Having just waxed nostalgic on Facebook about my days getting only NBC on our TV, I remembered the greatest TV show only to last one season.
Rediscovering Manimal on Wikipedia has brought about the first onset of Nostalgia Regret* (although certainly not to be the last).
You see, in my memory's recall, Manimal was a fabulous concept and was superbly executed. What's not to be enthralled by a shape-shifting genius who chooses to use his abilities to solve criminal mysteries. I recalled him turning into a veritable managerie of wild animals, utilizing cutting-edge special effects that made the impossible seem real.
That's not how Wikipedia remembers it:
By modern standards the show's special effects, though plentiful, are low-quality. While Jonathan had the ability to change himself into any animal, he would transform into a hawk and a black panther in nearly every episode. In some episodes, he would transform into a third animal, such as a horse, dolphin, or bull, with the transformation taking place offscreen, though once he was shown becoming a snake.
Okay, so they only had budget for two animal morphs, and then re-used the footage over and again. So that's a little disillusioning. At least it was good special effects.
Youtube steps in: "Not so fast..."
Yeah, you're right. That was pretty bad. But at least the hawk transformation was cool. Youtube: "Umm..., roll clip."
Wow. Confronted with this evidence, I have to decide if the threshold for excellence was just remarkably low back in '83, if we've become spoiled by the advances of technology that make past advances look silly by comparison, or if my pre-teen imagination played a disproportionately large factor in my estimation of this program.
Youtube: "May I suggest one final item, albeit dubbed in French, for your consideration? You'll need to watch the entire clip for the full impact."
Okay...it was bad. Really, really bad.
My idyllic memory has been utterly destroyed by the evidence. You have to admit though, Simon MacCorkindale (which also may be the best name in acting, ever) accomplished some amazing nostril flaring to signal the initiation of the animal morphing process. I can't explain how he always ripped up his clothing in the change, but in the return to human form, he was again fully dressed in the suit he had only minutes earlier rendered unwearable.
That's why they call it science fiction.
If this cathartic experience has shown us anything it's this: The Manimal experience (primed for a modern re-boot, I'd like to add), was great for what it was, though it, in retrospect, could not begin to compare to the quality of TV's ultimate morphing hero, The Incredible Hulk.**
*Nostalgia Regret has not yet been recognized by the American Association of Psychiatric Professionals, nor any other made-up authoritative-sounding organizations. But it's real, trust me. It's real.
** Youtube: Are you sure you want to go there?
