Product Description

The Beauty and the Beast TV show was a fantasy series about a man-beast (Vincent) and his love for a beautiful assistant district attorney (Catherine Chandler). Vincent lived in an underground world beneath New York City where his gruesome looks were less important to his peers than were his caring and benevolent personality. Together, Vincent and Catherine had many adventures both above and below ground level and their love for each other continued to grow.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13987 in DVD
• Brand: Paramount
• Released on: 2007-02-13
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Box set, Color, Full Screen, Mono, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 6
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 1066 minutes

Amazon.com
"Once upon a time... in the city of New York." So begins this unique fantasy-crime series. Catherine (Emmy nominee Linda Hamilton, The Terminator) is an assistant DA who's attacked one night by strangers. When she wakes up, her face is covered in bandages. Someone named Vincent (Golden Globe winner Ron Perlman) has been taking care of her in his home beneath the subway. When she removes the dressing, she finds that he's a man-beast, but fear turns to trust when she becomes convinced he has her best interests at heart. As she states in the introduction, "We have a bond stronger than friendship or love." As the season unfolds, Vincent frequently comes to Catherine's assistance. As an empath, he knows instinctively when she's in trouble. When he needs help, Vincent turns to Father (Roy Dotrice), the doctor who raised him after he was abandoned at the hospital after he was born. His origins are unknown. Together, Catherine and Vincent are like the detectives of Remington Steele, except no one knows she's part of a team, since they're only able to meet in secret. Vincent's underground companions, however, get to know Catherine well. Just as Vincent comes to her aid as needed, she does the same for his community.

Although Beauty and the Beast has little in common with the Jean Cocteau film or Disney animated picture, the appeal is similar. Cynics may find these do-gooders sentimental, especially when Catherine utters lines like, "And although we cannot be together, we will never, ever be apart." But romantics made the CBS drama successful--at least until Hamilton left in the second year--and launched the Emmy-nominated Perlman into cult favorites like The City of Lost Children. Oscar winner Rick Baker (An American Werewolf in London) also deserves credit for his convincing make-up effects. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Beyond Beauty and The Beast

The Soundtrack

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Customer Reviews

Ecstatic!
Never before have I been happier to discover a dvd will be available. Fans of this show have waited so very long. This is a show beyond the romantic, beyond the Shakespearean, beyond perfect. It was surreal, too pure for prime time television. I am so looking forward to the dulcet tones of beloved Vincent and the woman he saves and loves, Catherine. It's a show for dreamers and despairers, lovers and hopefuls. It is a timeless romance, a beautiful fairy tale, a classic tale for everyone.

The show had the highest production values, the most interesting sets and exquisite costumes and touching storylines, the most sweeping, beautiful musical scores as well as talented and heartfelt performances by all, talented regulars and recurring guest stars and the sub culture of the tunnel dwellers. In a word, this show is poetry.

I wondered for a time if this would be the only show in the history of television to not be released.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, for finally listening to the fans and releasing this dvd!

Welcome Back, Old, Dear Friends...
It's hard to put into words the effect Beauty & The Beast had on a relatively small, but passionate group of people almost 20 years ago. I proudly count myself among them. But for someone who isn't all that familiar with the show, or even a casual viewer, re-creating the magic with words seems a daunting task.

Once Upon a Time, Ron Koslow took the seeds of an age-old fairly tale and planted them in the modern urban landscape of New York City. At this time (1987) there were just the "Big Three" networks of ABC, CBS and NBC. Oh, there were cable stations, and Twentienth Century Fox was testing the waters with their own network. But the majority of primetime network dramas were formulaic "cop" shows or nighttime soaps like Dynasty. CBS took a huge risk on this odd little fantasy show, and placed it in what sci-fi and fantasy fans have come to know as the "kiss of death" timeslot: Friday nights.

For its first season, the show was a moderate hit, moreso with critics (and the aforementioned loyal followers) than mainstream audiences. The romance between "beauty" Linda Hamilton and "beast" Ron Perlman was handled with intelligence and compassion. Here was a show that was not "dumbed down" to appeal to a wider audience. In addition to their romance, Koslow and a talented staff of writers created an entire world of great characters, most of them living beneath the city in underground tunnels.

The show took a hit, however, when the writer's strike of 1988 delayed the start of the second season until December of that year. Most fans would agree that the quality of the episodes was never higher, but the ever-important Nielsen ratings were falling. To make matters worse, a creative "retooling" for the abbreviated third season--which saw the departure of star Hamilton--alienated many of the show's original fans.

But that's another story.

What is great about the show in general, and season one in particular, is the chemistry between the leads. I watch an awful lot of television, and I challenge anyone to find a better romantic pairing. Beyond that, this was a show that inspired many people to learn more about art, music and literature (all were featured prominently in the stories). Beauty & The Beast also featured an amazing supporting cast, including Roy Dotrice, Jay Acovone and the always-impressive Armin Shimerman (fans who only know him from his Buffy and Deep Space Nine roles may be quite surprised to see a much gentler side of this talented actor).

Like I said, I watch a lot of t.v. And I can't really think of a show I can recommend higher than Beauty & The Beast. What started as a high-risk venture become a phenomenon which burned brightly, and all-too-briefly. They simply don't make t.v. like this anymore.

Oh, and kudos to Paramount for the seemingly impossible task of cramming a full SIX single-sided discs into a standard DVD case! As a long-time home-video enthusiast, I take a certain perverse pleasure in being able to store an entire season of a show in less space than one single-episode videotape used to occupy.

It's a kind of magic
Finally, the release on DVD of the best romantic fantasy in the history of television, Beauty and the Beast. I watched every episode of this program when it was originally broadcast and have been hoping that it would finally find its way to DVD. Ron Perlman was remarkable as the Beast and Linda Hamilton was a surprising and poignant choice for the romantic heroine. This series had a unique, wonderful magic.