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Hercules: The Legendary Journeys was an American television series produced from 1995 to 1999, very loosely based on the tales of the classical culture hero Hercules. It ran for six seasons, producing action figures and other memorabilia as it became one of the highest rated syndicated shows in television history.

It had been preceded by several TV movies with the same major characters in 1994: in order, Hercules and the Amazon Women, Hercules and the Lost Kingdom, Hercules and the Circle of Fire, Hercules in the Underworld, and Hercules in the Maze of the Minotaur, the last of which served mostly as a "clip show" of the previous movies.

Description

Set in a fantasy version of ancient Greece not precisely located in historic time, the show starred Kevin Sorbo as Hercules and regularly featured Michael Hurst as his sidekick Iolaus. Typical plot lines involved Hercules and Iolaus saving rustic villagers from monsters, evil warlords or the often selfish whims of the gods. In the earlier episodes (and mentioned in the show's opening title) Hercules' main nemesis is his evil stepmother Hera, who seeks to destroy Hercules using various monsters because he is a reminder of her husband Zeus' infidelity. Later in the series, the malicious God of War, Ares, replaces Hera as the show's primary antagonist. Towards the end of the series Ares is himself replaced by the god of evil, Dahak, who is the main villain in the show's fifth season and sets of a story arc that has Hercules traveling to Sumeria, Norseland and Eire. Although Zeus, Hercules' father, is frequently cited by Hercules as a neglectful father, Zeus' love for Hercules is well documented in the show. Indeed, Hercules is often referred to as "the favorite son of Zeus". Zeus makes several appearances on the show, even saving his son's life and restoring his superhuman strength on one occasion when he needed it the most. Hercules, for his own part, was always there for Zeus when his father needed him, and in the end, Hercules reconciled with his father and buried whatever issues he had with the father he had come to understand and love.

The show had a successful spinoff, Warrior Princess, with which it shared recurring characters such as Ares (Kevin Smith), Autolycus (Bruce Campbell), Salmoneus (Robert Trebor), and Aphrodite (Alexandra Tydings). Both shows, although produced in New Zealand using mostly antipodean actors, who strove for American accents (with varying degrees of success), were syndicated worldwide.

Main characters

Recurring characters

See also

International

  • In Brazil, the show was previously shown on SBT, and reruns are currently being shown on Rede Record.
  • In France, the show was shown on TF1.
  • In the United Kingdom, the show was broadcast by subscription service Sky. It was also run by terrestrial Channel 5, but disappeared from their schedules mid-way through the show's run, leaving several seasons unbroadcast.

External links

1990s TV shows in the United States | Fantasy television series | Syndicated television series | NBC Universal Television shows

Hercules (Fernsehserie) | Hercule (série télévisée, 1994) | הרקולס המסעות המופלאים | Hercules (TV seriál)

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys".

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