Olympus (TV series)
A retelling of Greek myths cancelled after one season.
Olympus is a fantasy series co-produced by Canada and the UK, retelling Greek myths. It aired on Syfy in the United States and Super Channel in Canada, debuting on 2 April 2015. The first season ran for thirteen episodes, ending on 2 July 2015. The show was cancelled that same month and drew largely negative reviews from critics. The plot follows a young man named Hero as he seeks the truth about his past, a journey that ties into the banishment of the gods to the underworld, known as the Kingdom of Hades. The main cast includes Tom York as Hero, Sonya Cassidy as the Oracle of Gaia (Pandora), Sonita Henry as Medea, Graham Shiels as Aegeus, Cas Anvar as Xerxes, John Emmet Tracy as Pallas, Wayne Burns as Lykos, Matt Frewer as Daedalus, Alan C. Peterson as Minos, and Sophia Lauchlin Hirt as Ariadne. Recurring roles feature Ben Cotton as Cyrus, Spencer Drever as Alcimenes, and Levi Meaden as Kimon. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, Spike aired the series starting 15 April 2015 at 10 pm. Critics panned the show for its campy acting, heavy reliance on green screens, weak special effects, and resemblance to earlier fantasy epics. Keith Uhlich of The Hollywood Reporter described it as "300 as shot for $300."
- Genre
- Fantasy television series
- Country
- Canada / United Kingdom
- Premiere date
- 2 April 2015
- Finale date
- 2 July 2015
- Number of episodes
- 13
- Network
- Syfy (USA), Super Channel (Canada)
- Status
- Cancelled in July 2015
Lore & Background
The series follows the story of how several brave men and women banished the gods from Olympus to the unconscious realm, a place dubbed as the Kingdom of Hades, or the underworld. A young man, Hero, attempts to find the truths of his past and shed light on the future, which will inevitably link back to the gods themselves. The main cast includes Tom York as Hero, Sonya Cassidy as the Oracle of Gaia (Pandora), Sonita Henry as Medea, Graham Shiels as Aegeus, Cas Anvar as Xerxes, John Emmet Tracy as Pallas, Wayne Burns as Lykos, Matt Frewer as Daedalus, Alan C. Peterson as Minos, and Sophia Lauchlin Hirt as Ariadne. Recurring roles include Ben Cotton as Cyrus, Spencer Drever as Alcimenes, and Levi Meaden as Kimon.
Reader's Guide
Olympus was acquired by Spike for broadcast in the United Kingdom and Ireland from 15 April 2015 at 10 pm. Critical reviews for the series were mostly negative, particularly for the campy acting, the heavy use of green screens, the special effects and for being similar to earlier fantasy epics. Keith Uhlich of The Hollywood Reporter called it '300 as shot for $300'. The series was cancelled in July 2015, shortly after its first season concluded. Its significance lies in being a short-lived attempt to retell Greek myths for television, but it failed to gain critical or commercial traction and is remembered primarily for its poor reception and cancellation.
Did You Know?
- Olympus premiered on Syfy in the USA and Super Channel in Canada on 2 April 2015.
- The series was cancelled in July 2015, the same month its first season ended.
- Keith Uhlich of The Hollywood Reporter described the series as '300 as shot for $300'.
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