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Twitter'Cupid' review
It's anybody's guess at the moment whether ABC's new version of "Cupid," which comes 10 seasons after the first version lasted less than a full season, will work better in the ratings this time. But on a purely creative level, at least, it works.
"Cupid" does romantic comedy better than most TV shows have done the genre in some time. The show may, to some extent, rise and fall on the strength of its couple-of-the-week guest stars (the ones in Tuesday's premiere are pretty good), but it also features a magnetic performance by Bobby Cannavale at its center. It could be a breakout role for him.
Caveat time: I didn't watch the 1998-99 version of "Cupid" with Jeremy Piven and Paula Marshall, and I purposefully stayed away from it (most episodes exist in multiple segments on YouTube) in the lead-up to this review so I wouldn't just be playing compare-and-contrast. So the rest of what you read is only going to be about the episode ABC screened for critics.
The premise remains the same from creator Rob Thomas' original version (for more on the show's resurrection, read our Q-and-A with Thomas): A mental patient named Trevor Pierce (Cannavale) believes he's the Greek god of love and says he's been banished from Mount Olympus until he can create love for 100 couples. The hospital assigns psychiatrist Claire McCrae (Sarah Paulson) to monitor his progress once he's released.
Claire also is also a self-help author who leads a singles group and tries to teach her charges to be smart and rational as they approach the dating world. Trevor, who's attending the group as part of the terms of his release, naturally disagrees and sets up what is basically the show's central conflict in a scene in Tuesday's episode: "Love is passion. Love is heat, chemistry, sex," Trevor proclaims. "No," Claire replies. "Love is what's left after the heat and the passion die ... or fades away, kind of -- slowly."
The show's deck may be stacked in Trevor's favor -- even if you don't believe in love at first sight, it's hard to think of love as an entirely rational thing -- but Claire gets to do more than just throw wet blankets on all of Trevor's efforts. There's a sense, first of all, that she's genuinely concerned about the health of her patient, which helps keep the show from feeling too fanciful. Paulson, who seems much more at ease here than she did on her last show, "Studio 60," also has good (non-romantic) chemistry with Cannavale -- despite Trevor's views on love being diametrically opposed to her own, she can't help but like the guy.
I suspect that will be a common reaction to Cannavale. He's been a part of several ensemble shows and has a guest-starring Emmy for playing Will's boyfriend on "Will & Grace," but he shows some definite leading-man chops here. From small things like the way he twirls a shaker at his bartending job to bigger moments, like his confusion over a botched setup attempt, he holds your attention every time.
Such a strong lead is important because the way "Cupid" is structured, it will rely primarily on guest stars to tell its romance-of-the-week story. The premiere features Sean Maguire ("The Class," "Meet the Spartans") as a lovelorn Irishman searching for a girl he met by chance in Dublin and Marguerite Moreau ("What About Brian") as a skeptical reporter, and they both acquit themselves nicely. Their respective stories aren't all that surprising, but with Cannavale anchoring things, it's an enjoyable hour nonetheless.
The show also stars Rick Gomez (also a "Brian" alum) and Camille Guaty ("Las Vegas") as the sibling owners of the bar where Trevor works. They're underused in the pilot, and I hope their characters get more to do in the coming weeks.
Is the world more ready for "Cupid" now than it was 10-plus years ago? The romantic in me hopes so.
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"Cupid" premieres at 10 p.m. ET Tuesday, March 31 on ABC. Here's a preview:
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I miss the old one. It really had me questioning whether he was Cupid or simply a mental patient; I had a vested interest in learning about the character. This version just feels like it verges too close to silly in its light-heartedness.
I was a big fan of Jeremy Piven's original portrayal of Cupid. He was crude, abrasive, arrogant and walked a fine line between divinely charming and utterly unattractive. An amazingly complex and layered performance that made me a lifelong fan of Piven.
I'm sure Cannavale will do a good job, but his Cupid is inevitably going to be more traditionally attractive in the "Greek God" sense and more boyishly charming. The sheer madness and primal energy of Piven's performance is not something I expect to see in Cannavale, even though I like his previous work. I'm hoping that he'll surprise me. I'm also hoping that if the show is succesful, they'll finally release the original on DVD.
Ditto w. Amy and Knut. I loved Jeremy Piven in the old Cupid. And I thought he played off well against Claire.
I was amazed (as usual) when this great show was axed.
We'll see how this one does.
I never saw the original, but I wish Rob Thomas all of the luck in the world.
Let's just hope this show doesn't distract him too much from the Veronica Mars movie
Paulson has no romantic chemistry with Cannavale because she's a lesbian (she's Cherry Jones's life partner). That's the problem with casting a gay woman in a romantic lead. It's very hard for them to portray feelings they can't know. Bad choice. Paulson ruined the character on Studio 60 as well. Get a straight woman for a straight part.
Keep cancelling the good shows and put some more crap on ABC Steve McPherson! When is someone going to cancel your tenure at the network?
I, for one, am glad they brought Cupid back. The original had the best dialogue since Moonlighting, and it had a lot of the feel of the latter, as well.
While the dialogue didn't crackle like the original, I thought Cannavale was very good as the God of Love. I'd give it another watch -- and I watch next-to-nothing on network TV anymore.
janice: really? really? are you SERIOUS?
*shakes head and wanders away*
Golly gee, my problem with Sarah Paulson in the role is her bold blonde tresses. The psychiatrist needs to be a brunette to be taken seriously, like, oh, I don't know, Paula Marshall. I had no idea Sarah's off-screen sexuality affected the role, thanks for the tip, Janice! Wow, is it really 2009 or 1809 on your calendar? Hate to burst your bubble, hon, but if only straight actors were allowed to play straight roles Hollywood as we know it would collapse. Personally, I was a huge fan of the original and, as much as I like Cannavale, this show just won't be the same without Piven. I endorse the idea of the remake being popular enough to bring the original to DVD, though, that works for me.
I like the show and it's playfulness, I think we need fun shows like this one and I could see the Gods of Olympus giving Cupid a rough time. It's fantasy and it's fun. I like the serendity of the ituations the writers create. It's chemistry and it works.Keep up the good work .