letterten 2003-04 fall preview

debuts Thursday, Sep 25, 9:30pm

premise from	Based on the hit British comedy, this show revolves around six thirtysomethings living in Chicago who are either involved, formerly involved or looking to become intimately involved with each other, including: Susan, the sexy go-getter who used to date Patrick, the cocky, good-looking guy. Sally is Susan's incredibly vain best friend who now dates Patrick. Steve wants to date Susan, but can't get rid of his ex-girlfriend Jane. Lastly, is Jeff, Steve's "porn buddy" and Susan's co-worker/ex-fling. [NBC link]
stars	Rena Sofer ("General Hospital," "Ed," "Just Shoot Me"), Jay Harrington ("The Division"), Colin Ferguson, Lindsay Price ("Beverly Hills, 90210"), Sonya Walger ("The Mind of the Married Man"), Christopher Moynihan ("The Fighting Fitzgeralds")
producers	Phoef Sutton, Steven Moffat, Ben Silverman, Beryl Vertue, Sue Vertue
studio	NBC Studios in association with Reveille and Universal Television

opinions
	Six very attractive people living in Chicago. Sound a little familiar? A big difference is that each of them is supposed to be involved or wishing they were involved with one of the others. The cast is pretty good, but they (actors & writers) are going to need to be very careful not to become a "Friends" clone.
	Take "Friends" to England and you get the original "Coupling." If you bring "Coupling" back to America what do you get? A slightly racier emsemble that's going to have to scramble not to look like a clone. With a spring of recasting, it's no wonder that certain members of the cast look like they're trying much too hard. "Coupling" looks like a much better compliment for this time slot than, say, "Good Morning Miami," but fans of the British series can watch to see how much tamer this remake will end up being.

my thoughts on "Coupling"
	Full season. NBC has partial ownership (even more if you consider the proposed merger with Vivendi Universal) and they desperately need a sitcom hit. This will have a lot of leeway and be under intense scrutiny.