"Oh, I love my vampire!" CBS President of Entertainment Nina Tassler said recently, beginning a conversation about her network's new drama, "Moonlight."
Clearly, she must. No other TV show this fall has experienced as much turbulence as "Moonlight." But through all of the changes in the executive producing ranks, the cast and the show's framework, CBS hasn't budged in its support, scheduling it in between its reliable Friday-night fare, "Ghost Whisperer" and "Numb3rs."
Other networks might have postponed the series or decided not to air it, but Tassler, who says she's always had "affection for the vampire character" and admits she was "smitten" by star Alex O'Loughlin the first time she met him, remains steadfast.
"You have to remember that this is under the auspices of Joel Silver and we've got a lot riding on Joel," Tassler said. "As you continue to work on a show, if I still feel inspired, and I feel they are making exciting choices, then our enthusiasm remains. This is not a perfect science. It's an evolutionary process."
In a fall season marked by uncertainty because of a looming writers' strike and the impact of DVR viewing on ratings, that strategy might pay off.
Although the first two episodes of "Moonlight" were not received well by the critics and the show has not lived up to predecessor "Close to Home," recent airings have shown more promise. While ABC's "Women's Murder Club" is registering more viewers comparatively on Fridays at 9 p.m., "Moonlight" is attracting more 18- to 49-year-olds, the most coveted demographic for advertisers. Of its 8.3 million viewers, 3.1 million are in that age group.
"We're not out of the woods yet," Silver said. "We're just doing OK. We're kind of slugging through it, and we're feeling good about where we're going, and the saga is becoming very clear."
Although CBS has not picked up a full season of episodes, Tassler ordered four more scripts last week.
"I am pleased," she said. "I am encouraged. I know we have great episodes ahead. It's an interesting season. It's a marathon, not a sprint."
Flying without a pilot
At the starting line was a script by Trevor Munson, which Silver's company thought would make a better TV series than a movie. Tassler, who had been searching for a romantic action drama, was instantly interested and asked that Ron Koslow ("Beauty and the Beast") be paired with Munson to write it.
