ABSTRACT
The January 13, 1990 issue of TV Guide featured a profile of Beauty and the Beast and its faithful fans: “The show that wouldn’t die…and the fans who wouldn’t let it” (Carlson 1990, 2). TV Guide sympathetically documented the massive fan culture around the program, and the charity efforts of the Helper’s Network and other local clubs. A particular focus was the grassroots movement directed in response to its initial cancelation and its much publicized return to the airwaves. While noting some fan dissatisfaction with plot developments in the program’s third season, the magazine confidently concluded that “most fans will remain loyal.” Ironically, just two days before this issue hit the news stands, CBS had canceled Beauty and the Beast a second and final time. The series which “refused to die” was now officially dead and many of its “loyal” fans reacted as much with relief as with mourning.
