Love Boat: The Next Wave

Love Boat: The Next Wave is an American comedy television series that aired on UPN (now The CW) from April 13, 1998 to May 21, 1999. It was a revival of the original run of the ABC series The Love Boat from 1977–1986.

Love Boat: The Next Wave
Title card for season 2
Based onThe Love Boats
by Jeraldine Saunders
Developed by
Starring
Theme music composerCharles Fox
Opening theme"The Love Boat" performed by Paul Williams
ComposerKevin Kiner
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes25
Production
Executive producers
Running time60 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkUPN
ReleaseApril 13, 1998 (1998-04-13) –
May 21, 1999 (1999-05-21)
Related
The Love Boat

Plot

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Set aboard the cruise ship Sun Princess, the series starred Robert Urich as Captain Jim Kennedy, a retired and divorced U.S. Navy officer with a teen-aged son, Danny (Kyle Howard). Phil Morris played Chief Purser Will Sanders, and Joan Severance played Security Chief Camille Hunter.[1]

"Reunion" episode

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A reunion-themed episode reunited several cast members of the original The Love Boat[2]Gavin MacLeod (Captain Stubing), Bernie Kopell (Dr. Adam "Doc" Bricker), Ted Lange (Isaac Washington), Jill Whelan (Vicki Stubing) and Lauren Tewes (Julie McCoy). This episode revealed that Julie and "Doc" had been in love all along.[3]

Cast

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Main

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Recurring

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Episodes

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Series overview

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SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
16April 13, 1998 (1998-04-13)May 18, 1998 (1998-05-18)
219October 9, 1998 (1998-10-09)May 21, 1999 (1999-05-21)

Season 1 (1998)

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No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code [4]
11"Smooth Sailing"Dennis DuganKay Camden & Elizabeth OrangeApril 13, 1998 (1998-04-13)4198-001
The Sun Princess welcomes a new captain (Robert Urich)--and his son (Kyle Howard), who has had problems with the law. The captain tries to delegate his parental duties to the ship's staff only to learn that what his son really wants is a father. A comedian (Lenny Clarke) hired for the cruise brings his girlfriend (Talia Balsam), who has agreed to move in with him. However, when his routine features jokes that demean the institution of marriage, she is upset. In the third story, a young man (Kadeem Hardison) spies a woman (Shari Headley) across a craps table and decides that the two of them will be married, though they have not met and do not know each other's name. When he does propose suddenly, she agrees to marry him only to develop cold feet when she finds out that the captain, who is to perform the ceremony, is divorced.
22"Remember?"Tony MordenteKay CamdenApril 20, 1998 (1998-04-20)4198-002
The captain's son is attracted to a girl (Jessica Alba) who is traveling with her recently divorced mother (Christine Ebersole). When the two teens sneak off to a broom closet, they are caught, and the girl's mother demands to see the captain. As it turns out, the mother and the captain have a romantic history, and the two of them attempt to rekindle that romance, thoroughly disgusting the teens. A congressman (Paul Satterfield) on the ship is surprised to find his estranged wife (Cari Shayne) on the cruise. The congressman's bodyguard (Ben Reed) hits it off with the ship's chief security officer (Joan Severance), who, in an effort to demonstrate her physical strength, injures herself and tries to hide the injury from the bodyguard. The final storyline involves two Scrabble players who have had an ongoing online romance but never met. They are excited to meet, but when he (Curtis Armstrong) turns out to be significantly shorter than she (Pam Stone), chances of a real-life romance seem to fizzle.
33"I Can't Get No Satisfaction"David SemelMichael NorrellApril 27, 1998 (1998-04-27)4198-004
44"How Long Has This Been Going On?"Anson WilliamsGrace McKeaneyMay 4, 1998 (1998-05-04)4198-005
55"True Course"Sandy SmolanElizabeth OrangeMay 11, 1998 (1998-05-11)4198-003
66"Getting to Know You"Mel DamskiVan NiezeMay 18, 1998 (1998-05-18)4198-006

Season 2 (1998–99)

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No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code [4]
71"All Aboard"Bruce BilsonDavid LandsbergOctober 9, 1998 (1998-10-09)4198-007
82"It Takes Two to Tango"Peter BaldwinNicole AvrilOctober 16, 1998 (1998-10-16)4198-009
93"Captains Courageous"Tony MordenteNeal Howard, Ira FritzOctober 23, 1998 (1998-10-23)4198-010
104"Reunion"Anson WilliamsIan PraiserOctober 30, 1998 (1998-10-30)4198-008
The original "Love Boat" crew reunites for Vicki's (Jill Whelan) marriage to her fiance, Bill. Captain Stubing (Gavin MacLeod) is Vice President of Princess Cruises. He and his wife are awaiting word on whether he will get promoted to president. Kennedy is nervous about Stubing's visit, and in fact, Stubing makes several critical remarks about the Sun Princess and its crew, making Kennedy even more unsettled. Vicki gets cold feet because Bill fawns over her and appears unable to recognize even a single flaw in her. Isaac (Ted Lange) befriends Paolo and reveals that his time on the Pacific Princess made him unable to maintain a long-term relationship. Meanwhile, Doc (Bernie Kopell) and Corey ogle female passengers and share "war stories" about the women they've bedded. Eventually, Kennedy puts Stubing in his place, and they share a heart-to-heart talk. Stubing learns that he has indeed been promoted, but he informs his wife that (without consulting with her) he has declined the corporate position and instead taken an opening as captain of another ship. Isaac meets a woman he pushes away at first, but they eventually fall in love. Vicki confronts Bill, who expresses his true feelings and insults Vicki several times, which reignites her passion and saves the wedding. Finally, Julie (Lauren Tewes) overhears Doc admitting to Corey that he had secretly been in love with a co-worker during his time on the Pacific Princess. After Julie confronts him, they declare their mutual love. Gopher (Fred Grandy) is mentioned, but his absence is unexplained.
115"All That Glitters"Craig ZiskKimberley WellsNovember 6, 1998 (1998-11-06)4198-012
126"The Bermuda Triangle"Peter BaldwinRobert MoloneyNovember 13, 1998 (1998-11-13)4198-011
The Sun Princess enters the Bermuda Triangle and rescues a man in the water. The man claims to have been a pilot, but his story seems unlikely in that he claims to have served during the 1940s. Strange events become the norm. The bar manager (Randy Vasquez) suddenly develops almost magical skills of dexterity à la Tom Cruise's character in Cocktail. Chief Purser Will Sanders (Phil Morris), overwhelmed by several problems, finds himself able to tackle his many duties when there are apparently several versions of him on the ship. Security Chief Camille Hunter (Joan Severance) and the rescued aviator are drawn to each other. Cruise Director Nicole Jordan (Heidi Mark) is suddenly in love with the ship's doctor (Corey Parker), apparently returning the feelings he has long held for her. The ship's captain (Robert Urich) meets his dead father, while the captain's son (Kyle Howard) develops the power to read minds.
137"Affairs to Remember"Joanna KernsRobert MoloneyNovember 20, 1998 (1998-11-20)4198-013
148"Dust, Lust, Destiny"Joel ZwickMike Lyons & Kimberley WellsDecember 18, 1998 (1998-12-18)4198-015
159"Don't Judge a Book by Its Lover"Neal IsraelNicole AvrilJanuary 1, 1999 (1999-01-01)4198-014
1610"Blind Love"Ted LangeIan PraiserJanuary 22, 1999 (1999-01-22)4198-016
1711"Other People's Business"Kim FriedmanMike Chessler & Chris AlberghiniFebruary 5, 1999 (1999-02-05)4198-017
1812"Love Floats: The St. Valentine's Day Massacre"Tony MordenteNicole AvrilFebruary 12, 1999 (1999-02-12)4198-022
1913"Three Stages of Love"Joel ZwickLawrence H. LevyFebruary 19, 1999 (1999-02-19)4198-020
2014"Divorce, Downbeat and Distemper"Ted LangeCharleen EastonFebruary 26, 1999 (1999-02-26)4198-021
2115"Such Sweet Dreams"Ted LangeCharleen EastonMarch 19, 1999 (1999-03-19)4198-019
2216"Trances of a Lifetime"Tony MordenteDavid LandsbergApril 30, 1999 (1999-04-30)4198-025
2317"About Face"Kim FriedmanArnold Kane, Michael Baum, Charleen EastonMay 7, 1999 (1999-05-07)4198-023
2418"Prom Queen"Jon ParéNeal Howard & Ira FritzMay 14, 1999 (1999-05-14)4198-018
2519"Cuba"Mel DamskiRobert MoloneyMay 21, 1999 (1999-05-21)4198-024

Reception

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Carole Horst of Variety called it "a pleasant one-hour trip" that will appeal to fans of the original show.[5] However, in his review, Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly gave the show a grade of D+.[6]

References

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  1. ^ King, Susan (April 11, 1998). "Urich Happy to Be Captain of Relaunched 'Love Boat'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2017-05-28.
  2. ^ Snierson, Dan (September 7, 2007). ""The Love Boat" flashback". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2017-05-28. ...and the cast reunited on a 1998 episode of Love Boat: The Next Wave, UPN's unsuccessful franchise relaunch.
  3. ^ Mitchelmore, Pam (2005). "Reunion", Love Boat: The Next Wave. Epguides.com.
  4. ^ a b "Public Catalog - Copyright Catalog (1978 to present) - Basic Search [search: "Love Boat: The Next Wave"]". United States Copyright Office. Retrieved 2017-05-28.
  5. ^ Horst, Carole (April 9, 1998). "Review: The Love Boat: The Next Wave". Variety. Retrieved 2016-11-04.
  6. ^ Tucker, Ken (April 17, 1998). "The Love Boat: The Next Wave". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2017-05-28.
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