Urich Happy to Be Captain of Relaunched ‘Love Boat’

Back in 1977, Robert Urich made his first of three guest stints on the kitschy old ABC series “The Love Boat.”

“I have a cheap silver tray that’s starting to tarnish now that says, ‘Bon Voyage. The Love Boat. 1978,’ ” Urich recalls. “They used to give them out as gifts.”

More than two decades later, Urich finds himself starring as the skipper of the luxury liner Sun Princess on UPN’s updated version of the 1977-86 series, “Love Boat: The Next Wave.” It sets sail for a six-episode voyage on Monday.

Urich, though, isn’t stepping into Gavin MacLeod’s shoes as ever-smiling Capt. Stubing. In the new incarnation, he plays Capt. Jim Kennedy, a divorcee and a recently retired Navy officer with a troubled 15-year-old son (Kyle Howard).

“I haven’t had this much fun in decades,” Urich enthuses.

That may be because this captain is more involved in the ship’s amorous action. “He has a certain amount of sex appeal and youth that would be an alternative to Gavin’s portrayal,” says Tom Noonan, UPN’s executive vice president of entertainment. “[Capt. Stubing] had a more paternal quality to his crew. [Capt. Kennedy] is a divorced dad and he’s available.”

Besides Urich, the series stars Phil Morris as chief purser Will Sanders; Joan Severance as chief of security Camille Hunter; Corey Parker as Dr. John Morgan; Stacey Travis as cruise director Suzanne Zimmerman; and Randy Vasquez as bar manager Paolo Kaire.

“We have a much more diverse cast [than the original],” Noonan says. “I think it’s just much more representational of typical Americans.”

The real captain of both the old and new “Love Boat”--executive producer Aaron Spelling--also notes the changes.

“I would say this is a little cooler version of ‘Love Boat,’ ” Spelling says. “With the ‘Love Boat’ in the past, it seems that every time you met, someone fell in love and that was it. It’s not that easy to fall in love, so we’re having romances that don’t work and some that do, so audiences won’t be ahead of us.”

Though the old series’ calling card was casting veteran actors in guest-starring roles, the new series will feature performers who appeal to a younger demographic. Doug Savant and Kadeem Hardison are among the guests on the first episode.

“We want to have as much fun as the old show,” Noonan says. “But it was a three-network universe at the time and they didn’t have to be concerned if it was a 50-plus crowd or an 18-34 crowd. We have to be more concerned about that. We don’t have an older audience watching [UPN], so at this point to book older actors as our guests would be foolish in the short term.”

UPN decided it was time to take “Love Boat” out of dry dock because, Noonan explains, “there isn’t another show on TV like this right now, which is escapist television that has these guest stars each week and which takes place on such an exotic and romantic location.”

There’s another factor too. “We also think, just coincidentally, that we are riding somewhat on the success of ‘Titanic’s’ romanticism with ocean-going stories,” Noonan says.

Urich, 51, says he’s feeling fine these days after his well-publicized battle with cancer. “I’ve been flying around the country for the last year talking to groups,” he says. “It’s part of my deal I made with God to spread the word that it is survivable, that this notion of ‘cancer-free’ is one that you can achieve.”

“Love Boat” is shooting its location footage this season aboard the Sun Princess in the Caribbean. If the series gets picked up for the fall, the production will move to the new and even more spectacular Grand Princess.

* “Love Boat: The Next Wave” premieres Monday at 8 p.m. on UPN (Channel 13).