George R.R. Martin's '80s Fantasy Drama Series

Long before creating Game of Thrones, author George R.R. Martin wrote for the 1980s television fantasy drama Beauty and the Beast, which followed the unusual romance between a Manhattan attorney and a gentle lion-man living beneath the city. Unlike his later notoriously grim and complex Westeros tales, this earlier series emphasized moral clarity, goodness, and themes of societal displacement without featuring heavily conflicted characters. The production also served as a valuable incubator for future television icons, including the creators of acclaimed thrillers like 24 and Homeland. Ultimately, the show suffered a sharp decline in viewership and cancellation after lead actress Linda Hamilton departed, which inadvertently freed Martin to pivot back toward writing prose and conceptualizing his legendary book series.

"Open a book. Discover a world."

This episode includes AI-generated content.