
NBC
Sept. 30, 1983 - Dec. 31, 1983
Jonathan Chase had special powers. He had the ability, inherited from his father in some faraway jungle, to turn himself into animals: pussycats, black panthers, you name it. To most people he appeared as a wealthy young professor who taught animal behavioral sciences at NYU. To the police he was a valuable consultant on the use of animals in criminology. He would scare away criminals by posing as a cobra. He would track down criminals as a bloodhound. You get the picture.
Only two people knew of his secret powers: his hip black helper Ty Earle (gotta get that stereotype into every show!) with whom he served in Vietnam, and a pretty police detective named Brooke McKenzie (yet another stereotype) who stumbled on his secret by accident.
Chase's special powers are reminiscent of:
1) "Maya" from "Space: 1999" who could change into different animals by "rearranging her molecules", although she could also turn into inanimate objects like orange trees, for instance.
2) "Odo" from "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" who was a shape-shifter (not a "solid" like you and I) and could change into whatever he wanted to; and
3) "The Incredible Hulk" who, as mild-mannered David Banner would transform into a raging green behemoth whenever he got angry.
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