PHOTO: Cruise ships line up at the Port of Miami. (Courtesy of Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau)
Is a new version of "The Love Boat" headed for TV screens? Entertainment industry publication The Hollywood Reporter posted an exclusive that says two veteran TV showrunners are preparing a show called "Port of Miami" that will center on a cruise ship bartender.
Described as "Cheers on a cruise ship," the show will be set on a Miami-based vessel. NBC has given a script commitment to executive producers Matt Williams and David McFadzean, who created and produced TV comedies such as "Home Improvement" and "Roseanne."
If the program does make its way to the small screen, the cruise industry will most likely embrace it. After all, "The Love Boat," which aired 1977-87, is credited with helping launch the modern cruise industry by showing Middle America what it was like to take a seagoing vacation. The original cast is beloved today and just christened Princess Cruises' newest ship, Regal Princess, in Fort Lauderdale on Nov. 5.
So popular was the show that a reincarnation of "The Love Boat" was launched with high hopes in 1998 - with Robert Urich as the captain of the Sun Princess - but only aired 25 episodes and was gone after its second season.
Then there was "Love for Sail," a reality dating show set aboard Norwegian Cruise Line ships in 2012 on Lifetime. It also didn't last long.
So if the new program shows cruising in a positive light, the industry will champion it. They might not if the womanizing bartender engages in unsavory behavior. Then again, the viewing public seems to like TV cads. See: Charlie Sheen.
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