November 10, 2015
Manimal - The Complete Series
Ken Tasho READ TIME: 2 MIN.
Not quite a man but almost an animal was the bizarre concept of a cult show added to the 1983 prime time television lineup. Who else but Shout Factory could dredge up "Manimal," the very short-lived fantasy NBC series that TV Guide ranks as one of the worst TV shows of all time. Yeah, it's a pretty badly made series which naturally makes it all the more fun to watch.
All eight full-length episodes are included here on Shout's attractive three-DVD set, a must-have for fans of "Manimal" and those who seek out obscure, notoriously bad TV shows. Glen Larson produced the show and he had better luck with such hits as "Knight Rider" and "The Fall Guy."
Any fantasy scenario has to make the viewer suspend belief and "Manimal's" concept that a man could change into an animal at will was too much for American audiences. Regardless, late British actor Simon MacCorkindale does his best with the odd material he worked with. He plays Jonathan Chase, a local Professor who aids the New York Police Department in solving crimes. In the 75-minute pilot episode, he turns into a panther, a hawk, a tiger, and a venomous snake (separately of course) all in order to catch a smuggling gang.
Stan Winston performed the makeup effects seen in the animal transformations, and in the "Man to Animal" interview segment with Glenn Larson seen on disc three, it's revealed that "Manimal's" budget was so low that Winston's effects weren't used that much. Larson also talks about how popular the show was overseas and how the failure of the show in the U.S. falls on NBC's shoulders: they pitted "Manimal" up against the more popular "Dallas." The little-seen "Manimal" pilot went up against the famous "Who Shot J.R." episode.
A glossy episode guide, production notes, galleries, and actor biographies fill up the remainder of the special features on Shout's affordable DVD set. And Larson mentions three times that viewers haven't seen the last of "Manimal"....there are tentative plans to bring it to the big screen. Maybe it'll fare better in that format.
"Manimal"
DVD
$26.99
www.shoutfactory.com
