| Beauty and the Beast | |
|---|---|
Pictured: Linda Hamilton (Catherine), Ron Perlman (Vincent) |
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| Format | Drama Fantasy Romance |
| Created by | Ron Koslow |
| Starring | Linda Hamilton Ron Perlman Roy Dotrice Jay Acovone[1] |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 56 |
| Production | |
| Running time | approx. 48 minutes (per episode) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | CBS[2] |
| Original run | September 25, 1987 – August 4, 1990 |
Beauty and the Beast is an American drama series which first aired on CBS in 1987. Creator Ron Koslow's updated version of the fairy tale has a double focus: the relationship between Vincent (Ron Perlman), a mythic, noble man-beast, and his Catherine (Linda Hamilton), a savvy assistant District attorney in New York; and a secret Utopian community of social outcasts living in a subterranean sanctuary. Through an empathetic bond, Vincent senses Catherine's emotions, and becomes her guardian.[3] The series follows the developing relationship between the characters and the division between New York and the hidden world beneath it. In a twist from the original tale, however, this "beast" does not transform into society's idea of beauty after gaining the love of Catherine. Rather, Vincent's inner beauty is allowed to remain the focus of who he is, and it is Catherine's life which transforms from her relationship to Vincent. Vincent's makeup was devised by veteran Hollywood makeup artist Rick Baker.
In the third season, after the death of the character Catherine, Jo Anderson became the new female lead, playing Diana Bennet, a police woman investigating Catherine's murder.[4]
As the title indicates, the premise of the series is inspired by the fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast"; in particular, there is some connection to the Jean Cocteau French film of 1946, La Belle et la Bête.
In 2004 and 2007, Beauty and the Beast was ranked #14 and #17, respectively, on TV Guide's Top Cult Shows Ever.[5]
Contents |
When Catherine Chandler is abducted, beaten and slashed and left to die in Central Park, she is rescued and cared for by Vincent, who has taken her to his Father (Roy Dotrice), to their hidden community of people dwelling in tunnels below the city of New York. Ten days later, she returns to the surface with the promise of keeping Vincent's secret and the challenge to go on after her terrible attack. After completing her recovery, her life begins a serious transition: she takes self-defense lessons, leaves her comfortable job at her father's law firm and joins the Manhattan District Attorney's office as an Assistant District attorney. During the course of the first season, the production team fashioned a blend of romance and crime drama which used both Catherine's position as an ADA and her will to help Vincent and his world to place her in moments of physical danger which would bring the idealized romantic figure of Vincent to the surface world as her guardian angel.
In Season 1 - Episode 4: No Way Down, Vincent is captured by a gang of criminals (one of whom is a very attractive, glamorous, young leather-clad woman). The gang (including the young leather-clad woman) is foiled and Vincent is 'rescued' by Catherine and a N.Y.P.D. detective.
During its second season, the series shifted its focus slightly to add more character development, as the central characters spent considerable time exploring their relationship and with the inhabitants of the Tunnel World, where Catherine had now finally been accepted as a friend and "Helper" (someone who assists the Tunnel community with what they need to survive and by keeping their secret). More people from the world Above turned up for emotional support and healing in the World Below's welcomingly secure environment. Near the end of the season, however, in an effort to boost faltering ratings, the action orientation returned as a result of the misleadings of the recurrent villain Paracelsus (Tony Jay). In a cliffhanger final episode, Catherine is seen walking down a tunnel into a chamber, where Vincent is suffering from a violent madness.
When the series returned for its abbreviated third season late in 1989, Linda Hamilton had announced her decision to leave the series. It was a decision that, along with the network's desire to attract more male viewers, would have serious repercussions for the show's continued survival. In the resolution to the previous season's cliffhanger, Catherine rescued Vincent from his inner demons but was kidnapped by "Gabriel" (played by Stephen McHattie[6]), the ruthless head of a huge criminal empire she had been investigating, which was trying to corrupt the D.A.'s office. She was killed, but not before giving birth to Vincent's son, who was held hostage by the evil Gabriel. Catherine's boss and close friend Joe Maxwell (played by Jay Acovone) hired Diana Bennett (Jo Anderson), a criminal profiler with the police department, to track down Catherine's killer. Quite naturally, her investigation ultimately led her to the now darkly obsessed and grieving Vincent.
Although still popular with its dedicated fans, the darker, more resolutely violent aspects of the reworked concept, coupled with the fatal loss of the all-important central relationship between Catherine and Vincent, led to further declining ratings and ultimately cancellation.[7]
Note: Ratings data from TVTango.com
Avon Books published three books novelizing various episodes from the series.
CBS DVD (distributed by Paramount) has released all three seasons of Beauty and the Beast on DVD in Region 1. They also released Beauty and the Beast: The Complete Series, a 16-disc boxset featuring all 56 episodes of the series.
Shock Entertainment has released the entire series on DVD in Region 4.
| DVD Name | Ep # | Region 1 | Region 4 | Region 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beauty and the Beast: The Complete First Season | 22 | February 13, 2007 | April 20, 2009 | May 30, 2011 |
| Beauty and the Beast: The Complete Second Season | 22 | July 10, 2007 | September 10, 2009 | June 27, 2011 |
| Beauty and the Beast: The Complete Third Season | 12 | February 5, 2008 | February 10, 2010 | July 25, 2011 |
| Beauty and the Beast: The Complete Series | 56 | September 30, 2008 | April 14, 2010 | July 25, 2011 |
A blu-ray release in Region B has been announced for March 2011.[11]
An active fan community (self-titled "Helpers" and/or "the tunnel community") arose during the show's run, helping organize a petition drive to assure that there would be a third season.[12] They have published the usual fanzines, fan fiction and collections of filk music[13] inspired by the show, and hold various fan conventions around the world. Right now much of their activity takes place in different Yahoo Groups and websites.
CBS Television Studios, which owns the rights to the series, is developing a new version. Ron Koslow, the creator of the original, will executive produce the series, along with the earlier show's producers, Paul Junger Witt and Tony Thomas. The reboot has been described as a "modern day romantic love story with a procedural twist." In the United States, it will air on The CW.[14]