Customer Ratings & Reviews

I loved this series when it was on TV. I was very sad that the series ended after only three seasons. Ron Perlman and Linda Hamilton have great chemistry in this series.

Beautiful mivie for adults and children to watch. Love stoey between ypung woman and a beast

This was one of the first "grownup" TV shows I remember taking an interest in back when it came out (I was seven). At the time, I was entranced by the visuals, but the more adult elements (romance, intimacy, and urban problems of poverty and discrimination) were lost on me. However, as soon as I heard that Beauty and the Beast had been released to DVD, I rushed out to buy a copy, and the stories and lush visuals don't disappoint. In the TV series, the role of Beauty is Catherine Chandler (Linda Hamilton), a corporate lawyer who is nearly killed in a case of mistaken identity. Brutally beaten and disfigured in a razor attack, she is discovered by the reclusive Vincent (Ron Perlman), part man, part beast who lives in the tunnels below New York City. Vincent and his adopted father (Roy Dotrice) nurse Catherine back to health. Once she returns to the World Above, as Vincent calls it, she is a changed woman and decides to work for the District Attorney's Office in order to help other survivors of violent crimes. Catherine and Vincent share a strong platonic bond, and although there is definite romantic chemistry between them, they are unable to act on it. Vincent reads Catherine wonderfully romantic, evocative classic love poems; these are also available on the Beauty & the Beast CD. First and foremost, the show is carried by Ron Perlman, who makes the lion/man Vincent a deeply sensitive, poetic, and yes, romantic figure aware of his limitations in Catherine's world. Linda Hamilton as Catherine Chandler is beautiful both inside and out; deeply concerned for the welfare of others, she has chosen her job from altruism, not for money (her father is rich). Catherine becomes familiar with Vincent's world, where those who are different have found a safe haven under Vincent's wing, so to speak, including Mouse (David Greenlee) and Pascal (Armin Shimerman from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine). Another notable name is Tony Jay as Paracelcus, a villain who threatens Vincent's world below. The 22 first-season episodes range from mediocre ("Masques," with some of the worst Irish accents heard on screen), to captivating ("Fever," "An Impossible Silence," "Nor Iron Bars a Cage"). Given, the show's '80s values (especially production values) do date it quite a bit, but the interplay between characters (and the romantic tension between Catherine and her boss Joe) and Vincent's lush, mysterious world of damp tunnels tempered by candlelight carry the viewer's interest. The film's transfer is grainy and blurry, with scratches particularly noticeable on the pilot. The overall video transfer is inconsistent, and that's a shame. Audio quality is decent. The lack of extras is deplorable, particularly given the show's fierce cult following. The packaging is both space-saving and well thought out, although it's hard to read the synopses when the discs are on top of them. Overall, fans of the series will want to snap this up. If you're looking to collect all three seasons, it might be better to hold out for the complete series set Beauty and the Beast: The Complete Series, with new extras.

I loved this show when it was on TV and was thrilled to see it out on DVD. The ambiance of the show is so classic and romantic. The suspense portion of the show does get a bit repetitious, but it's fun to watch the changes in the main characters and their relationships to each other. Definitely more for the ladies!

Great price, picture quality, and sound. And of course, a great show.