1987 – Television Debuts Part I (ST:TNG, Werewolf, Beauty and the Beast)

So lets get it started with a little show called Star Trek: The Next Generation that made its debut on September 28, 1987 with a two hour pilot called “Encounter at Far-Point” (which drew 27 million viewers). The show ran for 7 seasons and aired 178 episodes. Set in the 24th century and decades after the adventures of the original crew of the starship Enterprise, this new series is the long-awaited successor to the original “Star Trek”(1966). Under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard, the all new Enterprise NCC 1701-D travels out to distant planets to seek out new life and to boldly go where no one has gone before.

ST:TNG was significant for several reasons, it made first-run syndication a viable option for genre shows and it gave new life to a 20 year old franchise. Check out the promo trailer.

On July, 11th 1987 the newly started Fox network aired “Werewolf”. Werewolf was about young Eric who was bitten by a werewolf. However, he’s not particularly thrilled by this turn of affairs and wishes to escape his curse. To do so, he must find and kill the founder of his particular werewolf clan. The series traces his efforts to (A) track down the founder; (B) keep from hurting innocent lives due to his lycanthropy; and (C) stay one step ahead of folks who wish to kill him due to his werewolf nature.

Beauty and the Beast premiered on Sept 25th, 1987 on CBS. It featured two genre star Ron Perlman (Hellboy) and Linda Hamilton (Terminator). Beauty and the Beast is a modern fairytale that tells just how powerful love is. The show takes place in New York. Catherine Chandler is a wealthy woman who thinks that her life has no meaning beyond anything superficial. She longs for something more.

Vincent is from a different world. He lives below the city in tunnels that have been forgotten. He must stay hidden because of his appearance. Though his appearance is different he has the heart of a man. He and Catherine share a bond that is stronger than friendship or love.

The show ran for 3 seasons and had 56 episodes. Linda Hamilton decided to leave the show before the third season which caused a ratings drop leading to its cancelation.

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Posted under Television