Manimal

A lot of people rag on Manimal for the premise but compared to all the other efforts at the same time (Automan, Knight Rider, Street Hawk, etc)it was better than the rest by a fair margin. A crimefighter fighting against the bad guys using a special skill (first line in the Glen Larson template)--in this case shapeshifting anthropomorph--destroys crime. Yeah, it's more of the usual but always interesting on some level. Simon MacCorkindale gives it a bit more energy as a regal sort and the show's worth watching on a purely fun level.

Even more interesting that Manimal was brought back to life fifteen years later in yet another Larson effort, NightMan. Still, a fantastic show to enjoy and sadly short-lived.

Panther and hawk only?? Don't be silly. I think I got a jumpstart into puberty when he turned into a kitten and nuzzled up against some beautiful woman under her bathrobe.

Granted, it was no "Misfits of Science", but still, quality television all the way! (At least for a nine-year-old ...)

Is there, in the whole English language, a better word than "Manimal"? I think not. And should you be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of this show, you'll never be the same again.

Putting the "high" in "high concept," Glen Larson's crime-fighting shape-shifter was a man who could turn into ANY ANIMAL. Any animal at all. As long as that animal is a panther. OK, in a pinch, he can do a hawk, but can we stick with the panther please? It's not so much that special effects technology didn't exist in 1983, it's just that network TV could not afford them. Production costs were high for all that Manimalization, and when low ratings did not quickly morph into Neilsen success, Manimal was hastily euthanized.

Simon MacCorkindale does fine work as the Manimal, but to modern eyes this show plays more like an extended Saturday Night Live skit, when the promise of a man who can be any animal turns into the reality of a guy being swapped out for the same piece of stock panther transformation footage week after week. Still, I sincerely hope Manimal is reissued, because for all its faults, it's a priceless slice of ridiculous 80s fun.

yessssssss

well like many postes here, i also spoke about this TV show when friends are around talking about the 80s TV. Very few remember Manimal but the fact that some do is really something.

it only ran for 8 EPs and that Includes the pilot. and I'm talking from London England, so some TV people here payed money to air it here. like i say it ran for Just 8 eps and we still remember it to this day so i must have made some sort ot impact. Shame there wasn't more.

well i looked into it and it was never released on DVD so god knows where this came from. ahhhh memory's

all i need now is Auto-Man, StreetHawk on DVD

OK I'd have to see these again as an adult to give a better opinion. But the show lasted only a few episodes. The special effects were cool , but they did have to reuse some footage. I'm not sure if it was budget or time. Those change sequences must have been a pain to do. And using latex I think is better than CG even though you can do a lot more with CG

From what I remember I liked the show, but it might have been just the fact that a guy could turn into any animal he wanted (although he only got to do a few of of them). That would capture the imagination of any 8 year old. I remember wishing I could do that!