Beauty and the Beast is a show I wouldn’t have put money on to succeed, but luckily for the CW, plenty of other people don’t share my taste. The network has given Beauty and the Beast a full season order today, picking up the back nine episodes. While it hasn’t been what you’d call a huge hit, Beauty & the Beast has done relatively well, ranking second among the CW’s new shows this season.
The series is a reboot of the show from the 1980’s that starred Ron Perlman and Linda Hamilton as the title couple. This new version has upped the attractiveness ante, and stars Kristin Kreuk – who has done quite well for the CW in the past as part of Smallville– as Catherine, and Jay Ryan as the somewhat less than beastly Vincent. While the 80s version put Perlman in makeup and facial hair as a lion-man, Ryan’s beast is a scruffy-faced guy with a scar who doesn’t quite fit my definition of a horror to behold. Of course, we’re talking about the CW here, and the sexy factor is generally a hallmark of one of their shows
Deadline, the show has been given a boost by the strong lead-in provided by The Vampire Diaries, and has seen a bit of a rise in the ratings recently. None of this is on par with the CW’s clear hit for the fall season, Arrow, but it is good enough to warrant a full season. Meanwhile, we’re still waiting on the fate of the network’s other new drama, Emily Owens, M.D..
You can catch Beauty and the Beast on Thursdays at 9 p.m. EST on the CW.
