Fans Distrustful of CBS Plans for ‘Beauty and the Beast’

For the legions of “Beauty and the Beast” fans, life’s been a beast since CBS announced in May that it was ordering 12 new episodes of the series but didn’t plan to run them until midseason at the earliest. The fans simply don’t trust CBS to keep its word.

And so letters of dismay, fluctuating between anger and pleading, have been pouring in ever since to CBS, its affiliated stations, national and local sponsors and newspapers across the country. CBS in New York reports having received more than 7,300 letters, and network officials in Los Angeles put the volume at 40 to 50 letters a day since the announcement.

“It is difficult to believe CBS, in light of last year’s ‘Frank’s Place’ deceit,” says Dorothy Swanson, director of Viewers for Quality Television, a grass-roots organization that lobbies the networks on behalf of shows its members like. “Viewers were lulled then. They will not be again.”

Other “Beauty and the Beast” fans also pointed to “Frank’s Place” as the reason they weren’t taking CBS’ scheduling plans at face value. A year ago, CBS had said that the critically acclaimed, low-rated comedy would return to its schedule at midseason, but the series was subsequently canceled before that could happen.

“CBS has made a lot of promises on the renewal of TV shows that never returned,” says Kimberly Hartman, a Fullerton theologian who puts together a compendium of “Beauty and the Beast” material and reports having received more than 1,500 letters from fans complaining about the show’s absence from CBS’ fall lineup. “The fans are frankly afraid that this is a promise to make us roll over and calm down and get complacent. So the minute we’re quiet, they’ll cancel the show.”

Stephanie Wiltse, editor of the “Pipeline” fan publication about the 2-year-old show, says half of her 800 or so subscribers “joined after the show was canceled because they were upset. What we’re finding out is that the Beasties are coming out of their closets, as it were, and they’re standing up and being counted like those students at the end of ‘Dead Poets Society.’ ”

CBS Entertainment President Kim LeMasters declined to comment on the barrage of “Beauty and the Beast” mail, but a network spokeswoman said, “There’s no reason to think it won’t air (next season).”

LeMasters had said earlier that the show, which had lackluster ratings last season, needed “retooling and changes” and would have a delayed launch next season because “we want to get it really right, because we consider it a very, very precious commodity to our schedule.”

Tony Thomas, co-executive producer of “Beauty and the Beast,” says he shares the fans’ frustration.

“We have yet to figure out why CBS didn’t pick us up. We were stunned,” he says. “However, I honestly believe that they’re serious in counting on us coming back at some time. I don’t think they’ve written us off. We hope they’re going to need us (to fill a slot) sooner than later.”

Ron Perlman, who plays the central character Vincent, also wasn’t thrilled with CBS’ decision.

“There’s no guarantee at the moment and I’m rather cynical about anything the network says. . . . There’s precedence for both scenarios: that the show will get renewed and that it won’t. But the producers feel they (the network) would have ordered a lot less (episodes) if they had no intention of putting the show back on. I keep up my hope.”