BeastMaster (TV series)

BeastMaster
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 for three complete seasons (66 episodes). It was produced by Coote/Hayes Productions.

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.

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. 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 series featured many celebrity guest appearances:

• Grace Jones as the Umpatra Warrior,
• Isla Fisher as the Demon Mannaka,
• Peta Sergeant as the Demon Yamira,
• Leah Purcell as the Black Apparition,
• Keith Hamilton Cobb as a Terron defector who is also in love with Kyra, and
• Dai Paterson as King Voden throughout the second season.

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 was composed by Graeme Coleman.

Cast

From left to right: Kyra, Dar, The Sorceress, & Tao

• Daniel Goddard as Dar
• Jackson Raine as Tao
• Monika Schnarre as the Sorceress
• Marjean Holden as Arina
• Dylan Bierk as The New Sorceress
• Steven Grives as King Zad
• Emilie de Ravin as Curupira
• Grahame Bond as the Ancient One
• Dai Paterson as King Voden
• Daniel Fitzgerald as Sharak
• Leah Purcell as Black Apparition
• Natalie Mendoza as Kyra

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.

References

External links

• Beastmaster at the Internet Movie Database
• BeastMaster at TV.com
• Beastmaster at AustLit