"Beauty and the Beast" (1987) TV series 1987-1990

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Creator:

Ron Koslow

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | unknown

Release Date:

5 SZEPTEMBER 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Fantasy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Once upon a time is now...

Plot:

The adventures and romance of a sensitive and cultured lion-man and a crusading District Attorney assistant.

Plot Keywords:

Culture Clash | Secret Society | Underworld

Awards:

Won Golden Globe. Another 8 wins & 30 nominations

Cast

Ron Perlman	...	Vincent (56 episodes, 1987-1990)
Roy Dotrice	...	Jacob 'Father' Wells (55 episodes, 1987-1990)
Richard Partlow	...	Underground Man (54 episodes, 1987-1990)
Linda Hamilton	...	Asst. Dist. Atty. Catherine Chandler (46 episodes, 1987-1989)
Jay Acovone	...	Deputy D.A. Joe Maxwell (43 episodes, 1987-1990)

Runtime:

60 min (56 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Not Rated (DVD version) | Australia:M | Argentina:Atp

Filming Locations:

CBS Studio Center - 4024 Radford Avenue, Studio City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Republic Pictures

Trivia:

Ranked #14 in TV Guide's list of the "25 Top Cult Shows Ever!" (30 May 2004 issue).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In episode #5, "Masques", there is a shot where Vincent has no make-up on his hand.

Quotes:

Father: [referring to Vincent's relationship with Catherine] I sometimes feel that I'm standing on the bank of a raging river watching you try to swim across. How can I not worry? I'd be a fool. And yet, Vincent, sometimes I have to marvel at your courage.
Vincent: Catherine swims across that river as well. She faces the same dangers, shows the same courage. And in many ways the toll on her is even greater.
Father: You really think that's so?
Vincent: On the other side of the river there is no one standing on the bank watching. On her side of the river there is no one praying for a safe passage. On her side of the river, Father, there is no one but Catherine.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in 'Hellboy': The Seeds of Creation (2004) (V)

A Totally Misunderstood Program

The brilliance of this series was its romance and its excellent early stories. We could entirely believe that this could happen in New York -- except that any New Yorker would tell you that there are people far stranger than Vincent walking the streets. We were never told how he came to be as he is, but it almost didn't matter. I don't think it was any accident that he had such a feline appearance.

This series was so badly misunderstood and mishandled by its parent network that I am not surprised it lasted only two seasons. Season 3 wasn't even the same program in my book. CBS seemed terribly upset with the fact that its audience was almost entirely female. Was that why the body count of season 3 was higher than in a Bruce Willis movie?

The worst mistake CBS ever made was to let Linda Hamilton leave after two seasons. Had the network been intelligent enough, they could have talked her into a third season, ending it with the fairytale ending -- she kisses Vincent for real (something CBS was VERY afraid of, but the fans would have loved) and have him turn into a human prince. That would have given it the magical ending it deserved.