CBS will soon be making another run at reviving The Love Boat — this time, as a dating competition series.
The network has ordered The Real Love Boat, a reality series where a group of singles look for love while aboard a Princess Cruises ship.
The official description reads: “Destination dates, challenges and surprise singles will test the couples’ compatibility and chemistry. Like the beloved original scripted series, the indispensable crew members including ‘captain’ and ‘cruise director’ will play pivotal roles in the matchmaking and navigation of the romantic (and sometimes turbulent) waters ahead. After almost a month at sea, only one winning couple will make it to the final port and take home a cash prize.”
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“Audiences really connected with the fun and escapism of The Love Boat,” said Mitch Graham, senior vp alternative programming at CBS. “The iconic series embodied the many possibilities of people making new, meaningful connections. Reimagining it as a dating show with competition, adventure and romance makes The Real Love Boat an ideal fit for our schedule and viewers.”
The original, scripted Love Boat, launched in 1977 was executive produced by Aaron Spelling and ran for nine seasons on ABC. Each episode featured a different group of guests looking for romance aboard the MS Pacific Princess. The show spawned a CBS reunion movie in 1990 (The Love Boat: A Valentine Voyage) and then a short-lived reboot series in 1998 on UPN (Love Boat: The Next Wave). The original is perhaps best remembered for having one of the more memorable golden age TV show theme songs.
And here’s the opening for Next Wave.
CBS is partnering with Australian broadcaster Network 10 on The Real Love Boat, with production beginning on consecutively shot U.S. and Aussie versions this summer and both airing later this year.
