Hercules: The Legendary Journeys

Did You Know?

• The show had two spin-offs: Xena: Warrior Princess and Young Hercules.
• The success of the show led to the commissioning of several similar series, including The Adventures of Sinbad, Conan the Adventurer, and BeastMaster.

Plot

The series is set in a fantasy version of ancient Greece not precisely located in historical time, incorporating Oriental, Egyptian and Medieval elements. Kevin Sorbo stars as Hercules, with Michael Hurst as his sidekick Iolaus. In earlier seasons, the wheeler-dealer Salmoneus (Robert Trebor) appears as a regular companion. Typical plots involve Hercules and Iolaus saving rustic villagers from monsters, evil warlords, or the selfish whims of the gods, with comedy and episodes often containing in-jokes about modern themes.

In the earlier episodes, Hercules' main nemesis is his evil stepmother Hera, queen of the gods, who seeks to destroy him because he is a reminder of her husband Zeus' infidelity. As the series progresses, a wider range of enemies appears; notably Hercules' half-brother, the malicious god of war Ares, replaces Hera as the primary antagonist. Toward the end of the series, Ares is himself replaced by the evil god Dahak, who is the main villain in the fifth season and sets off a story arc that has Hercules traveling to Sumeria, Norseland and Éire.

Zeus, Hercules' father, is frequently cited as neglectful, but his love for Hercules is well documented; Zeus makes several appearances, even saving his son's life and restoring his superhuman strength. Hercules reconciles with his father and buries whatever issues he had with him.

Home media

Anchor Bay Entertainment released all six seasons on DVD in Region 1 between 2003 and 2005; these releases were discontinued by 2010. On January 12, 2010, Universal Studios Home Entertainment announced a re-release of all six seasons on DVD. In Region 4, Madman Entertainment released all six seasons on DVD in Australia. The Season 1 release in both regions 1 and 4 includes the five tele-films preceding the series, but the region 1 re-release does not include them.

In other media

Between 1996 and 1997, Timothy Boggs wrote a trilogy of novels, and in 1999, Hunter Kennedy published a juvenile novel titled Hercules and the Geek of Greece. Topps released a five-issue mini-series and a trading card set, both in 1996. The franchise expanded into games, including a collectable card game, a Nintendo 64 and Game Boy Color video game, and a role-playing game that merged with the sister series Xena: Warrior Princess. Fanpro put out a board game in 1998. The 1998 direct-to-video animated film Hercules and Xena – The Animated Movie: The Battle for Mount Olympus featured original cast members Kevin Sorbo, Lucy Lawless, Michael Hurst, Renee O'Connor, Kevin Smith, and Alexandra Tydings voicing their roles; it later aired on Fox's Fox Kids block. From 1997 to 2000, Universal Studios hosted an interactive theme park attraction called Hercules & Xena: Wizards of the Screen.