BeastMaster (TV series)

Last updated
BeastMaster
BeastMaster logo.jpg
Genre Action/Adventure
Supernatural
Fantasy
Created by Sylvio Tabet
Starring Daniel Goddard
Jackson Raine
Marjean Holden
Monika Schnarre
Dylan Bierk
Grahame Bond
Steven Grives
Country of origin Australia
Canada
United States
No. of seasons 3
No. of episodes 66 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) Sylvio Tabet
Greg Coote
Allan Eastman
Steve Feke
Jeffrey M. Hayes
Running time 45 mins
Production company(s) Coote/Hayes Productions
Alliance Atlantis Communications
Tribune Entertainment
Release
Original network Syndicated
CTV
Original release 9 October 1999 – 13 May 2002

BeastMaster is a Canadian/American/Australian television series that aired from 1999 to 2002. It was loosely based on a 1982 MGM film The Beastmaster . The series aired 66 episodes over three complete seasons. It was produced by Coote/Hayes Productions.

Television in Canada officially began with the sign-on of the nation's first television stations in Montreal and Toronto in 1952. As with most media in Canada, the television industry, and the television programming available in that country, are strongly influenced by media in the United States, perhaps to an extent not seen in any other major industrialized nation. As a result, the government institutes quotas for "Canadian content". Nonetheless, new content is often aimed at a broader North American audience, although the similarities may be less pronounced in the predominantly French-language province of Quebec.

Television is one of the major mass media of the United States. As of 2011, household ownership of television sets in the country is 96.7%, with approximately 114,200,000 American households owning at least one television set as of August 2013. The majority of households have more than one set. The peak ownership percentage of households with at least one television set occurred during the 1996–97 season, with 98.4% ownership.

Television in Australia Wikimedia list article

Television in Australia began experimentally as early as 1929 in Melbourne with radio stations 3DB and 3UZ, and 2UE in Sydney, using the Radiovision system by Gilbert Miles and Donald McDonald, and later from other locations, such as Brisbane in 1934.

Contents

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.

The Australian Film Institute (AFI) was founded in 1958 as a non-profit organisation devoted to developing an active film culture in Australia and fostering engagement between the general public and the Australian film industry. It is responsible for producing Australia's premier annual film and television awards, as of 2011 known as AACTA Awards.

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.

Daniel Goddard (actor) actor

Daniel Richard Goddard is an Australian model and actor. He is known for his starring role as Dar on the syndicated action drama BeastMaster, based on the 1982 film The Beastmaster, and for playing Cane Ashby on the CBS daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless since 2007.

Jackson Raine is an Australian actor. He is best known for playing Tao in the action/fantasy series Beastmaster.

Marjean Holden is an American actress, stuntwoman and martial artist.

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. 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.

Monika Schnarre Canadian actor and model

Monika Schnarre is a Canadian model, actress and television host. She is reportedly 6'2" tall.

Emilie de Ravin Australian actress

Emilie de Ravin is an Australian-American actress. She starred as Tess Harding on Roswell (2000–2002), Claire Littleton on the ABC drama Lost (2004–2010), and as Belle on the ABC drama Once Upon a Time (2012–2018).

Sam Healy is an Australian actress most known for her work portraying Jazmina Hillerman on All Saints, an Australian hospital drama. She has also acted on other Australian series Blue Heelers and McLeod's Daughters. She was seen also in Canadian television series, BeastMaster in season 2 as the demon, Iara.

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.

Jeremy Callaghan is an Australian actor whose portrayal of the cute and shy Constable Brian Morley on the popular TV drama Police Rescue ensured international attention. Callaghan is also well known for his guest appearances on Xena: Warrior Princess and Young Hercules.

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 was composed by Graeme Coleman.

Cast

From left to right: Kyra, Dar, The Sorceress, & Tao BeastMaster cast.JPG
From left to right: Kyra, Dar, The Sorceress, & Tao

Grahame John Bond AM is an Australian actor, writer, director, musician and composer, known primarily for his role as Aunty Jack.

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1 22October 9, 1999 (1999-10-09)May 20, 2000 (2000-05-20)
2 22October 7, 2000 (2000-10-07)May 19, 2001 (2001-05-19)
3 22October 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 Tribune Broadcasting.

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 November 18, 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] (August 5, 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 122 July 13, 2010 [4]
Season 222 August 24, 2010 [5]
Season 322 September 21, 2010 [6]

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References

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