The nature of the beast that is streaming, can be a frustrating one sometimes. So many shows, so many platforms, and yet somehow there are still shows that are nowhere to be found. For years that was the case with “Moonlighting,” the detective comedy series starring Bruce Willis and Cybil Shepherd. From 1985 – 1989 the program ran on ABC but was nowhere to be seen on any Disney streaming platforms despite them presumably having the rights to the show. Late last year we reported that something was in the works that might bring the show back to the “airwaves” so to say. Well, now we can officially announced that David Addison and Maddie Hayes are back on the case!
Generally when the subject of “Moonlighting” is brought up, the conversation immediately turns to the onset tension of the main actors and the sexual tension of the main characters. This then turns to the production problems, frequent episode delays, and high production costs. And while all of that has a lot of truth to it, it detracts from how this show is just really, really good. Creator Glenn Gordon Caron wanted each episode to feel like a film, and he spared no expense to make it happen.
All of the detail that went into the scripts, the sets, etc. coupled with the onset tension, resulted in only 67 episodes of the show being made across 5 seasons. While that’s fairly average for hour-long programming today, that’s only about half of what you would expect from a primetime series in the mid to late ’80s. It’s also a big reason why the show has had a spotted history in syndication, with most networks wanting closer to 100 episodes to broadcast for a syndication package.
Now there’s no need to wait or hope any longer as “Moonlighting” comes to Hulu on October 10th. All of the episodes will be presented in HD, but the question remains as to what’s going to happen with the music rights. Any fan of the show will tell you that music tended to be a big part of the program, especially with David Addison. It’s a rare show that keeps all the licensed music tracks intact for its streaming or DVD re-releases. But as long as we get to see Bruce Willis belting out “Good Lovin” in a remake of “The Taming of the Shrew,” we’ll be mostly happy.
