Whenever the script called for an animal transition, the production designer, director, set decorator, stunt supervisor, animal wrangler and actor had to carefully coordinate every move. Shooting on a sound stage allowed more animal control; location shoots were very difficult. When one script required a cobra, the entire set's perimeter floor and walls had to be sealed to prevent the animal from escaping. A low wall was placed at the open end of the set to seal the stage. To set up filming action scenes with the snake, the camera crew had to lift their equipment into walled-off stage area. The snake wrangler supervised the animal's movements.
Creator Glen A. Larson briefly resurrected the Jonathan Chase character for a crossover with Night Man (1997). Manimal's traditional practical effects transformation was abandoned in favor of a CGI sequence.
The series was wildly successful in France. It boasted many reruns and, each time, the ratings went thru the roof. In 1988, it was rebroadcast in a format where viewers had to phone in (a pay-per-minute number) to choose the TV series they wanted to be aired. By a landslide, voters always chose "Manimal". In fact, when it was offered as choice, the station reported record-breaking phone calls in droves, in spite of the toll expense.
Even amongst critics, the series was well received in France. It is generally regarded as well-acted and of high-caliber production values. When lamenting its short duration, many French critics point out that so much schlock comes out of USA which inexplicably lasts seasons. Online and otherwise, Americans seem to randomly attack the show as sport, but without ever providing any reasons whatsoever why they think it's so "bad", particularly when compared to the actually embarrassing shows they enjoy; as the saying goes, there is no accounting for lack of taste, particularly in America. In sheer contrast most French critics and audiences alike recognize its highly entertaining value, and further express regret that it didn't last longer. So much so that a French production company had entertained plans to resurrect the series with the original cast. Alas, that was not to be.
J.C.'s apartment boasts an impressive collection of artifacts, most notably Egyptian mythology, such as an Anubis statuette.