who would like to see 'Cupid' (w/Jeremy Piven) on DVD? (1 Viewer)

[Burn Rourk]

I really enjoyed the short-lived ABC series 'Cupid' on DVD. (It followed the new 'Fantasy Island' series starring Malcolm McDowell, another show worthy of the boxed set treatment.) 'Cupid' starred Jeremy Piven as Cupid, the matchmaker of Greek Mythology, who has been cast out into the mortal world for failing in his mission. Divorce and infidelity are at an all-time high, and the gods of Olympus hold him solely responsible. He must match up... 100 couples if I remember right... without the use of his powers before he can return to Mount Olympus. He is also not allowed to have sexual relations with any mortals during his exile, or he will be forced to live among us forever.

It's either that, or he really is just a crazy, heartbroken loser with delusions of grandeur as his therapist suspects.

The show never really clarifies either way. All we really know is that ~he~ truly believes he is Cupid.

This show was cleverly written, oozing with charm and wit. It's a shame it didn't last longer so that more of you might be familiar with it. It's small-but-loyal fan base did attempt a rabid "bring back" campaign, to no avail. Just for future info, if you ever see this series released on DVD, it's worth your money as an impulse buy and your time as a weekend marathon.

Can I hear some support for 'Cupid' on DVD?

 

[MaraKM]

I was so heart-broken when Cupid was cancelled (it took years before I could hear the Chrissie Hyndes theme song without getting teary-eyed), and I would LOVE to see it released on dvd. The casting & the writing was perfection. It's one of the best things that Jeremy Piven has ever done, possibly the absolute best.

One episode of the show had the most obscure in-joke I think I've ever seen. Cupid shared some creative staff with Northern Exposuer (writers Diane Frolov & Peter Schneider, and/or Rob Thomas, I forget). In one scene of Cupid, a character had a book titled "Falling Satelites", which had on the cover a woman who looked like Northern Exposure's Maggie O'Connell. Since one of Maggie's boyfriends was killed by being hit by a falling satellite, it can't have been a coincidence. Someone must have asked the prop department to mock up the book. Cracked me up.

So, YES, I want this on dvd. With some Piven commentary, and some hints as to how they would have liked to end the series.

 

[Greg S]

Yep loved this show as well (and so did my wife). Kept me laughing all the time.

Another show I loved but was cancelled/never finished was BULL on TNT. That was doing well and just up and disappeared. Figures all the shows I like go away!

Greg

 

[TheLongshot]

Yeah, this is another one of those shows that deserved much better than what it got. It was a great vehicle for Jeremy Piven.

Jason

 

[Mark To]

I happened to stumble upon the show when I was out of town and stuck in a hotel room. It was really good and I started watching it from about the middle of the run. The writing was sharp and witty and the characters were glib (but not to the point of annoyance like Gilmore Girls). ABC didn't even try to save the show by moving it to another night, same as with another underated show, Vengeance Unlimited. I've held off on tranferring the tapes as I have a hope that this has enough of a cult following to come out. But then again, its not SciFi, so who knows.

 

[todd s]

Mark To,

Don't mention Vengeance Unlimited. That was a great show. What a shame it was cancelled.

 

[greenscreened]

I loved the show and also thought it was well written. Now there's a show in need of a reboot.

If it ever is released, count me in, but sadly, I'm extremely doubtful.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

Yep, remember Cupid fondly. A perfect role for Jeremy Piven and Paula Marshall was a sexy, sassy foil for him. It deserved a longer run. I'd welcome a DVD release.

 

[Neil Brock]

I spoke to Shout Factory and they had interest but the music made it cost prohibitive, unfortunately. So, we'll have to live with our VHS recordings.

 

[greenscreened]

Honestly, at this point, I don't know why the powers that be who get permission to use certain tunes in a movie or television series in the first place, don't include a clause that states something to the effect of if and when this property is released on DVD, streaming etc, we are able to include it at a nominal fee or at the same rate or percentage you agreed to when you agreed to it in it's first inclusion...
(sort of a prenuptial agreement for the legal union between the film and music industry!).

And the people who agreed to it in the first place, did so with the intention and hopes of (after getting the original payment for it's initial inclusion), that it probably will generate some new interest in the song, either from older people who were or were not fans of the artist, or younger people who were or were not fans, as well as those who never heard of them in the first place.

They are holding the entertainment industry and it's fans hostage solely because of greed, by giving them the power to decide if and when (at all) a series will ever get released, so that millions of people can or can't enjoy said intellectual property ever again, or not.

 

[Neil Brock]

Honestly, at this point, I don't know why the powers that be who get permission to use certain tunes in a movie or television series in the first place, don't include a clause that states something to the effect of if and when this property is released on DVD, streaming etc, we are able to include it at a nominal fee or at the same rate or percentage you agreed to when you agreed to it in it's first inclusion...
(sort of a prenuptial agreement for the legal union between the film and music industry!).

And the people who agreed to it in the first place, did so with the intention and hopes of (after getting the original payment for it's initial inclusion), that it probably will generate some new interest in the song, either from older people who were or were not fans of the artist, or younger people who were or were not fans, as well as those who never heard of them in the first place.

They are holding the entertainment industry and it's fans hostage solely because of greed, by giving them the power to decide if and when (at all) a series will ever get released, so that millions of people can or can't enjoy said intellectual property ever again, or not.

The show you're talking about is almost 25 years old, long before the TV on DVD craze came about.

 

[greenscreened]

Thanks for trying clear up the Cupid issue for me, but I was already aware of the reasoning.
Yes, it would be nice to have on DVD, but if it’s in my top 100 series at all, it’s way down in the bottom, mainly because it’s only one season and not enough episodes to become really attached to.

Regarding the music clearance issue that you mentioned in your post before mine, I merely used Cupid (from 1998), to bring up the point that we should have learned from our mistakes from shows before AND after Cupid, and come up with a take it or leave it rules for future releases regarding Movies AND TV home media, so no one including the movie studios or the fans gets held hostage in the future over music clearances (he states once again!).

I may be wrong, but I’m almost sure there have been TV AND Movies that had their initial release as recent as in the last five years, that have had to either omit a certain song or use a cover version for DVD or BR release for clearance issues, even in this day and age!

Heck…wasn’t the first theatrical film released on VHS in 1972?