The Legacy of Moonlighting

This guest post is brought to you by Susanna Carr. To learn more about Susan, see the end of this post and the guest blogger section of our web page.

My favorite TV shows right now are Castle and Bones. This is no surprise since I grew up watching Remington Steele and the occasional Moonlighting. I like shows about a mismatched pair falling in love while solving crimes. I especially enjoy the show when the characters grow as the partnership goes through the ups and downs.

What I don't like is the push together-pull away scenario. For example, it really gets on my nerves when the detectives are about to kiss and are interrupted by an urgent phone call. Or when they are about to confess how they feel and a long-lost lover walks in. Once is fine. Three hundred times, not so much.

Every writer, producer and actor claims that the push-pull is an important element in these stories. They are quick to point out the mistake Moonlighting made when the main characters fell in bed together. They claim that the ratings plummeted once the relationship was consummated. That may be true, but they forget one thing: the entire relationship between Maddie and David in Moonlighting was based on sexual tension.

I like the flirtation between Rick and Kate in Castle. The push-pull was entirely appropriate during the first season when the characters were getting to know one another. But the relationship has to evolve more in Season 3 or it will be stunted. They shouldn't drop and pick up a budding relationship, which happened in "The Late Shaft" (season 2, episode 20). This would have been a great time for Kate to get a little jealous, but she seemed more amused than threatened of Rick's fling.

Bones, on the other hand, is going to start its sixth season and there shouldn't be any push-pull or the travesty that was "The End in the Beginning" (Season 4, episode 25) where the characters are suddenly a married couple in a coma-induced dream. The let's-put-the-main-characters-in-bed-together-without-really-putting-them-in-bed-together set-up was disrespectful of the viewers who are loyal to the show and are invested in the storyline.

I don't watch Bones for the mysteries. The crime-solving is just an excuse for the characters to interact. The main characters, Booth and Bones, are the center of this ensemble, and they had a great chance to take the characterization to the next level at the 100th episode (Season 5, episode 16). But they pulled back too far. In fact, they made a complete mess out of it. They hurt a central relationship and they made Brennan's character too dismissive of Booth's feelings. The show is going to lose its core audience if it doesn't make some adjustments.

When are the creators going to learn that push-and-pull is a storytelling device and not the basis for a relationship? Enough of bringing in other love interests, tragic pasts that have already been laid to rest, or distractions. The creators have missed so many opportunities because they are worried it will be another Moonlighting. It's not going to happen and this is why: the relationship between Booth and Brennan is not just about the sexual tension. If they just went out on a date it would be funny, sad, sexy and tense! It would be good and bad. It would be emotional. These characters are so solid that the interaction would entertain and engage the audience.

So to the creators, producers and writers of Bones and Castle: Take a few risks and stop basing your romantic storyline on an 80's TV show. It’s time to move on and create a legacy or your television series will become a cautionary tale.

 Bio: Susanna Carr is a bestselling author of sexy contemporary romance. Her teen years were heavily influenced by Remington Steele, Scarecrow & Mrs. King, and the occasional episode of Moonlighting. Visit her website at www.susannacarr.com