Aside from the sci-fi angle, the franchise fits into many different genres including drama, police procedural and buddy cop.
They resemble humans, but have various anatomical differences (their erogenous zones are located on their backs and the male sex gives birth to babies) and have been bred to have greater physical strength and intelligence.
Combining elements of science fiction and police drama elements, the film stars Mandy Patinkin as Sam "George" Francisco, a new Newcomer detective in the Los Angeles Police Department, and James Caan as Matthew Sykes, George's initially reluctant human partner.
As with the film, the series follows the Newcomers, an alien race bred as slaves on a distant planet whose ship crashes on Earth.
Retaining the film's police drama format, the series stars Eric Pierpoint as George Francisco and Gary Graham as Matthew Sikes.
The writing team of Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, known for their work in Star Trek, committed to a novel entitled Day of Descent.
The Ape Nation series included four different adventures called Plans, Pasts, Pawns and Pains along with a collector's edition.