Moonlight is the brand new vampire action/drama from CBS, in which a city-dwelling vampire attempts to resist his urge to kill and drink the blood of humans, and instead decides to help them. So, it’s like Angel. I’ve seen a lot of our commenters here on BuddyTV rip the concept of Moonlight apart because of its egregious similarities to Angel. These protestations may be entirely founded, but I urge everyone to wait and judge for themselves. I have yet to see the pilot myself, but a copycat concept isn’t an automatic death wish. Someone way smarter than me once said, “It’s not what it’s about, it’s how it’s about it”. If the execution of Moonlight is good, being unoriginal can easily be forgiven. Now, what about the show’s time slot, Fridays at 9pm?
If you’re a new TV show like Moonlight, being placed on Fridays is not the best of news. People don’t watch nearly as much TV on Fridays as they do on the other weeknights, and it’s been known as a place where networks bury the shows they have the least confidence in. But, there’s some other factors at play here. CBS’s other supernatural drama, Ghost Whisperer, airs every Friday at 8pm and will work as Moonlight’s lead-in. This should work in Moonlight’s favor. What about the competition at 9pm?
ABC: Women’s Murder Club
NBC: Friday Night Lights
FOX: Nashville
The CW: Friday Night Smackdown
Women’s Murder Club, unfathomably executive produced by Joe Simpson (Jessica’s creepy father), shouldn’t be too much of a threat. I don’t see Women’s Murder Club doing much of anything and it could easily be one of the first shows canceled this Fall. Friday Night Lights is a bit of a wild card, if only because there’s a chance that word-of-mouth plus DVD viewings will bolster the show’s small but loyal audience. Nashville on FOX is another new show about a country girl who heads to Nashville to pursue her dream of being a singer. It’s for the American Idol crowd and, despite it’s unenviable time slot, could pull in a lot of younger viewers. Friday Night Smackdown is Friday Night Smackdown. Its viewers remain the same.
Things don’t look great for Moonlight, but if Ghost Whisperer can give them a good base of viewers to work with, good things may happen.
-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Image Courtesy of CBS)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
