For the last week or so friends from several Beauty and the Beast (TV) Yahoo groups and I have been discussing the new Beauty and the Beast TV shows that have been proposed for the 2012 season. One (on ABC) is supposed to stick closer to the original fairy tale, but the other (on CW) is actually supposed to be a “reboot” of the CBS 1987 – 1990 TV show with a “procedural twist.” From everything that I’ve read, they have some of the people (Koslow, etc.) from the original show who are involved.
I’ve heard all kinds of opinions…from outright “I won’t watch it because it’s not ‘our’ BATB,” to “I plan to wait and see.”
I’ve often said that my favorite fairy tale of all time has always been Beauty and the Beast. Even before the TV show, I collected versions of the story. And before I rediscovered the TV show (which I watched from 1987 to 1989) several years ago I collected things that were Beauty and the Beast related: novels based on the fairy tale and roses, mostly.”
The way I look at it…I give anything (and anyone) a chance. I will probably watch both the shows until they prove themselves one way or the other. And for once, I agree with George R.R. Martin (one of the writers and I think, script supervisor, from the original BATB TV show) he said: “And now this. A reboot. Well, okay. I wish them luck, although generally speaking, I am not a fan of reboots. I don't know the writers they have selected, but they seem to have good credentials. I hope they've seen the original series. I hope they love it as much as we do. I hope they keep the fantasy, the whole tunnel world, not just the Beast. I hope they keep Father and Mouse and Jamie and Pascal and all the other characters we peopled the tunnels with. And I hope they keep the poetry: the sonnets, the readings from Shelley and Keats and Kipling, the deep love of books and words and literature that was so much a part of Vincent.
Most of all, I hope they keep it smart.” From his blog @ http://grrm.livejournal.com/239231.html
Most of all, I hope they keep it smart.” From his blog @ http://grrm.livejournal.com/239231.html
I don’t want to forget to mention also that Guillermo del Toro is also doing a movie of Beauty and the Beast. He has cast Emma Watson (Hermione Grainger of Harry Potter) as his beauty. That is one that I’m looking forward to. Mr. del Toro has an imagination that will not quit and I can’t wait to see what he does with my favorite fairy tale.
And speaking of reboots and remakes…are there no original ideas left? Bionic Woman, Battlestar Galactica, Mod Squad, Charlie’s Angels, Dukes of Hazzard, Beverly Hills 90210, Knight Rider, Bewitched, The Twilight Zone, The Fugitive, Miami Vice, V, Hawaii Five-O, The Rockford Files, Melrose Place…that’s only a few, and even fewer remakes ever do well.
The Battlestar Galactica remake was in improvement on the original. And I personally liked the new version of V better than the original, but that doesn’t seem to be the prevailing opinion.
