The other salient point I took from that article is not so much what program you're writing for but the fact you're being paid a measly grand for three months work - do the Maths on that one - and at the end of it if they don't like what you've done they're wholly within their right to pay you zilch. Poor form to say the least, but I suppose if you know going in then that's the gamble you'll take.

Quoted from DustinBowcot Manimal has actually crossed my mind a few times but I've never written the idea down on my ideas board. Probably because I can't see a viable way of making it work for today. It failed in the 80s too. I think it ran for two seasons? I loved it, but I was just a kid. I think they probably ran out of places for the story to go as he was never really challenged. You may remember it better as you have ten years on me, but I remember that he got out of scrapes by turning into any animal he wanted which meant he was pretty much unstoppable anyway.

I remember Manimal. They kind of blew the budget on the first episode so most of his adventures involved him tranforming into a panther.

Anyone remember Automan? lol.

I do vaguely remember that. It was probably already cancelled in the US by the time we got it though.

Wow, I can't believe 2 others on here remember Maanimal.  My sister and I loved it.  I don't recall Automan.  I do recall Ultraman.  I loved that series too.

The thing about Manimal was that they didn't have the budget to do the special effects.  Today, that wouldn't be a problem.

As for a series, I could easily make that up.  Problem is, it has such a bad rep, I don't know if a station would bite, even if you showed them a finished project.  It's considered one of the worst series ideas ever.  It didn't even last a full season.

But, I think the problem was that they didn't have a budget and didn't think about both the comedy and action gold they had.  I think it'd be a great series.

In this minute, I came up with this:

Lets keep his history.  He was trained by some mystic how to shape-shift into whatever creature he wants to.  There are comic book characters like that, I think...  And lets not think logically about the matter conversion (to change from a 200 pound human to a 12 pound bird etc, no one thinks about the Hulk or Transformers).

He's a spy.  Top spy.  But, no one knows how he's so good.  It's because he can transform and escape any situation.  He'd make Black Widow seem sloppy.  Or make the "He" a "she".  

Do the doctor who thing where in the first episode he saves someone (a hot love interest) and she sees the world through his eyes, and like Doctor Who, teaches us through the newbie.  

The difference between then and now is you need to have others.  You need to have a hated enemy.  Perhaps an assassin early in the show that he has to stop.  

I could see this being a cross of say Highlander meets Transformers meets an earth bound Doctor Who.

Anyone remember Prince Planet?  Star Blazers?