History Series / Moonlighting

%%* MysteryOfTheWeek

* DayInTheLimelight: Agnes [=DiPesto=] got a number of episodes concentrating on her (and Herbert when he was on) including "Here's Living with You, Kid" the only episode Maddie and David don't appear ''at all''. ([[MedalOfDishonor The lowest-rated episode on the original run]].)

* DayInTheLimelight: Agnes [=DiPesto=] got a number of episodes concentrating on her (and Herbert when he was on) including "Here's Living with You, Kid" the only episode Shepherd and Willis don't appear at all. ([[MedalOfDishonor The lowest-rated episode on the original run]].)

* {{Filler}}: In season four and five, with ABC demanding new episodes on schedule and Sheppard and Willis off-set due to pregnancy and injury/filming movies, the show's producers were forced to film filler episodes that focused solely on supporting cast members Allyce Beasley and Creator/CurtisArmstrong's characters Agnes and Herbert.

[[caption-width-right:350:''"We'll walk the night, we'll fly by day/Moonlighting strangers who just met on the way..."'']]

* FashionModel: Maddie Hayes is a former model. It doesn't have much plot relevance other than her owning the detective agency as a tax write-off but now using it seriously after her accountant embezzled her savings. Though for aesthetics it gave the costumers reason to have her wear many fancy dresses and furs.

* TheyFightCrime: She's a model! He's a smart aleck! They fight crime![[note]]...and constantly argue every step of the way[[/note]]

* BelligerentSexualTension: Dave and Maddie took this UpToEleven.[[note]] In fact, it was more like "Belligerent Everything Tension".[[/note]]

* {{Expy}}: Of ''Series/RemingtonSteele''[[note]]which ''Moonlighting'' creator Glenn Gordon Caron had been a writer for[[/note]], albeit a lot more edgy and willing to break status quo, which is why ironically Creator/PierceBrosnan liked it better than the show he was doing.

* ThemeTune:

This 1985-1989 series on Creator/{{ABC}} was arguably the coiner of the term {{Dramedy}}. It starred Creator/CybillShepherd as Maddie Hayes and a then-relatively unknown Creator/BruceWillis as the wisecracking David Addison.

* {{Filler}}: In season four and five, with ABC demanding new episodes on schedule and Sheppard and Willis off-set due to pregnancy and injury/filming movies, the show's producers were forced to film filler episodes that focused solely on supporting cast members Allyce Beasley and Curtis Armstrong's characters Agnes and Herbert.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: In "The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice", David/Zach tells Maddie/Rita that they go together like "Astaire and Rogers, bagels and lox, hot dogs and donuts..."
** When Maddie starts insulting Dave's various body parts: "Don't go much lower. They'll take us off the air."

(Not to be confused with ''Series/{{Moonlight}}'', a 2007 VampireDetectiveSeries.)

%% * SiblingRivalry: While they aren't siblings, the same principle applies.

* {{UST}}: Dave and Maddie. For a while, anyway.
%%* WeHelpTheHelpless

* DestructoNookie: the last five minutes of the episode in which Dave and Maddie finally resolve their sexual tension.

* NoirEpisode: "The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice"

* SelfDeprecatingHumor: One opening scene took a jab at Bruce Willis's ill-fated singing career when Dave [[NoFourthWall attempts to sing the show's theme song.]] Maddie stops him abruptly claiming that [[HollywoodTonedeaf every dog in America was now howling.]]

* [[ItsAWonderfulPlot Wonderful Life]]: "It's A Wonderful Job", the ChristmasEpisode for season 3. Maddie wishes she'd never kept the detective agency open and gets her wish granted by a guardian angel. David, Agnes and Herbert's lives are all superficially better but none of them are truly happy. Meanwhile the alternate Maddie became destitute (David even bought her mansion from her) and ends up DrivenToSuicide.

* SiblingRivalry: While they aren't siblings, the same principle applies...

-->''Some walk by night''
-->''Some fly by day''
-->''Nothing can change them''
-->''Set and sure of the way...''

%% Tsundere is on this page as Hot And Cold %%

%%* [[ItsAWonderfulPlot Wonderful Life]]

* FashionModel: Maddie Hayes is a former model. It doesn't have much plot relevance other than her owning the detective agency as a tax write-off but now using it seriously after he accountant embezzled her savings. Though for aesthetics it gave the costumers reason to have her wear many fancy dresses and furs.

This 1985-1989 series on Creator/{{ABC}} was arguably the coiner of the term {{Dramedy}}. It starred Cybill Shepherd as Maddie Hayes and a then-relatively unknown Creator/BruceWillis as the wisecracking David Addison.

%%* WonderfulLife

%% Tsundere is on this page as HotAndCold %%