill's Maddie Hayes is beautiful, the overpowering, uptight woman with a vulnerability that Willis's comedic, wisecracking detective David Addison exploits and, ultimately falls for. It's their on-screen chemistry that keeps this show going, and causes it to be so darn entertaining and watchable. I loved it. I get so many releases for entire TV shows sent to me where I watch a couple of episodes, and then put it away and never open the box again, but with MOONLIGHTING I had to watch every one of the twenty some episodes before I put pen to paper (or indeed finger to keypad) to write my review - and this occurred over about two evenings.

It's that good.

Stand out episodes for me were "Symphony in Knocked Flat" where the couple attempt to go on a couple of dates, one posh, the other erm, not, and the season finale where, well, I won't go into it, but people's expectations are satisfied with what we end on in this episode. It's the best use of the song 'Be My Baby' by the Ronnettes in an movie or TV series ever. Yep, that includes MEAN STREETS and DIRTY DANCING. This is possibly one of the best moments ever to be screened on television, and the ultimate climax to the 38 episode of foreplay that preceded it...

Bring on season four!!!

There are a few extras on the set of four discs that come with this release. We're treated to a few commentaries over select episodes from Cybill, Bruce and creator Glenn Gordon Caron, but the real treat comes at the end of disc four. "Memories of Moonlighting" looks back at the entire series and features interviews with the writers, producers and directors. We get to see creator Caron on screen in a recent interview alongside Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd. As the title of the featurette suggests, memories of Moonlighting are shared by all, and we're given a rare insight into the show and how some episodes, and scenes within episodes are put together. We discover that the finale of the third series was the highest rated episode of it's time, and how the two main cast members struggled to get work done on it (Shepherd was pregnant and Willis was getting over a broken collarbone). It's great to see everyone back together in the present day, and a humbled Bruce Willis thanked Cybill Shepherd at the end of the feature for having sex and getting pregnant at the end of season three so that he could go off and make his first movie. Some unknown little film called. DIE HARD.

It's a great little package, and one that is a must for the hoards of MOONLIGHTING fans out there. For those that missed the show first, second or even third time 'round, like me, then hunt this down as it's one of the most entertaining DVD's I've viewed this year. Or indeed last year.

A wonderful treat, and highly recommended to all - even you Die Hard movie fans!

Grade: A-

Paul Heath