Manimal

Manimal
Genre	Action/Adventure/Fantasy
Created by	Glen A. Larson; Donald R. Boyle
Written by	Michael Berk; Larry Brody; Sam Egan; Joseph Gunn; Paul Mason; Douglas Schwartz
Directed by	Chuck Bail; Georg Fenady; Daniel Haller; Sidney Hayers; Leslie H. Martinson; Russ Mayberry
Starring	See Cast below
Narrated by	William Conrad
Theme music composer	Paul Chihara
Opening theme	"Manimal"
Composer(s)	Paul Chihara; Alan Silvestri
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	8
Production
Executive producer(s)	Glen A. Larson; Paul Mason
Running time	60 mins.
Broadcast
Original channel	NBC
Original run	September 30, 1983 – December 17, 1983

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Manimal is a short-lived American action/adventure/fantasy television series that ran from September 30 to December 17, 1983 on NBC. The show centred around the character Dr Jonathan Chase (Simon MacCorkindale), a shape-shifting man who posessed the abilty to turn himself into any animal he chose. He used this ability to help the police solve crimes.

[edit] 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.

“

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 rarefied 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!

”

[edit] Overview

Manimal premiered as a 90-minute pilot that aired on September 30, 1983. The series featured the story of Dr Jonathan Chase, a shape-shifter who could turn himself into any animal of his choice, and used this ability to fight help fight crime. Only two people were aware of Jonathan's secret, his friend Ty Earl and Police Detective Brooke Mackenzie. In each episode, Jonathan and Ty would assist Brooke with a case she was working on, with Jonathan transforming himself into various different animals as and when it became useful to do so.

By modern standards the shows special effects, though plentiful, are relatively low-quality, not surprising given the time period and other constraints. While Jonathan was meant to have the ability to change himself into any animal, in practice most of his onscreen transformations were into either a hawk or a black panther, with the exact same backdrops each time, presumably to save on the budget. The general format of the show saw Jonathan change into three different animals in each episode – a hawk, a panther and one other animal such as a horse, a dolphin or a bull. But the transformation into the third animal usually took place offscreen thus not requiring an additional special effects scene (though in one episode he was seen becoming a snake).

Manimal was a part of NBC's 1983 fall lineup which also featured eight other series that were canceled before their first seasons ended (including Jennifer Slept Here, Bay City Blues, and We Got it Made).^[1] Manimal was scheduled opposite CBS's popular soap opera Dallas, and was canceled after eight episodes. However, Manimal was very popular in a number of other countries where it was broadcast.

Glen A. Larson, the creator, briefly resurrected the Jonathan Chase character for a crossover with his 1990s underground classic Nightman.

[edit] Episode list

EP#	Title	Airdate	Prod. code
1	"Manimal (90-minute pilot)"	September 30, 1983 (1983-09-30)	101
When a group of thieves devise a plan to hijack a shipment of nerve gas, Detective Brooke Mackenzie must stop them. She teams up with Dr. Jonathan Chase, a man that knows the secrets that divide man and animal and who is trained in an African technique that allows him to change into different animal forms. Special Guest Stars: Ursula Andress as Karen Jade and Ed Lauter as Colonel Hunt
2	"Illusion"	October 14, 1983 (1983-10-14)	102
A Bulgarian Ambassador hides behind his immunity status to smuggle illegal goods into the country. Special Guest Star: Richard Lynch as Zoltan Gregory
3	"Night of the Scorpion"	October 21, 1983 (1983-10-21)	103
While being interrogated by Russian agents about the location of a list, a man dies from a truth serum drug. A note and $2 million dollars are left to his daughter, Terry. Jonathan, Brooke and Ty must protect Terry while trying to locate the list before the Russian agents do.
4	"Female of the Species"	October 28, 1983 (1983-10-28)	104
After a girl is found living with wolves in the forests of Sultanpur, India, she is the topic of discussion at a local university where she is being held. When an attempt is made on her life, Jonathan takes her into his care and protection. Her identity must be found in order to discover who it is that is trying to kill her. Special Guest Star: Michael McGuire as Stanford Langly
5	"High Stakes"	November 4, 1983 (1983-11-04)	105
When a horse trainer recognizes her stolen horse in a race, Jonathan helps her try and recover it. Special Guest Star: David Sheiner as Sheldon Greentree
6	"Scrimshaw"	December 3, 1983 (1983-12-03)	106
While at the beach, Jonathan and the others discover a scrimshaw (walrus tusk with carvings on it) in the clutches of a skeleton. They begin investigating at local bar where they encounter someone who has been looking for it for their whole life. Special Guest Stars: Meeno Peluce as Corky Morgan and Keenan Wynn as Sea Dog Morgan
7	"Breath of the Dragon"	December 10, 1983 (1983-12-10)	107
Jonathan, Brooke and Ty must stop a criminal who extorts money from businesses in China Town while posing as a superstitious icon known as The Dragon.
8	"Night of the Beast"	December 17, 1983 (1983-12-17)	108
While on a well deserved vacation, Jonathan, Ty and Brooke get involved to thwart an attempt by a syndicate boss to illegally take over the town of Birch Hollow in order legalize gambling and build a large casino.