Season 1 gives a promising start, but unfortunately fails to keep viewers interested in any of the following seasons. This is because of a poor script, lack of chemistry among the actors who fail to appear convincing about their decisions (let alone convince the viewer) and a lot of repetition in scenes and lines which understandably cause any viewer to say 'enough'.Script : Season 1 manages to grab interest in the viewer through the fact that Cat devotes her life in finding out why her mum was killed, who saved her and whether the beast she witnessed 10 years ago actually exists. There appears to be some form of chemistry among Kristin and Jay which allows for the season 1 to end in a promising manner. Nonetheless, through seasons 2-4, the poor script is one of the reasons why interest and generally any sense is lost. By the end of season 4 the viewer has no idea who the threat is (if there is actually a threat), why the characters make certain decisions - nonsensical ones as they keep insisting that they want a 'happily ever after' but still implicate themselves in situations in order to find a threat and keep the viewer watching. Acting: A point of credit is that Kristin Kreuk is a good actress who keeps the show running with convincing emotions and thoughts. Nonetheless, this is outweighed by her partner's lack of any acting skills (Nina Lisandrello) which leads to laughable outcomes when her same poker face presents feelings of anger, happiness and irony. Ray Jay appears flat in most of the acting, something which is evident throught the series.Repetition: The poor script leads to largely repetitive scenes of the characters trying to deal with beasts, fighting them in the same manner, winning in the same manner, implicating themselves once again in the same manner. Lack of imagination leads to the viewer feeling overwhelmed by the amount of repetition in every aspect of the plot. Lines are repeated a number of times (Characters mentioning that they want to live 'a normal life' and get a 'happily ever after' about 2-3 times in every episode).Unanswered Questions: Evidently the series finish in a manner which leaves unanswered questions to everyone. Cat is taking a pregnancy tests twice, makes it clear that she wants a baby but Vincent is highly sceptical of a possible 'beast baby'. The series end in a happily ever after for the couple who apparently solves the 'pregnancy issue' in a way that nobody finds out.

Back in the eighties a TV series took viewers by surprise, the story of a young woman, an assistant DA, who by chance met a part man, part beast member of an underground network of people named Vincent. This paring was known as BEAUTY AND THE BEAST and introduced the world to Linda Hamilton and Ron Perlman who had both been in other films but found themselves more well-known after this series. The way things are today it was only a matter of time before that series was recreated.This time around Kristin Kreuk stars as Catherine Chandler, a determined police detective who encounters an ex-GI and doctor named Vincent who has a secret to hide. When a child Catherine's mother was killed in front of her by a group of men who were never identified. She was saved that night by a mysterious stranger, a manically violent man-beast who she never really quite saw.Of course that mysterious stranger was Vincent and he's made it his job to watch over and protect Catherine from the shadows. The reason he does so is that he knows who was behind the death of her mother. Vincent was part of a secret government project that turned its volunteers into what he has become and her mother was involved in that project. Now he's on the run from this secret government organization, in hiding with the help of one friend. That friend base increases when he finally meets Catherine face to face.Now in on what was going on, Catherine continues her day job while still looking into the death of her mother. She and Vincent become closer as he helps her when he can, even after telling her to stay away. This inevitably results in that organization finding Vincent and the ensuing problems that follow. And that's just in the first season! The series ran for 4 years to popular acclaim, winning more than its share of awards. Not an easy feat since it appeared on the fledgling CW Network. That worked in its favor and also added a needed boost to CW as well. The changing story found the couple meeting and eventually the romance soon followed which only added to the popularity of the show. It was the same formula used in the initial series but this time felt a bit more normal as Vincent no longer had the constant appearance of the beast.The series works on a number of levels, as a police procedural first off. Shows like this need their own twist to separate them from the pack and the aid of a super powered ally was handy. It also works as a conspiracy styled thriller with a hidden organization with its own agenda at play. And it worked as a romance. If not the show wouldn't have lasted as long as it did nor would it have drawn in the female viewers that helped push it over the top.While each season has been released in the past the entire season has now been collected into an easy box set that takes up less shelf space and allows fans to watch it from start to finish. Those like me who didn't catch it while it was on TV can check it out and enjoy the story. Fans can watch with glee. It's a nice way to own the series and the packaging looks better than those multiple boxes. If you never saw the series here's your chance. It's definitely worth watching.

I'm a huge fan of the original Beauty and the Beast TV series by Koslow; a die-hard fan with collectibles. I love that series and had my misgivings watching this one since the first one was so good until Linda Hamilton left the show and that killed it. Therefore, I thought I wouldn't like this series but after watching the pilot I found I was terribly wrong. I fell in love with all the characters and the story unfolded. Luckily this one lasted four seasons.I read the critic reviews and thought they were silly and jaded sounding. There is nothing wrong with the acting in the series. It's spot on for the parts they are playing. I didn't think there was anything predictable other than the underlying fact there would be a love story underneath all of it between Catherine and Vincent. That's the story. How scary the beast appeared and the reaction of the audience isn't relevant. There will always be those negative people that will put things down. They didn't show close ups at first. He was pretty scary when they finally did. I thought the way Vincent changed into a beast and why was very clever. They left the higher fantasy idea for something that made more sense in modern times; a very creative idea.Since Ryan is from New Zealand he did a good job with his accent. I was amazed when I found out he was from that country. He is outstandingly good looking so it plays well with the change into an animal-like monster. The show is not as poetic or uplifting like the other one but it is still filled with the romance and just the right amount of action. I didn't think Catherine's partner had any better acting than anyone else on the show. She was all right but no more appealing than any other cast member. They all did a great job. Too bad they didn't run this show longer but the CW is notorious for canceling good shows. I'm not surprised and usually don't invest much time in their shows knowing they will be cancelled sooner rather than later. This is a tremendously entertaining show and moves slowly in the first few episodes to set up the storyline which is what the first series did as well. After all, she wouldn't have fallen into his arms at first sight. I'm sure anyone who watches this series will like it and if not, it was a matter of taste and not the quality of the show.

I know this is late to be reviewing this series, especially since we are nearing the end of the 4th & final season, but, I just discovered this show about 6 days ago while surfing through Netflix. I have only watched 13 shows of season 1 but I can say that I am really enjoying the characters and the plot. My wife & I really like a show that has a good romance angle, and though it may seem complex for Cat & Vincent to others, to us, up to this point, it seems to be one that is simple (in a somewhat exasperating way), believable and right. So far it is a great show! I put it on par with 2 other shows that we really have enjoyed and that is CHUCK, and WHITE COLLAR. BEAUTY has less comedy and is a little more dark in tone but still has the romance which to us is endearing, along with the police drama. Hope the rest is as good and wish it was continuing.