CW has barely rolled out promos for its new show Valentine, Inc debuting October 5th when ABC spills it will remake the 1989 series Cupid.

Is the TV Universe big enough for two shows about love deities?  What if you could only pick one?  How would you decide?

Characters

Valentine showcases the Greek mythological cast of Grace aka Aphrodite, her son Danny aka Eros, and his buddy Leo aka Hercules.  Someone should let the network know that Hercules is not Greek but Roman.  Herakles is Greek.  Nitpicky, I know.  The crew is joined by Phoebe, the priestess of the Oracle at Delphi, who CW writers may not realize makes her a Pythia because they don't mention it.  Clearly the mythology runs second on this show.

Cupid showcases Cupid, the Roman version of Eros (who would therefore actually hang with Hercules) and the psychiatrist who is treating him for his crazy god delusions.

Point:  Despite the network's inability to keep Greek and Roman gods straight, Valentine's ensemble cast has more opportunity for conflict and relationship building.

Plot

In Valentine the characters must unite couples otherwise they will continue to lose their godly powers.

In Cupid the character must unite 100 couples to gain Zeus' favor and return to Mt. Olympus.

Point: Tie.  For all intents and purposes, the stakes are the same.

Cast and Crew

Valentine has a few throwaways from old shows like Jaime Murray (the psycho chick from Dexter), Autumn Reeser (latecomer to OC) and Kristoffer Polaha (so many cancelled shows I can’t name them all).

Cupid’s cast of Bobby Cannavale (who I will always remember for Snakes On A Plane despite any of his respectable work) and Sarah Paulson (Deadwood and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip) are respectable but it is scribe Rob Thomas who also created Veronica Mars, the bestest show ever on television, that drums up real excitement.

Point: Heavy hitting crew and the possibility of Veronica Mars alumni guest stars will tip the scales in favor of Cupid.

Decision

Pantheon shows have great potential for mythology and the writers could exploit the hefty Whedon fans that flock to world building like addicts to crack.  I've got my money on Cupid, but I wouldn't mind having two shows to love.