Moonlight is an American paranormal romance television drama created by Ron Koslow and Trevor Munson, who also served as executive producers alongside Joel Silver, Gerard Bocaccio and Rod Holcomb. The series follows private investigator Mick St. John (Alex O'Loughlin). St. John was turned into a vampire by his bride Coraline (Shannyn Sossamon) on the couple's wedding night fifty-five years earlier. In the present day, he struggles with his love for a mortal woman, Beth Turner (Sophia Myles), his friendship with Josef Kostan (Jason Dohring), and his dealings with other vampires in Los Angeles. Produced by Warner Bros. Television and Silver Pictures, the series premiered on September 28, 2007, airing on Friday nights at 9:00/8:00c on CBS, following Ghost Whisperer. CTV began airing the show in Canada in simulcast with the American broadcast. Channel Nine in Australia began airing the series on December 12, 2007, but stopped showing the series after the eight episode. Living began airing the show in the United Kingdom on February 19, 2008. The series finale aired on May 16, 2008 in the United States.

The series, originally titled Twilight, was commissioned by Warner Bros. Television as a presentation lasting 14–20 minutes. Alex O'Loughlin, Shannon Lucio, Rade Šerbedžija and Amber Valletta were cast in the lead roles, and Rod Holcomb was hired as director. The project was renamed Moonlight when picked up by CBS. David Greenwalt joined the staff in May 2007 as showrunner and executive producer alongside Joel Silver; but health reasons forced Greenwalt to leave the series. All of the original actors, save for the male lead role, were recast in June 2007, and Sophia Myles, Jason Dohring and Shannyn Sossamon replaced them. With an almost entirely different cast, a retooled, full-length pilot for television audiences was re-shot. Although received poorly by critics, the pilot managed to finish first among total viewers and adults 18–49 for its night. Many critics criticized the acting and the writing; however Jason Dohring's performance was praised. Moonlight went on hiatus due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, but returned with four new episodes once the strike ended. On May 13, 2008, CBS announced that Moonlight was officially canceled.