Beastmaster (TV series)

Beastmaster is a Canadian/American/Australian television series that aired from 1999 to 2002. It was loosely based on the 1982 MGM film The Beastmaster, which was itself loosely adapted from the novel The Beast Master by Andre Norton. The series aired 66 episodes over three complete seasons. It was produced by Coote/Hayes Productions.

Beastmaster
GenreAction/Adventure
Supernatural
Fantasy
Created byAndre Norton
Developed bySylvio Tabet
StarringDaniel Goddard
Jackson Raine
Marjean Holden
Monika Schnarre
Dylan Bierk
Grahame Bond
Steven Grives
Country of originAustralia
Canada
United States
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes66 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersSylvio Tabet
Greg Coote
Allan Eastman
Steve Feke
Jeffrey M. Hayes
Running time45 mins
Production companiesCoote/Hayes Productions
Alliance Atlantis Communications
DistributorTribune Entertainment
Release
Original networkSyndicated
CTV
Original release9 October 1999 (1999-10-09) –
13 May 2002 (2002-05-13)

The series was nominated for the Open Craft Award in the category of cinematography by the Australian Film Institute in 2000, and for the Saturn Award for Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Films, USA, in 2001. It did not win any of them.

Premise

Dar (Daniel Goddard) is the last survivor of his tribe. He wanders the lands seeking his lost loved one, Kyra (Natalie Jackson Mendoza), protecting the oppressed and the animals. His friend Tao (Jackson Raine) — a fearful, psychology-attracted young man — helps him in his quest; Tao is a scholar and a medicine man. Dar meets another orphaned warrior named Arina (Marjean Holden) who joins his quest for her own reasons, but eventually becomes a faithful companion. The world of the Beastmaster is full of lost tribes, genocide appears to be common, and all three of these characters are the survivors or last survivors of lost tribes.

The series also featured Monika Schnarre as the Sorceress, apprentice to the Ancient One, played by Grahame Bond, Emilie de Ravin as the Forest Demon named Curupira, and Sam Healy as Iara, the Demon of Water and Serpent (Curupira and Iara are both inspired by the homonymous creatures from the Brazilian mythology). The regular human enemy of Dar, King Zad, was played by Steven Grives. Marc Singer, the Beastmaster from the original film, appears in the third season as Dartanus, the Spirit Warrior who helps Dar on his quest.

The general story arc of the series is that the world is changing, civilization is advancing, technology is gaining ground slowly, the old orders of magic and sorcery are fading, and the world is threatened by the supernatural being Balcifer, the Dark One, played by Jeremy Callaghan. Dar is the son of King Eldar, who was destroyed by Balcifer. To defeat Balcifer Dar must locate and reunite his family, who have been turned into animals to hide them from Balcifer, in the Crystal Arc.

Balcifer's agent on Earth is King Zad, who is first King of the Terrons, a savage tribe that enslaves and pillages at will. Later, when the tribe is destroyed by King Voden leading a group of Viking-like northerners, Zad re-emerges as the King of Xincha, the city at the center of the world (and Tao's former home). He has deposed Voden, who fled into the wilderness at the end of the second season. There is a contrast there between the crude savage badness of King Zad and the refined, insane evil genius of King Voden. Zad emerges from the contest a more civilized but still savage character.

The series was very action-oriented at the beginning, but as the first season wore on, it began to take on a pacifistic and naturalist tone. The opening/ending music and soundtrack of the series were composed by Graeme Coleman.

Cast
From left to right: Kyra, Dar, The Sorceress, and Tao

Episodes
Main article: List of Beastmaster episodes
SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
122October 9, 1999 (1999-10-09)May 20, 2000 (2000-05-20)
222October 7, 2000 (2000-10-07)May 19, 2001 (2001-05-19)
322October 1, 2001 (2001-10-01)May 13, 2002 (2002-05-13)

Syndication

The series is shown on the UK FTA satellite channel Zone Horror (Sky EPG No. 321). It is shown every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 11:30 a.m., 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. It also airs on a Saturday, at 12:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

In the United States, syndication rights are held by Nexstar Media Group.

DVD releases

ADV Films released all three seasons of Beastmaster on DVD in Region 1 (USA and Canada) as separate DVD sets for each season. Season 3 was released 18 November 2003.[1] Each set has six DVDs with 22 episodes per season and extras. The three seasons were also released as Beastmaster - The Complete Collection[2] (5 August 2008). Licensing problems between ADV Films and Tribune Entertainment (owner of Beastmaster) caused these DVD sets to become rare soon after release.[3]

Alliance Home Entertainment has released all three seasons of Beastmaster on DVD in Canada.

Season Episodes Release dates
Season 1 22 13 July 2010[4]
Season 2 22 24 August 2010[5]
Season 3 22 21 September 2010[6]

References
  1. Lambert, David (6 October 2003). "BeastMaster - S3 Press Release & Price Drops for All 3!". TV Shows On DVD. Archived from the original on 29 July 2015. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  2. Lambert, David (15 June 2008). "BeastMaster - Release Date, Cost, Cover Art & More for The Complete Collection". TV Shows On DVD. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  3. Lambert, David (6 September 2008). "BeastMaster - What Happened to The Complete Collection DVD Release? We've Got the Scoop!". TV Shows On DVD. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  4. "Beastmaster: The Complete First Season". Amazon.com. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
  5. "Beastmaster: The Complete Second Season". Amazon.com. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
  6. "Beastmaster: The Complete Third Season". Amazon.com. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
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