# Moonlighting (1985)

> A bankrupt former model becomes a reluctant partner in a Manhattan detective agency alongside a wisecracking ex-bartender, and their case-solving keeps getting derailed by their attraction.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/1889

## Facts

- Seasons: 5
- Episodes: 66
- Episode runtime: 46 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy, mystery, crime
- Created by: Glenn Gordon Caron
- Network: ABC
- Cast: Cybill Shepherd, Bruce Willis, Allyce Beasley, Curtis Armstrong, Joyce Brothers, Kay Lenz, Terry O'Quinn, Ellen Albertini Dow
- TMDB rating: 7.6/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088571/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: mild
- Tone: witty, breezy, playful, romantic, self aware

## What critics say

Audiences broadly regard Moonlighting as a witty, romantic detective comedy whose lively chemistry between its leads made it a memorable 1980s series.

## Synopsis

Moonlighting (1985-1989) is a United States comedic detective series created by Glenn Gordon Caron for ABC. Cybill Shepherd plays Maddie Hayes, a former model left bankrupt after being duped, who is talked into becoming a partner in a small private detective agency by the quick-tongued David Addison, played by Bruce Willis. Their rivalry and gradual pull toward each other fuel the show as much as the cases themselves, from missing persons to blackmail, each episode mixing a mystery plot with flirtation, sparring and sly asides. Allyce Beasley as the agency's receptionist Agnes DiPesto and Curtis Armstrong as the nervous Herbert Viola add supporting comic texture. Running five seasons across sixty-six episodes, the show offers a case-of-the-week structure with an ongoing romantic thread that moves forward season by season. Its glossy 1980s yuppie setting, with its polished offices and urban ambition, sets a playful, breezy tone. Its self-aware humor and quick wordplay make it a fan favorite for viewers who enjoy romantic comedy and light detective fare. Fans of Remington Steele, Hart to Hart and Castle will find resonance in its chemistry-driven mysteries and witty tone.

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