Back when it was first announced that ABC and Rob Thomas were remaking the short-lived 1998 series Cupid, I mentioned how I loved the original so much that I went to eBay and bought the entire series on VHS shortly after it got canceled. So needless to say, when I heard the trailer for the 2009 reboot was streaming on YouTube, I pressed play with a bit of trepidation. Would Bobby Cannavale and Sarah Paulson exhibit the same witty-sexy chemistry as their predecessors Jeremy Piven and Paula Marshall? More importantly, would Cannavale be up to the task of taking a brash, sometimes annoying, and possibly mentally imbalanced character and making him a funny, relatable, romantic figure with whom viewers will want to spend an hour every week?
The opening scene of ABC’s promo — complete with Trevor/Cupid offering a hammy "Ayyy! Happy New Year, officers!" — didn’t give me a lot of hope. At his best, Cannavale is an exceedingly handsome, hilarious actor (see The Station Agent, Six Feet Under), but when his quirks and volume get cranked up past 10, he can come off as a stereotypical lout (see his recent recurring role on Cold Case, in which he seemed to be chewing food during 50 percent of his line readings). Fortunately, though, things get better as the Cupid trailer progresses. I got a good laugh from the "I suppose you’d like me to disrobe" line, and when Cannavale does that over-the-shoulder cocktail-shake, he and Paulson exchange a look that makes me think their characters could (with the help of Thomas’s typically whip-smart dialogue) become a classic TV couple in the vein of Sam and Diane, Maddie and David, Jim and Pam, etc.
What do you think of these scenes from the new Cupid reboot? Could the show be a hit this time around, or is it likely to join The Ex-List, Men in Trees, and Miss Match on the list of major network rom-com failures?
More on ‘Cupid,’ Bobby Cannavale, Rob Thomas:
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Bobby Cannavale makes our list of 10 Actors Who Deserve Greater Fame
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If it leads to the original coming out on DVD, I’m for it.
Bobby is cute,but the original was good because Jermey is quirky and cute. I just hope that ABC does not put it on a Friday where no one will watch it.
I’ve loved Bobby Cannavale since Third Watch, so just his presence alone is enough to get me to watch one episode.
Looks fun and funny to me. Plus I love Bobby C and Sarah P (though not as much as I love Piven).
The original is on DVD? Awesome!
I’ll check it out because of Bobby… even if Sarah Paulson is in it.
I loved the original Cupid but this looks very promising – I will def. be checking this out
I did a survey where I had to watch the Pilot episode. It was very entertaining, I hope it does well.
I’m still not speaking to ABC, so no thanks. Why must we air this when three perfectly solid shows got the ax? I say a-psh.
I swear that these are straight remakes — the dialogue seems familiar. Anyway, I watched before because of the manic Piven.
Absolutely loved Piven in the original, so this will definitely be worth a gander.
I am worried, I was just charmed by this, but, well, I can’t help but think…Pushing Daisies, Eli Stone..sigh…and did ABC cancel this in the first place already? It wouldn’t be a hard decision to do so again.
i loved the original. it killed me when they canceled it, not that anything has really changed since the piven version bit the dust. quirky shows get axed left and right (see: pushing daisies. eli stone. freaks and geeks. hell, arrested development anyone?) so i am concerned for its longevity.
not that this fact will deter me. love rob thomas. and love, love, love sarah paulson. (though, paula marshall was also amazing. sidebar: why is she being relegated to drivel like gary unmarried? and liz reaser from the ex-list. and bonnie somerville? come on, potential lady comedy gold going unused.) i hope paulson gets to be witty ala studio 60. i’ll definitely tune in. and tell others to add it to their midseason replacement list.
Didn’t see the original but the mere mention of the name Bobby Cannavale is more than enough to make me tune in. I’ve missed seeing him on tv weekly since Third Watch – which by the way, NBC needs to release the second season dvd ASAP!
If the show had stayed on the air longer than one season then Piven would have had his Emmys 10 years ago. Not really interested.
The original was amazing and made me a huge fan of Jeremy Piven. After watching this, I’m just not sure. But if the writing is as strong as in the original, I’d definitely give it a try. Good for Rob Thomas not giving up on this great show. Of course it also depends on ABC if they’ll place the show in the right spot and actually nurture it instead of pulling the plug when the ratings aren’t huge enough to charge astronomical amounts for commercials.
I loved the original, rewatched the entire thing on YouTube. I’m excited about this but it better not air on Fridays! And ABC cannot press the cancel button!
I’m going to check it out for both stars. I love Sarah Paulson. She was the best thing about ‘Studio 60.’ I also remember from that ‘Sex & The City’ rip-off ‘Leap of Faith.’ She was the best thing about that one too.
Honestly, I’d watch anything from Rob Thomas.
I loved VM and I’ll watch anything that Rob Thomas or his writers put out as I know they’ll be great. Rob Thomas plus Diane Ruggiero are a winning combination and I think I could love Bobby & Sarah’s portrayal of Claire & Trevor. I’m looking forward to it and I’m just glad it’s on ABC, since I already have to get STARZ for Party Down and HBO for Washingtonienne.
Did I catch the song used in America’s Next Top Model? Weird.
Nope! Wasn’t interested in the original, not interested in the remake, really REALLY not interested in getting sucked into another Rob Thomas show after seeing seasons two and three of VM. Pass.
Why bother? ABC will just cancel it just like they did Pushing Daisies.
I got a chance to read the pilot script this summer and, in typical Rob Thomas fashion, it was really, really good. The actors seem capable, so I have high hopes. I’ll definitely be tuning in…
Bobby C. deserves better. This show was just as amiable with Piven in its first iteration, and people didn’t tune in. What’s changed?
They better use the Pretenders song “Human” as the theme, or it just won’t work. I really liked this show the first time around, and I think it was the lead actors that made it work, not sure how this is going to play out.
I’m honestly not jazzed about the trailer, but I am really excited for the show.
they had me at from the creator of veronica mars…
The original was great, but these two leads aren’t going to be able to hold a candle to Pivan & (the almost) always amazing Paula Marshall. Although it IS nice to see a lead role in a sitcom go to an unattractive actress (sorry Sarah Paulson, you’re funny but not a looker). Anyway, hotter male lead than female lead usually spells trouble…
My memory of the original Cupid, which I loved, is that the show was, for all its romance, pretty dark and gritty — everyone involved seemed somewhat sad (at least until they found love). I’m concerned that the remake loses that tone in favor of something more slapstick (or, perhaps worse, David E. Kellyish).