Special effects guru Stan Winston (who also brought Terminator, Predator and the dinosaurs from Jurassic Park to life) did the transformation effects for Manimal, which were only occasionally accidentally horrifying.
Manimal wasn't funny enough to capitalize on the inherent kitsch factor of the title premise, and not good enough in any other respect to get beyond it.
This show lasted barely three months on NBC's schedule in the fall of 1983, but its impact can still be felt on TV to this day. Well, OK, that's not true.
