Beauty & the Beast (2012 TV series)

Lore & Background

The series follows Catherine Chandler, a detective for the NYPD who witnessed her mother's murder and was saved by someone or something. Nine years later, a case leads her to Vincent Keller, an ex-soldier believed killed in action but actually alive. As Catherine gets to know him, she uncovers more about her mother's murder and Vincent's true nature. The show was developed by Sherri Cooper-Landsman and Jennifer Levin, and was the first project Mark Pedowitz developed when he joined The CW.

Casting began in February 2012, with Kristin Kreuk cast as Catherine Chandler. Jay Ryan joined as Vincent Keller, originally named Vincent Koslow. The pilot was filmed in Toronto from March 22 to April 2, 2012, and the series was picked up on May 11, 2012. Filming continued in Toronto for the first season, then split between New York City and Toronto from the second season onward. Critical reception was mixed overall, with several cast members—including Kristin Kreuk and Jay Ryan—receiving positive reviews for their performances.

Reader's Guide

Beauty & the Beast received mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season had a 19% critics' approval rating, while the second season had 83%. The overall critics' rating was 51% and the audience rating was 76%. The site's consensus for the first season called it 'a thoroughly middling romantic fantasy series' with a silly premise, mediocre writing, and bland characterization. Metacritic gave the series a 34 out of 100, indicating 'generally unfavorable' reviews. Entertainment Weekly gave the pilot a C− grade, noting it lacked the charm of the 1980s drama. Nina Lisandrello was the only cast member to receive a positive review, with the Los Angeles Times praising her performance as 'the only point of light.' The show received acknowledgements from the People's Choice Awards, Teen Choice Awards, Saturn Awards, Leo Awards, Canadian Screen Awards, and several cinematography and directing guilds. A series of tie-in novels by Nancy Holder were published through Titan Books.

Did You Know?

• The series was filmed in Toronto, Canada, and was very loosely inspired by the 1987 CBS series of the same name.
• Kristin Kreuk was the first actor cast, in February 2012, for the lead role of Catherine Chandler.
• The show was the first project that Mark Pedowitz developed when he joined The CW.

Conception and Creative Direction

The 2012 CW series Beauty & the Beast traces its origins to a development process that launched in September 2011, when the network officially greenlit the project. Creators Sherri Cooper-Landsman and Jennifer Levin positioned the show as a contemporary romance with procedural elements, a deliberate departure from the 1987 CBS original, which had leaned more heavily into romantic drama laced with mystery and suspense. The project carried particular weight for Mark Pedowitz, as it was the first series he developed after joining the network in a leadership capacity. The CW ordered a pilot in January 2012, and principal photography for that pilot took place in Toronto from late March through early April of that year. The network formally committed to the series on May 11, 2012, slotting it into the 2012–13 season. Though the show drew only very loose inspiration from the earlier CBS property, it reimagined the core premise for a new generation, pairing a science fiction element with a police procedural structure rather than the original's more straightforward romantic-drama format.

Ensemble Cast and Character Arcs

Casting for the series began in February 2012 with Kristin Kreuk securing the lead role of Catherine Chandler, an NYPD detective haunted by her mother's murder. Austin Basis followed as J.T. Forbes, Vincent's best friend, while Nina Lisandrello was brought on as Tess Vargas, Catherine's partner and closest confidante. Nicole Gale Anderson joined in a recurring capacity as Heather Chandler, Catherine's younger sister, a role that expanded to a series regular in later seasons. Jay Ryan stepped into the second lead as Vincent Keller, a character whose name was originally Vincent Koslow before being changed. Max Brown signed on as Dr. Evan Marks, a medical examiner harboring feelings for Catherine, and Brian White was the final addition, playing Joe Bishop, the commanding officer who becomes romantically involved with Tess. Notably, Bishop was written out after the first season, with the in-story explanation being that he lost his job for prioritizing his personal quest to find his brother's killer over his official duties. Additional cast members included Sendhil Ramamurthy as Gabriel Lowen in seasons one and two, Amber Skye Noyes as Tori Windsor in season two, and Michael Roark as Kyle Johnson in the final season.

Critical Reception and Audience Response

The critical response to Beauty & the Beast was notably divided. Rotten Tomatoes reflected this split, showing a 19% critics' approval for the first season that climbed to 83% by the second, while audience scores sat at 51% and 76%. On Metacritic, the series earned a weighted average of 34 out of 100, a generally unfavorable score from 20 critics. Kyle Anderson of Entertainment Weekly graded the pilot a C−, arguing it lacked the charm of the 1980s original and that Vincent felt more like a Hulk than a true beast. David Wiegand of the San Francisco Chronicle was even harsher, calling it an overheated, badly written, and unconvincing drama that trampled the classic fairy tale. Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times shared similar criticisms but singled out Nina Lisandrello as the sole bright spot, calling her Tess the only point of light and saying she clearly deserved to be on a better show. On the more favorable side, David Hinckley of the New York Daily News called the series "such a natural it's downright devilish," and Neil Genzlinger of The New York Times noted the girl-power themes would resonate with the network's core audience.

Production Timeline and Broadcast History

Production on Beauty & the Beast was anchored in Toronto, Canada, where the pilot was shot from late March to early April 2012. First season filming ran from July 27 through December 21, 2012, with a full season order arriving on November 9 of that year. The series was renewed for a second season on April 26, 2013, and from that point forward, filming was split between New York City and Toronto. Season three was greenlit on May 8, 2014, with principal photography spanning from August 29, 2014, to February 12, 2015. The CW renewed the show for a fourth season on February 13, 2015, notably before the third season had even begun airing. However, on October 13, 2015, the network confirmed that this final season would be the last. Filming for that concluding run took place from May 29 to November 17, 2015. The final season premiered on June 2, 2016, and wrapped on September 15, 2016. In terms of broadcast, TVGN aired the first four episodes of season two back to back on May 11, 2014, marking the show's first syndication-style airing in the United States. All four seasons have also been made available for streaming.