Beauty and the Beast (1987–1990)

The adventures and romance of a sensitive and cultured lion-man and a crusading assistant district attorney in Manhattan, New York City.

Creator:

Ron Koslow

Stars:

Ron Perlman, Roy Dotrice, Linda Hamilton

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 9 wins & 30 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Ron Perlman	...	Vincent (55 episodes, 1987-1990)
Roy Dotrice	...	Jacob 'Father' Wells (54 episodes, 1987-1990)
Linda Hamilton	...	Asst. Dist. Atty. Catherine Chandler (46 episodes, 1987-1989)
Jay Acovone	...	Deputy D.A. Joe Maxwell (42 episodes, 1987-1990)

Storyline

Ron Koslow's updated version of the fairytale has a double focus: the relationship between Vincent,(a mythic, noble man-beast) and Catherine (an asst DA in New York); and a secret Utopian society of outcasts living in an underground sanctuary where Vincent is protected and loved. Through an emotional bond connecting Vincent to Catherine, he comes to be her protector as well as the man she loves. The series follows the developing relationship between them and nicely fleshes out the underground world of labyrinth tunnels, mystical waterfalls, and people who have come together to form a loving and nurturing family. In a twist from the original tale, 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 former "shallow" self that is the ugliness transformed by their relationship.

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Plot Keywords:

culture clash | secret society | underworld

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Taglines:

Once upon a time is now...

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Genres:

Crime | Fantasy | Drama | Romance

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 September 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

La bella y la bestia

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Witt/Thomas Productions, Republic Pictures (II)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min 60 min (56 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

4:3

Did You Know?

Trivia

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

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Quotes

Mitch Denton: I can't forget. And only God forgives.

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Connections

Version of Kaj og Andrea: Gys og gru (2004)

User Reviews

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.