'Veronica Mars' creator reviving his 1998-99 series

TV shows occasionally come back from the dead, "Family Guy" and "Jericho" being the most prominent recent examples. But a series revival eight years after its cancellation?

Believe it: ABC has asked "Veronica Mars" creator Rob Thomas to start working on a new version of his cult favorite "Cupid," which aired way back in the 20th century (the 1998-99 season, to be exact). Thomas has a development deal with ABC Studios and has been kicking around new version of the show with executives there.

"For the last couple years, I've been talking to ABC about how to do an anthological romantic comedy a la 'Cupid' or 'Love Boat,'" Thomas tells Variety. "We kept beating around ideas and kept coming back to 'Cupid' as the best of the group. So they said to me, 'Why not go back and do "Cupid" again?'"

The reborn "Cupid" will keep its original premise: A man recently released from a mental institution insists he's the god of love, banished to Earth for shoddy work and trying to unite (or reunite) 100 couples to gain re-admittance to Mt. Olympus. Intrigued, his court-appointed psychologist decides to keep tabs on him.

The 1998-99 series starred Jeremy Piven, now of "Entourage," as Trevor Hale/Cupid and Paula Marshall as his shrink, Claire Allen. (They likely wouldn't be part of the new show.) It lasted only 15 episodes, leaving a cult of adoring fans to wonder whether Trevor really was a god. Thomas has said in the past that he knows the answer, but he's never divulged it publicly.

Thomas thinks it can fare better this time around. "The zeitgeist is better for the show now, and ABC is a much better network for it now," he tells Variety. "They've got a lot of shows that could lead into it."