The CW has given their new Beauty and the Beast TV series a great timeslot, following their most-popular show, The Vampire Diaries. On the negative side, it’s also airing opposite seriously tough competition — Glee, Person of Interest and Grey’s Anatomy. Can it compete? Is it even worth watching?
In this version of the classic tale of Beauty and the Beast, a young girl is saved from being murdered by a mysterious creature/human. Years later, as a homicide detective (Kristin Kreuk), she comes face to face with her mysterious savior (Jay Ryan). He ends up helping her solve crimes while she helps keep his identity a secret. The cast also includes Nina Lisandrello, Brian White, Max Brown, Nicole Gale Anderson, and Austin Basis.
Sound like it’s worth your time? Before you decide, take a look at what some of the critics think:
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: “It’s tough to imagine how anyone could make a more ham-fisted wreck of a remake of 1980s CBS fantasy series Beauty and the Beast than The CW’s effort, debuting on Pittsburgh’s WPCW tonight at 11:30 after the Steelers game… The CW’s Beauty is laughably bad in myriad ways. There’s no sense of star-crossed lovers, just a plasticized romance between a Cover Girl and a glum, anger-prone male model.”
LA Times: “None of the which is even as mildly interesting as it sounds, and, indeed, I grew weary even as I watched, despite Kreuk’s hypnotic eyes, the broody lighting and roiling soundtrack. It is all so dreadfully familiar — the lovely, headstrong and feisty heroine, the nice guy who wants her (in this case, the medical examiner played by Max Brown) and the broken bad boy she loves instead… One can only hope that this marks the last limping leg of the inter-species romance, because in real life, true love should not include a partner whose first instinct is to kill you.”
Boston Globe: “Last season, ABC’s Once Upon a Time and NBC’s Grimm proved that there is an appetite for updated fairy tales. The CW has taken the hint, and contrived this pretty, and pretty empty, series. It’s a market move, nothing more.”
Salt Lake Tribune: “I’m not sure I have the words to describe just how bad The CW’s Beauty and the Beast is. I’ve only been doing this for 22½ years, after all… The first episode of this Beauty and the Beast remake isn’t entirely devoid of entertainment value. But laughing at this show — not with it — wears off before long. Bad is bad, and this is terrible.”
Hollywood Reporter: “Only The CW would take a super hunky dude who would make most women swoon and call him a Beast because he’s got a couple of cuts on his face that, strangely enough, make him magnetically more attractive to other beautiful people. That is either awesome or messed up, or awesomely messed up. Because The CW doesn’t even get it. If the network got it, someone would have said, ‘Hey, guys, this is ridiculous even by our standards. You know that, right?'”
USA Today: “There’s a murder solved in tonight’s opener, but the murderer is so obvious, it’s hardly worth worrying about. Odds are you’ll spend more energy trying to decide whether Kreuk and Ryan are more sinning than sinned against: They’re terrible, but the material may have left them with no other option. Luckily, in this world of 1,000 channels, you have plenty of other options. Exercise one.”
What do you think? Have you seen the new Beauty and the Beast TV series? If so, will you watch again?
I’m just super thrilled that I’m not the only one who thinks this show is horrendous. The dialogue is poor and can the female lead be re-cast please? They need to do something asap to change it because the show is the worst I’ve seen this year, and I saw Arrow (ok show ultimately but also very poor dialogue). Get new writers maybe. do something… anything would make the show better… and oh yeah… kill the female lead off cos she is Awful. Nuff said. Gladiator, over and out.
I love the new series Beauty & the Beast it is a good one to put on right after Vampire Diaries. I look forward to it every week and I’m glad they made a full 22 episodes of it. I hope many more to come after that and I’m going to be really mad if it gets cancelled after one season like The Secret Circle did.
i love this show. and i wish a few people didnt have so much control of pulling the plug.
I love this new show! Please give the show a chance. I don’t understand all the negativity but I do know I will continue to watch the show and I’m already looking forward to it each week.
I absolutely LOVE this show! The acting is Great and each episode keeps wanting another! This show deserves to be on the air! The people giving the reviews need to give it another watch, I feel they are way off when it comes to Beauty & the Beast!
To be honest, I love this show. I like the intensity. The old show was okay. I like both Vincents in different way. It’s hard to compare them because it’s obvious each one is a different person. They’re not meant to be a like. Kreuk is good for the part I think. Just my opinion. I like the idea that she’s small, but can still kick ass. It’s all about personal opinion though. Hope this show continues for the rest of the season if not a second one as well .<3
I totally agree. I’ve watched the older one many times. But I do like the direction this one is going. I’m hoping that it doesn’t get canceled before it has a chance to really take off.
I was not too impressed after watching the first episode, but I gave it a chance.
I do like it very much now. Hope it can last the season..
I cant believe all these bad reviews I loved it and really really really hope it stays everyone has their different interests and this one hit the spot for me! CW please keep this show!
Oh yes..this serial is the best!
Not after these bad reviews- all yAll cant be wrong — That’s ok ….I’ll stick with my DVD collection of the Ron Pherlman and Linda Hamilton version- Thanks CW anyway– try harder next time …
Allow me to share this amazing essay which explains just what made the original 80s show so unique, and then tell me if calling this thing a reboot, selling it as such when it is in fact so fundamentally different, is a joke or what.
http://www.batbland.com/ODaD.htm
I had to quit watching halfway through…it sucked.
Thank you!!!! It does suck. I don’t know why quite an amount of people can’t see that.
They think a lumpy-faced dude growling is a “beast”? Sorry. No go. This pathetic Hulk clone cannot hold a candle to Ron Perlman as Vincent. There was nothing remotely of the beauty and the beast fairy tale about this story. It was a muddy mashup of Hulk and Super Soldier with a dash of CSI thrown in. Nothing original on any front. Very sad. Nothing intrigued me about it and several of the plot holes were large enough to drive the space shuttle through. Neither the characters nor the actors seemed to have any chemistry or acting chops. It’s purely… Read more »
didn’t realize you had to be under 30 years old in order to be on the NYPD special crimes unit.
kreuk as a special crimes detective is as believable as tara reid as a scientist.
she’s about 5’4″ and about 110 lbs soaking wet, but she can beat the crap out of everyone? and hey, i’m going to enter someone’s residence illegally and then pull a gun on whoever lives there.
i could go into depth on everything, but i wasted enough time on this.
well, at least arrow was really good.
Thank you!! It’s not just me. How does a tiny thing like that beat up two special force agents? How special are they? The whole show is sooo fake, it obscene. I wonder how it is still airing. Arrow is better but they need to get new writers cos the dialogue in really stinks in Beauty and the beast and Arrow could use some work too. Beauty and the beast is officially the worst show this year. Better luck next time CW.
I like the show, it was quite entertaining and I thought she was awesome. I loved the original Beauty & The Beast and I’m sure this will compare with that series. Critics – watch something else if you don’t like it and keep your opinions to yourself. It was great and I look forward to other episodes.
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They should keep their comments to themselves while you speak up on yours. Seems hardly fair innit? U like the show? Good for you. don’t muffle others because you do. You don’t like the review, you go somewhere else and keep your comments to yourself. Beaty and the beast is a waste of time and brain power. Do something else.