Michael Urie on co-star Brandon Routh: He's supercute

Michael Urie thinks Brandon Routh, his romantic interest in the upcoming CBS sitcom Partners, is "supercute."

The 31-year-old Urie (Ugly Betty) will play Louis, whose friendship with business partner Joe (David Krumholt) is tested when Louis gets a new boyfriend (Routh) and Joe gets engaged to Ali (Sophia Bush). The series from Will & Grace creators David Kohan and Max Mutchnick has been 4 years in development and was inspired by their lifelong friendship and business relationship.

Urie, who is openly gay, sized up Routh, who is best known for playing Superman in the 2006 film Superman Returns, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.

"He's supercute and a big ol' tree trunk of a man," Urie said. "He plays the character's aloofness perfectly. He was so brilliant as Clark Kent, so this is basically a sitcom version of that."

On this show, he said: "There are places in the country where straight people still don't understand how to be friends with a gay man and I think if they catch our show, it can be what Will & Grace was for those types of folks. Where Ugly Betty and Glee were able to tackle serious social issues about coming out, this who is much further along in the character's lives. We're meeting them in midlife, so it'll be less of an issue show and more of a lead-by-example show, I hope."

Partners premieres Monday, September 24.