Cupid Redux

A little more than ten years ago, my Mom and I found ourselves hooked on a quirky new show starring Jeremy Piven and Paula Marshall. The premise of the show was that Piven’s character, Trevor, thought he was Cupid, sent down from Mt. Olympus to atone for his sins by uniting 100 couples in true love. Marshall’s character, Claire, was the psychologist trying to treat Trevor, and slowly being pulled in by his charm. Could he really be Cupid? And could Cupid find true love? Well, we never found out because the series was canceled before even all of the filmed episodes aired.

Bobby Cannavale stars in 'Cupid', premiering tonight on ABC.

The 1998 incarnation of Cupid is one of those shows that has stuck with me, popping up in my memory from time to time with a whiff of nostalgia and a fist shaken toward TPTB who canceled it. Without even a DVD set to honor its memory, I thought I’d seen the last of Cupid. Never underestimate TPTB. Imagine my surprise and glee when ABC announced last year that it was bringing the show back, with creator Rob Thomas (who’d since seen critical success with Veronica Mars) at the helm once more. We have a whole new cast, but our lead characters remain intact as Bobby Cannavale and Sarah Paulson take over. I’m not sold on their potential chemistry yet – Piven and Marshall had enough sparks that the fire department must have been on standby – but am certainly willing to give them a try. The previews give us a glimpse at the witty, fast-paced dialogue Thomas perfected on Mars, and, well, I’m just so excited to have it back in any incarnation that I’m a little giddy at the prospect.

How about you? Were you a fan of the original Cupid? Will you be watching tonight?