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Manimal was a short-lived American action/adventure/fantasy television series that ran from September 30 to December 17, 1983 on NBC.
Opening narration
For every episode except the pilot, actor William Conrad recites the opening narration that tells of Chase's wealthy present life and his early days in Africa with his missionary father.
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Dr. Jonathan Chase... wealthy, young, handsome. A man with the brightest of futures. A man with the darkest of pasts. From Africa's deepest recesses, to the rarified peaks of Tibet, heir to his father's legacy and the world's darkest mysteries. Jonathan Chase, master of the secrets that divide man from animal, animal from man... Manimal! |
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Overview
Manimal premiered as a 90 minute pilot that aired on September 30, 1983. The series featured the story of Jonathan Chase (Simon MacCorkindale), a shape-shifting man who can turn himself into any animal, and uses this ability to fight crime.
By modern standards its special effects, though plentiful, are relatively low-quality, not surprising given the time period and other constraints. While Dr. Chase was meant to have the ability to change himself into any animal, in practice his onscreen transformations were almost always into a hawk or black panther, with the exact same backdrops each time, presumably to save on the budget, though on one occasion he was seen becoming a snake. In the episodes when Dr. Chase turns into a bull, dolphin and horse, the actual transformations occur off-screen.
Manimal was a part of NBC's 1983 fall lineup which also featured eight other series (including Jennifer Slept Here, Bay City Blues, and We Got it Made) that were canceled before their first seasons ended.[1]The series, which was scheduled opposite CBS's popular soap opera Dallas, was also canceled after eight episodes. However, Manimal did receive success in its television run in South Asia. A similar success was achieved in Peru through a local television network Frecuencia Latina.
Glen Larson, the creator, briefly resurrected the Chase character for a crossover with his 1990s underground classic Nightman.
Cast
Episode list
| Episode # |
Title |
Original Airdate |
| 1 |
"Manimal" (90-minute pilot) |
September 30, 1983 |
| 2 |
"Illusion" |
October 14, 1983 |
| 3 |
"Night of the Scorpion" |
October 21, 1983 |
| 4 |
"Female of the Species" |
October 28, 1983 |
| 5 |
"High Stakes" |
November 4, 1983 |
| 6 |
"Scrimshaw" |
December 3, 1983 |
| 7 |
"Breath of the Dragon" |
December 10, 1983 |
| 8 |
"Night of the Beast" |
December 17, 1983 |
International broadcasters
Other points of interest
- The often derided transformation sequences were designed and created by Academy Award-winning SFX artist Stan Winston.
- In the episode "Breath of the Dragon," Walter Nebicher from Automan can be seen walking outside the Chinese restaurant. Both Manimal and Automan were filmed back to back with the same scene, at a different angle, appearing in the episode of Automan.
- The show is referenced in the song "Wind Up" by Foo Fighters on their 1997 album The Colour and the Shape.
- In the 2006 film Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, John C. Reilly's character Cal Naughton, Jr. makes a brief reference to Manimal.
- Online comedy show The Bill Binkley Show! references the series in their short, The Hunt for Billy Dee. Binkley's sidekick Ed believes Billy Dee Williams has become a Manimal in order to elude and ambush the duo.
- Psych, a detective show on the USA Network, references the show in the episode "Meat is Murder, But Murder is Also Murder".
- In his televised round the world motorcycle journey Long Way Round, Ewan McGregor receives a mosquito bite in Kazakhstan which causes his brow to swell alarmingly. As he inspects his swollen face in the mirror, he jokingly comments to his companions that he looks like Manimal.
References
- ^ Hofstede, David (2004). What Were They Thinking: The 100 Dumbest Events in Television History. Back Stage Books, 87. ISBN 0-823-08441-8.
External links
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