# Manimal (1983)

> A British college professor who can transform into any animal fights crime in New York alongside a police lieutenant and his friends.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/3131

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 8
- Episode runtime: 51 min
- Status: Canceled
- Genres: science fiction, crime, action
- Created by: Glen A. Larson
- Network: NBC
- Cast: Simon MacCorkindale, Melody Anderson, Michael D. Roberts, Reni Santoni, Wolf Roth, Rick Jason, Jeff Corey, Tracy Scoggins
- TMDB rating: 6.5/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085051/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: mild
- Tone: breezy, adventurous, playful, escapist

## What critics say

Audiences found the single season an entertaining, if formulaic, action-adventure with a novel shapeshifting premise, though the series was canceled after eight episodes.

## Synopsis

Manimal (1983) is an American science fiction crime series created by Glen A. Larson for NBC. Simon MacCorkindale plays Jonathan Chase, a British college professor at New York University who can transform into any kind of animal and uses that gift to battle criminals. He works alongside Melody Anderson as police woman Brooke McKenzie and Michael D. Roberts as Vietnam veteran Ty, his old friend, while Reni Santoni appears as Lieutenant Rivera. The engine of each episode is a case that Chase must crack by slipping into the skin of a hawk, a panther or another creature to reach places and people no human investigator could. The show was a single season of eight hour long episodes, canceled after its first run. Its tone is brisk and light, with action set pieces and a playful, adventure-minded spirit typical of early eighties network television. Fans of The Incredible Hulk, Beauty and the Beast and Knight Rider will find a similar mix of secret powers, crime solving and heroic escapism. Set in contemporary New York, it leans on urban grit and genre fun in equal measure.

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