Moonlighting (TV series)

Ratings

Although Moonlighting was a hit in the Nielsen ratings in its early seasons, the show's ratings began to decline after the 1987 episode in which Maddie and David consummated their romantic tension. Moonlighting is popularly cited as an example of a television show jumping the shark.

Related Topics:
Nielsen ratings - 1987 - Jumping the shark

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The show was also widely criticized for the following season's storyline, in which Maddie spent much of the season at her parents' home in Chicago (due, in fact, to Shepherd's pregnancy), robbing the show of its creative spark since Maddie and David rarely interacted. When Maddie returned to Los Angeles near the end of the season, the writers tried to create a new point of tension between the two by having Maddie spontaneously marry Walter Bishop (Dennis Dugan), whom she met on the train back to LA. This was also widely criticized as a cynical and poorly executed plot development, and led to an even further ratings decline.

Related Topics:
Chicago - Dennis Dugan

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