Today we know George RR Martin primarily as the author of A Song of Ice and Fire, the basis for the fantasy series Game of Thrones. As an author and producer, he always had a hand in the various TV adaptations.
It was 35 years ago GRRM has worked in the television business far away from the world of Westeros – including as part of the team that brought Beauty and the Beast to the screens with a modern twist.
Beauty and the Beast as a fantasy series from Game of Thrones mastermind George RR Martin
The 1987 CBS series puts a modern spin on the 18th-century French fairy tale. Termnator star Linda Hamilton plays the lawyer Catherine Chandler from New York who is attacked one night in Central Park. She is saved by the monstrous one Vincentwhose leonine beast makeup hides Ron Perlman. The mysterious vigilante has immense strength and leads a secret community that lives in the tunnels beneath the Big Apple.
Together with Catherine, Vincent helps New Yorkers with various problems in over 50 episodes, with the beautiful woman repeatedly finding herself in danger. Included the lawyer and the monster man develop feelings for each other. George RR Martin himself wrote 14 episodes before he later wrote the TV film The 4th Dimension and two episodes for Outer Limits.
Today, creator Ron Koslow’s series enjoys cult status. The TV Guide even ranked the format 14th and 17th among the greatest cult series of all time and on Rotten Tomatoes the 80s format enjoys a popcorn rating of 86 percent.
GRRM said the following about Beauty and the Beast to The Hollywood Reporter a few years ago:
I loved this series. Like any other show, we had our ups and downs, but overall I enjoyed working on it. I learned a lot from it. We were nominated for a few Emmys. It was a good series. I’m proud of my connection to it.
The three seasons of the series were at home on German television from 1988 on Sat.1.
This is how you can watch the fantasy series Beauty and the Beast today
The online channel Pluto TV has some episodes of Beauty and the Beast available for free viewing. A DVD home theater version has been released by Paramount.