Reboots and Second Chances - Cupid, 90210, Dollhouse and More

There seems to be a lot of reboots and second chances on TV these days. Cupid is back in a whole new reincarnation. Dollhouse and 90210 seem completely revamped already, a Top Chef-like twist ACTUALLY HAPPENED on Project Runway Canada, Scrubs continues its new life on ABC, and In The Motherhood regurgitates a former (and funnier) ABC show Notes From The Underbelly.

Cupid - Pilot - Ep. 101

Rob Thomas (Veronica Mars) brings his Cupid back to TV and a re-do, this time with Bobby Cannavale in the role as Trevor, the possible crazy delusional man or cupid himself. Sarah Paulson is Claire, the psychiatrist in charge of keeping tabs on him. Trevor claims he's been banished from Mount Olympus and must pair up 100 true loves together before he gets sent back. Basically, it's an excuse to have a romantic comedy every week with different guest stars while Trevor and Claire play their own romantic dance game.

While the original with frenetic Jeremy Piven (who has since become a thermometer according to David Mamet) and Paula Marshall had a zip and chaotic edge to counterbalance the ooeygooeyness of all the matchups, this version feels a bit softer and glossier, and without the edge. But I think I've been determined to like this Thomas reboot so much that despite the faults and the fact that it's pretty cliched, I still enjoyed it. Then again, I also liked Valentine so you have to take me with a grain of salt. Apparently I love me thee love coupling shows.

Plus Sarah Paulson is so luminous, I sometimes wish I were a lesbian. And LOVE Bobby Cannavale. But I will admit, these two really don't have that much chemistry together and seem more like best friends at best. Which won't work over the long run for this show if it's to go where it's supposed to.


90210 - The Bad and the Trusted - Ep. 117

Whoa, the new showrunners formerly from Gilmore Girls seem to be purging all the dirty thoughts they had that they couldn't use on that wholesome show and are using it on this reboot of a reboot. The new filming quality with the dark and edginess makes the new 90210 look like one of those teen horror flicks. It even has a lot more sex like those horror flicks. Now Dixon and Silver are all hot and heavy. At least until Silver goes from my favorite and nice character into a CRAZY. Whoa? Where are they taking this?

And then Naomi imagines getting hot and heavy with Matt Lanter's Liam. THAT? I'm TOTALLY okay with! In fact, word that Matt Lanter will be upgraded to full-time cast is TOTALLY okay with me. Seriously, I'm LOVING this new bad boy Liam/Matt Lanter and will definitely hook me to the show because I'm enjoying the visual porn. (Oh wait, the porn with Matt is just in my head... nevermind...).

Liam is bad and Naomi tries to tutor him. Ahem. Yah, right. Then it becomes and episode of Fast and Furious. More darkness, more darkness. Silver is all romantic and poetic until she shows her porn film she made with Dixon (unbeknownst to him) and shows it to her film class and then blames Ryan Matthews. Then goes CRAAAAAZEEEEEE. More darkness.

Oh, and Annie's still on the show. Annie? Meet Rhonda (Aimee Teegarden). The girl that Dustin Milligan kissed before he's getting tossed off the show for being too sexy and boring (always okay to me though, so I'm sad to see him go). Also, the girl who acts circles around you here and on Friday Night Lights.

Anyways, the reboot seems very lowbrow and a cheap ploy to attract more viewers by foregoing any sense of real human reactions or moral senses but as long as they keep Matt Lanter and that adorable haircut, and maybe dropping trou or losing his shirt once in a while, I'll keep tuned in. Though have him be slutty and not just hooking up with looks-old-for-her-age-Naomi which makes the whole thing a little Cougar-like. Maybe have him make out with Dustin Milligan before Milligan leaves.

More on Dollhouse, Project Runway Canada, Lost, Scrubs, In The Motherhood, The Amazing Race:

Dollhouse - Man on the Street - Ep. 106

I couldn't remember when Joss Whedon was retuning to write for the show but as soon as this episode came on, it felt like a whole new show, and lo and behold, Whedon was in charge again! And boy, it was SOOOO MUCH BETTER. At this point, they should just drop the first 5 episodes and assume this is the pilot, because it made the show have purpose and make sense.

And Whedon did it by brilliantly re-adjusting the show to the core strengths and giving the show an actual direction. And this meant bumping up Tahmoh Penikett's Agent Ballard front and centre and pushing Eliza Dushku's Echo a little back. And OOOOOH Tahmoh Penikett! Bonus points for having him shirtless and giving him Mellie, his neighbour and confident.

Seriously, Whedon's episode seemed to streamline the whole direction of the show as well as all the moral and philosophical issues behind it. Loved it. I was dreading watching this show but now I'm invigorated again. And extra bonus points for having Patton Oswalt (Remy in Ratatouille, United States of Tara) guest star in the episode.

I'm still not sure about Dichen Lachman as Sierra, but I do like Enver Gjokaj as Victor for obvious reasons. I still haven't watched the following episode so I hope it wasn't a one time fluke, but at least now I feel like I know what the whole idea of this show is, which was never made clear at the start.


Project Runway Canada - Return of the Supermodel, Gimmie Shelter, Boardroom to Bedroom - Eps. 208-210

Okay, they FINALLY got rid of Genevieve and just needed to get rid of Kim to have a perfect final three of Jessica, Sunny and Adejoke and then they pull a Top Chef and let ousted contestants back in? It makes for a dramatic twist and stretches the show back out (especially after all the drop outs in the 1st episode), but it's SOOO NOT FAIR.

So Genevieve and Jason (who I did admit probably got cut too early) were allowed to compete again with the final 4, but as a team. And they WON. Well, they TIED Jessica and Sunny. Because there cannot be a week where Jessica or Sunny doesn't win. And I'm not even saying that facetiously. Seriously, Sunny's stuff is so brilliant, I'm kinda laughing now when he wins because they should just assume he won and award 2nd prize. At least that would give us some drama. Because no way can Sunny lose at this point.

So Gen and Jason WIN. Which automatically kicks Adejoke and Kim out. Kim fine, good riddance. But because of Kim's bad taste and poor construction skills, Adejoke is out too since it's a TEAM challenge. WTF???

ADEJOKE. You were ROBBED of a spot at Toronto Fashion Week.

Now Jason will take your place instead. At least it wasn't Gen, who made another boring outfit this week and got cut AGAIN. HA. Hope that stung AGAIN.


Lost - He's Our You - Ep. 510

Boy, what happened to Sawyer? Talk about second life! He's now earned respect on the Dharma compound and Hurley, Jack and Kate must follow. And the slow soap opera drama unfolding as they realize Sawyer is now with Juliet? Priceless.

Okay, but I did NOT buy that Sawyer would have not stopped Sayid from being drugged and interrogated. He would have done SOMETHING to stop it. I know it moves the story along having Sayid reveal the whole story but I didn't buy that Sawyer could do nothing to stop it.

Still, loving what's going on, even though I really don't know what's going on. Especially now that young Ben's been shot? WTH?


Scrubs - My Nah Nah Nah, Their Story II - Eps. 809, 810

While it's nowhere near the quality when this was at its peak, it's still enjoyable and I'm getting to like a lot of the new batch of interns. I doubt they will renew this show for them to continue, but if they did, it wouldn't be so bad. Especially Sunny and Jimmy (the guy who likes to touch and hug a lot, and played by Taran Killam, Cobie Smulders babydaddy).


In The Motherhood - It Takes A Village Idiot - Ep. 101

This show was funnier when it was called Notes From the Underbelly. And to think Cheryl Hines AND Megan Mullaly are in it. AND Rachael Harris FROM Notes from the Underbelly is in this. AND Ken Marino (Veronica Mars, Reaper, Party Down). There were some mildly amusing things and I LOVE Cheryl Hines and I love that office she works in, but Megan Mullaly felt like she was coasting here. Like she was just doing something to busy herself instead of counting all her WIll & Grace residuals. I think I preferred her on Broadway.



The Amazing Race - Gorilla? Gorilla?? Gorilla??? - Ep. 1407

Okay, if anybody should get a second chance, it's Mike and Mel. I was SOOOO sure it was a non-elimination round so I was didn't worry all episode when they made a fatal mistake and didn't follow everyone else to the zoo. So I was shocked when it was actually an elimination round. Crap.

Vance at http://tapeworthy.blogspot.com

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Will We Love Cupid?

Word on the (Hollywood) street is that the pilot is just not quite perfect but here's the new preview for ABC's upcoming remake Cupid from Veronica Mars' Rob Thomas (based on his original show from 10 years ago):



LOVE Bobby Cannavale... but... I think part of the originals charm was that you sort of have a crazy frantic energy with Jeremy Piven, a sort of bad boy being good (which I was reminded of after just seeing him in Speed-the-Plow the other day on Broadway, which hopefully I'll get reviews up for ALL the shows I've seen soon enough).

Still, between the always likable Cannavale and the lovely Sarah Paulson AND it's Rob Thomas re-helming this, I'm in.

I mean, I love this match making stuff! Miss Match was under-appreciated and I actually secretly enjoyed the short run of Valentine (yes, I was the one who was watching it).

The new version of Cupid will also star Camille Guaty (The Nine, Prison Break) and Rick Gomez (What About Brian). I'm not sure about Rick. He annoyed me after a while on What About Brian. Then again, everyone got irritating on that show. So maybe it's not his fault. Still, he's sort of a poor man's Freddy Rodriguez to me.

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Suckered In By The Cute Guy/Kookie Woman Combo Again - Valentine and Easy Money - 2008 Fall TV Pilot Reviews

Valentine - Pilot - Ep. 101 - Series Premiere - Airs on The CW/City on Sundays at 8pm
Easy Money - DNA - Ep. 101 - Series Premiere - Airs on The CW/City on Sundays at 9pm

The CW shows that aren't really CW shows since they apparently "sold" Sunday slots to the highest bidder... so I really don't get how it all works but it's the shows The CW seems to forget and most viewers probably will too.

And while they aren't first priority viewing shows, or maybe even second, both were not as bad as I suspected them to be.

Well, actually, to be frank, I watched because I'm totally shallow and both shows stars a cute actor I tend to like (Jeff Hephner (above, The OC) in Easy Money, Kris Polaha (Miss Guided) in Valentine) who co-star with great female character actresses (Laurie Metcalf (Roseanne) in Easy Money and Autumn Reeser (The OC) in Valentine). And dangit, the cute guy/kookie girl combo suckered me into both mediocre shows. Actually, bad shows that are elevated to entertainingly bad by the duos of Hephner and Metcalf on Easy Money and Reeser and Polaha on Valentine.

Valentine, about a bunch of love gods trying to unite destined lovers, is a cute and cheesy show that feels a bit cheap and syndicated but it'll probably do until Cupid comes on at least. There are a lot of laughable parts (where I'm guessing it wasn't supposed to be), a strong female lead (Jaime Murray) who feels completely at odds with the breeziness of Reeser and Polaha and the show as a whole, and everyone seems to have arrows or some magic power that brings the show to a Saturday afternoon Xena without the lesbian or comic-geek feel, but again, the always adorable Polaha and the under-respected Reeser are enough to keep the show afloat, for now.

Again, it's not a great show but there's an inherent cosiness to it. Essentially comfort food TV. It's not good for you and it's not even that good but sometimes you just need a big helping. And again, Autumn Reeser rocks and Polaha is just so darned cute. Even with the (unnecessarily) messy hair.

Easy Money still has that cheap look, this time a bit more of an indie low budget movie than syndication, probably because no one has magic powers, but the show fairs a teeny tiny bit better. Maybe it's because they keep trying to sell the show as "from a producer of The Sopranos" to make it feel deeper.

All they really have to do is keep showing lead Jeff Hephner's mug. It's the perfect plain handsome next door white guy look and he's got the bland likable white guy demeanor to play against the always kookie Laurie Metcalf. Who gets to use a drawl and highlight her hair a bright red on this show.

The show follows quick cash money lenders run by matriarch Laurie Metcalf while son Jeff Hephner turns on his smarts, and sometime muscle to collect on their loans, just as new competitors move into town. There's a timeliness to the whole money issue, sometimes accentuated by speeches that seem to spell out the whole show's philosophy but in the end, the show has a tacky feel to it that balances ill-timed comedic bits with a tiny bit of action and some family drama (the son may not be her son after all) and throwing a bit of potential romance (with Marsha Thomason (Las Vegas)) and yet, the duo of Metcalf and Hephner is fun enough to watch. Perfect on a Sunday afternoon when it's raining.

Valentine gets ** (2 stars out of 5)
Easy Money gets **1/2 (2.5 stars out of 5).

Both aren't great but there's something intrinsically entertaining enough on a slow laundry day that I didn't expect. You may be laughing at the show, but you're laughing! And again, at least there are cute boys to watch in the meantime.

The cast of Valentine:
Jaime Murray:

Kristopher Polaha:

Autumn Reeser:

Robert Baker:

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Surprise Surprise... yawn... Wait WHAT? Canadian?

Ha, was I right or was I right?

Rob Thomas has dropped out of the 90210 remake to concentrate on his other 2 series (one being Cupid).

Also, Luke MacFarlane who plays cutie Scotty on Brothers & Sisters has officially come out. But the surprising thing I found out while reading his interview with Canada's Globe and Mail is that he's CANADIAN! WHAT?

How did I not know that? That explains why he's so likeable (:P) It also proves that unless you are Without A Trace, you need at least one Canadian in every series for it to be successful. Think about it. (:P!!!) (Although they already had Emily VanCamp on B&S anyways).

And another thing? Apparently he will now be a series regular on Brothers & Sisters!!! Which probably explain these photos from the upcoming episodes:




So, I also wonder if those rumours of him and Wentworth Miller are true then? Or if he was previously dating T.R. Knight? I know. I'm terrible (Muriel).

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Who Will Be Cupid's Girl?

I usually don't regularly report casting news because, well, I'm not a reporter and I'm not fast enough to catch everything during the day. Plus, I don't want to get my own hopes up for pilots that we may never see (or that will barely survive broadcast airings). I've been hurt too badly in the past (I blame you CBS. I'm still not over Love Monkey). But this news just got me too excited!:

Bobby Cannavale has been cast as Cupid, in the Rob Thomas' (Veronica Mars) remake of his own show originally starring Jeremy Piven.

That. Is brilliant casting. I wasn't sure who could be as great as Piven in a role that requires people to believe that he could be a bit freakish/psycho or the romantic cupid himself, all with comedic timing and charm, but Cannavale fits the bill!

Cannavale has proved himself in versatile roles from Third Watch, to guesting on Sex and the City, Will & Grace, and movies like The Station Agent. I always thought of Cannavale as more of a thuggish brute for some reason after Third Watch but his role in The Station Agent and then as Will's boyfriend on Will & Grace showed me how likable and charming he was. He even came up looking pretty good in the American remake of Shall We Dance. Plus he does a lot of theatre (last seen on Broadway last fall in Mauritius). Plus, he seems to take on gay roles more than the average hunky actor to shake up his beefy image. I like that. It's cool.

Now, to the important question. Who should be his Claire?

In the original, it was Paula Marshall opposite Piven's Cupid.

There are rumours it could be Kristen Bell, back for another outing with her Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas. She's apparently mulling over working with Thomas again, but since he has 3 pilots in the works (the other two being the 90210 remake (which she had BETTER not take) and Good Behavior, a remake of the Australian show Outrageous Fortune (which Jace at Televisionary, who has read the pilot, can't see a role that would fit Bell), we don't know for sure which show she's being courted for. Either way, Bell with Rob Thomas? In perhaps Cupid? That. Would. Be. AWESOME!

But another suggestion on the boards were for Julie Bowen, which would be more suitable in age, and if you've read my Boston Legal or Lost posts, I love me some Ed alums and I LOVE Julie Bowen.

Who else would be good for the role?

More Bobby Cannavale photos after the jump. You know, just to fill space...

Bobby Cannavale and Peter Dinklage in The Station Agent:

Bobby Cannavale and Eric McCormack in Will & Grace:

Cannavale from his Third Watch days:

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I Heart Cupid

Who cares about the 90210 remake. Especially when ABC just greenlit Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas' other project revamp, a remake of Cupid!!! Now if only they can steal Jeremy Piven back from his Entourage.

Cupid was one of those shows I loved that no one saw, with a pre-Entourage Piven from a pre-Veronica Mars Rob Thomas.

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