Moonlighting TV Show

The American television series Moonlighting aired on ABC between 1985 and 1989. The show was a different spin on the classic 'boy/girl detective series' in that it not only used rapid-fire dialogue, but also featured the actors use of 'breaking the fourth wall'. This meant not only referring to itself, the writers, and sometimes even the network within the script itself, but sometimes even the blatant tactic of looking directly at the camera and speaking to the audience, as if they were part of the scene. The show was also innovative for its homages to great directors of the past: there was a Christmas episode called 'It's A Wonderful Job', a direct homage to Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life; a murder mystery shot entirely in black-and-white called "The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice" as an homage to Alfred Hitchcock, featuring an introduction by Orson Welles that aired only days after his death; and "Atomic Shakespeare", a take on "The Taming of the Shrew" complete with costumes and the use of Old English and iambic pentameter. Still, despite all the gags and tricks, it was the on-screen chemistry between former model Maddie Hayes, played by Cybill Shepherd, and wisecracking private eye David Addison, played by Bruce Willis, that drew audiences in. Once the two consummated their relationship after a three-year dance of sexual tension, production delays due to the complicated scripts and growing dissension by both Shepherd (who complained about the long hours) and Willis (who was fast becoming a movie star) led to the decline and ultimate cancellation of the series.

Fast Facts:

1. Aired: 1985-1989
2. Network: ABC
3. Total Episodes: 66
4. First Aired: March 5, 1985
5. Starring: Cybill Shepherd, Bruce Willis, Allyce Beasley, Curtis Armstrong
6. Guest Stars Aplenty: Mark Harmon, Tim Robbins, Paul Sorvino, Eva Marie Saint, Dana Delany, Whoopi Goldberg, Demi Moore, Don King, and Peter Bogdanovich

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