TV News and Reviews

This week TV.com seems certain of the demise of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Considering Dollhouse’s ratings are on the same level, it might not be long for the schedule, either, unless they decide to give Joss Whedon a chance to build momentum.

TV by the Numbers  seems similarly convinced that In the Motherhood, Cupid, Castle, and The Unusuals are doomed. Nothing official as yet, but the ratings aren’t all that fab. Better Off Ted is on the cusp.

You can see from my earlier blog posts that I won’t cry over In the Motherhood or The Unusuals. I would, however, cry over Cupid, Castle, and Better Off Ted. Especially Better Off Ted. That show is just outrageous and risky and crazy and damn funny. And I love every actor on it. The problem may be that it’s the perfect match for Scrubs, and if it ends up without a sitcom pairing next season, that could put it in jeopardy. Which would be a damn shame. But honestly, Scrubs‘ star has been waning for some time, so pairing Better Off Ted with another up and coming sitcom could actually improve its ratings.

I love Nathan Fillion, but Castle suffers from some weak casting. And terrible scheduling. I’ve missed it twice now because I’m watching Medium and forget to record Castle. Castle isn’t a powerhouse show, but Fillion is ridiculously charming and could do well in a more out of the way timeslot. It’s one of those times where I would welcome a timeslot shift and it could save the show from oblivion.

I suspect Cupid suffers in the ratings because the plot is a hard sell. It sounds incredibly cheesy to say this guy thinks he’s Cupid and goes around matchmaking people. But in actuality, the show is full of heart and sweetness and Bobby Cannavale zips out the one-liners so fast and charmingly it makes your head spin. Each week we get really cool guest stars that you can identify from other sitcoms or shows you’ve loved in the past, and there’s a new set of characters to fall in love with. It’s not brain surgery, but it’s a really pleasant way to spend an hour. It’s a great antitode to all the hard-edged crime procedurals and medical dramas out there.

If you want to save these shows, watching them online may help. If you’re not a Nielsen family, they have no idea you care. Visit the website, watch the vids, leave comments. Let them know people are watching!

Read up on the TV News and Reviews posts for Better Off Ted , Castle , and Cupid.

“You told me your name was Ed Ross.”

“I said: ‘Errros…‘”

So goes Cupid, the new romantic comedy series starring Bobby Cannavale as a man who claims to be the real Cupid, god of love. Sarah Paulson plays his psychologist Dr. Claire McCrae, a practical woman who believes “Trevor” (the name Cupid goes by) to be a damaged man who’s hiding his pain inside of an elaborate delusion.

The basic arc of the series is that Cupid Trevor must help 100 couples find true love, and then he can return to Mt. Olympus. Faking “sanity” to get out of the psych ward, Trevor sets out right away on his goal in getting people together through whatever trickery, gentle manipulation, and grand gestures he can manage. Dr. Claire is charged with keeping him out of trouble and continuing his treatment outside of the hospital. She brings him to her singles workshop, where she does her best to steer attendees away from overblown notions of romance and love at first sight. This of course horrifies Cupid, a man who claims to have brought people together simply by shooting them with an arrow.

I must confess, I tuned in to the show because I adore Bobby Cannavale, a versatile actor who turns up on TV regularly in shows like Sex and the City, Law & Order (all three series), Will & Grace, Lipstick Jungle, and Cold Case, and Sarah Paulson, who sparred so lovingly with Matthew Perry in the wonderful Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Paulson once again does well with the yin/yang relationship with Cannavale, and the two have a good onscreen rapport.

I wasn’t sure at all how the premise itself was going to play out, but I was pleasantly surprised. The plot didn’t go exactly as expected, and I was happy that they didn’t make Dr. Claire the fool in all of this. It turns out that Cupid’s ideas of love don’t play well in the jaded and modern New York City, and he needs Claire’s help to fix some of his grand plan failures. The show has a light touch over all, but it’s also got a nice dash of real life drama to it–of people’s faded hopes and dreams and fears of getting hurt again.

The dialogue is clever, and there’s plenty of sarcasm to balance out any romantic cheesiness–cheesiness that all lovers of romantic comedy are fond of, mind you. What it all boils down to is that Cupid is entertaining, sweet, and a heck of a lot of fun. My biggest concern is that it’s on ABC, the network heartbreaker this year that dashed the hopes of millions of viewers with its cancellation of four quality shows.

If Cupid can keep up the good-natured laughs and sweet romance, ABC should have a winner. What’s good for longevity is that you have a few recurring characters that have a plot of their own, and then every week we get introduced to new and interesting characters for them to interact with. This is a formula that’s kept procedurals like Law & Order and Cold Case running for many seasons, and it’s a formula that can work well for other genres.

Tune in to Cupid on ABC Tuesday nights at 10/9c.

PHOTOS:  Bobby Cannavale as Cupid and Sarah Paulson as Claire in Cupid, c2009 ABC Studios.