BeastMaster Information

BeastMaster is a Canadian 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 is 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. BeastMaster is currently running in syndication on Sci-Fi Channel (now Syfy) in the USA, but not in any prime-time slots.

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 also meets another orphaned warrior named Arina (Marjean Holden) who first 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 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 original Beastmaster, appears in the third season as Dartanus, the Spirit Warrior who helps Dar on his quest. The series also included many celebrity guest appearances, such as the appearance of Grace Jones as the Umpatra Warrior, 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 King Voden, played by Dai Paterson 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 and must locate and reunite his entire family, who have been turned into animals to hide them from Balcifer, in the Crystal Arc, to defeat Balcifer.

Balcifer's agent on Earth is King Zad, who is first King of the Terrons, a savage tribe that enslaves and pillages at will and 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), after deposing 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 and King Zad emerges from the contest a more civilized but still savage character.

The series began very action-oriented, but as the first season wore on, it began to take on a pacifistic and naturalist tone.

Cast

• 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), both as separate DVD sets for each season (season 3 was released November 18, 2003) with 6 DVDs per set (22 episodes per season plus extras), and as Beastmaster - The Complete Collection (August 5, 2008). Licensing problems between ADV Films and Tribune Entertainment (owner of BeastMaster) caused these DVD sets to become a rare find soon after release.

Alliance Home Entertainment has released all three seasons of BeastMaster on DVD in Canada.

Season	Episodes	Release dates
Season 1	22	July 13, 2010
Season 2	22	August 24, 2010
Season 3	22	September 21, 2010