Above & Below: The Unofficial 25th Anniversary Beauty and the Beast Companion

Beauty and the Beast may be a tale as old as time, but never has it been more imaginatively told than in the 1987-1990 live action television series created by Ron Koslow. The concept has a noble lion-man, Vincent (Ron Perlman), a member of a vast wondrous community located beneath the streets of Manhattan, who saves the life of New York socialite turned assistant district attorney Catherine Chandler (Linda Hamilton). As he nurses her back to health, a connection is formed between them that drives the rest of the series as their worlds intertwine, exploring their love and the darker underpinnings of society.

For the series' 25th anniversary, the author looks back at the making of the series, beginning with profiles of Hamilton and Perlman. His research continues with a behind-the-scenes look at every episode through the eyes of the various writers and directors who helped bring it to life, among them George R.R. Martin, creator of Game of Thrones; and the team of Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa, creative minds behind Homeland. Together, they recount struggles with the network, (including fears regarding the Catherine/Vincent romance), the challenge of changing creative course in response to declining ratings, and being forced to completely reconceptualize the series when Hamilton departed at the end of season two and they struggled with how to produce the show without a leading lady to portray Beauty. Discover the magical, enthralling history of the imaginative series in a richly researched work that captures the glamour, excitement, and back stories never before told.

About the Author: Edward Gross is an entertainment journalist, who has served on the editorial staff on a number of magazines and web sites. He is currently executive editor of Movie Magic and Life Story magazines, a regular contributor to SciFi Now and Geek, and the author of numerous nonfiction works covering film and television.

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