Hercules: The Legendary Journeys

***Hercules: The Legendary Journeys*** is an American television series filmed in New Zealand, based on the tales of the classical Greek culture hero Heracles (Hercules was his Roman analogue). Starring Kevin Sorbo as Hercules and Michael Hurst as Iolaus, it was produced from January 16, 1995 to November 22, 1999. It ran for six seasons, producing action figures and other memorabilia as it became one of the highest-rated syndicated television shows in the world at that time. It has aired on Once Channel, Sky1, five/5, Heroes & Icons, and Horror.

It was preceded by several TV movies with the same major characters in 1994 as part of Universal Media Studios's Action Pack in order of appearance: *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 as a lead up to the series. The show was cancelled midway through filming of the sixth season, and only a total of eight episodes were produced after Sorbo initially declined to renew a three-year extension contract to continue his role as Hercules.

## Plot

The series is set in a fantasy version of ancient Greece not precisely located in historical time. Although set in ancient Greece, the show also has a mixture of Oriental, Egyptian and Medieval elements in various episodes. The show stars Kevin Sorbo as Hercules and regularly features Michael Hurst as his sidekick Iolaus. Rotating as Hercules' other regular companion, particularly in earlier seasons, is Salmoneus (Robert Trebor), a wheeler-dealer ever looking to make a quick drachma.

Typical plot lines involve Hercules and Iolaus saving rustic villagers from monsters, evil warlords, or the often selfish whims of the gods. There was also comedy and episodes often had "in-jokes" about modern themes.

In the earlier episodes as mentioned in the show's opening title, Hercules' main nemesis is his evil stepmother Hera, the powerful queen of the gods who seeks to destroy Hercules using various monsters and helping her various followers because he is a reminder of her husband Zeus' infidelity. As the series progressed, a wider range of enemies was used; notably Hercules' half-brother, the malicious god of war Ares replaced Hera as the show's primary antagonist. Towards the end of the series, Ares is himself replaced by the evil god Dahak who is the main villain in the show's fifth season and sets off a story arc that has Hercules traveling to Sumeria, Norseland and Éire. 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 needs it the most. Hercules, for his own part, is always there for Zeus when his father needs him, and in the end, Hercules reconciles with his father and buries whatever issues he has with the father he has come to understand and love.

## Cast

### Main cast

Main article: List of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess characters

* Hercules (Kevin Sorbo)
* Iolaus (Michael Hurst)

### Recurring cast

* Alcmene (Elizabeth Hawthorne, Liddy Holloway, Kim Michalis)
* Aphrodite (Alexandra Tydings)
* Apollo (Scott Michaelson)
* Ares (Kevin Smith)
* Artemis (Rhonda McHardy)
* Atalanta (Cory Everson)
* Autolycus (Bruce Campbell)
* Callisto (Hudson Leick)
* Cassandra (Claudia Black)
* Charon (Michael Hurst)
* Cupid (Karl Urban)
* Dahak (Michael Hurst, Mark Newnham)
* Deianeira (Renee O'Connor(daughter of Ilus, King of Troy; eventually becomes Queen of Troy after Ilus's death), Tawny Kitaen(wife of Hercules))
* Deimos (Joel Tobeck)
* Dirce (Lisa Chappell)
* Discord (Meighan Desmond)
* Falafel (Paul Norell)
* Gabrielle (Renee O'Connor)
* Hades (Erik Thomson, Mark Ferguson)
* Hera (Meg Foster)
* Iphicles (Kevin Smith)
* Jason (Jeffrey Thomas, Chris Conrad)
* Joxer (Ted Raimi)
* Kernunnos (Stuart Devenie)
* Morrígan (Tamara Gorski)
* Nebula (Gina Torres)
* Nemesis (Karen Witter, Teresa Hill, Kimberley Joseph)
* Odin (Peter McCauley)
* Persephone (Andrea Croton)
* Salmoneus (Robert Trebor)
* Serena (Sam Jenkins, Kara Zediker)
* Strife (Joel Tobeck)
* Xena (Lucy Lawless)
* Zeus (Roy Dotrice, Peter Vere-Jones, Charles Keating, Anthony Quinn).

## Episodes

"*This is the story of a time long ago – a time of myth and legend. When the ancient gods were petty and cruel, and they plagued mankind with suffering, only one man dared to challenge their power – Hercules. Hercules possessed a strength the world had never seen – a strength surpassed only by the power of his heart. He journeyed the Earth – battling the minions of his wicked stepmother, Hera, the all-powerful queen of the gods. But wherever there was evil, wherever an innocent would suffer, there would be Hercules.*" ―Series intro

### Season One

* "The Wrong Path"
* "Eye of the Beholder"
* "The Road to Calydon"
* "The Festival of Dionysus"
* "Ares"
* "As Darkness Falls"
* "Pride Comes Before a Brawl"
* "The March to Freedom"
* "The Warrior Princess"
* "Gladiator"
* "The Vanishing Dead"
* "The Gauntlet"
* "Unchained Heart"

### Season Two

* "The King of Thieves"
* "All That Glitters"
* "What's in a Name?"
* "Siege at Naxos"
* "Outcast"
* "Under the Broken Sky"
* "The Mother of All Monsters"
* "The Other Side"
* "The Fire Down Below"
* "Cast a Giant Shadow"
* "Highway to Hades"
* "The Sword of Veracity"
* "The Enforcer"
* "Once a Hero"
* "Heedless Hearts"
* "Let the Games Begin"
* "The Apple"
* "Promises"
* "King for a Day"
* "Protean Challenge"
* "The Wedding of Alcmene"
* "The Power"
* "Centaur Mentor Journey"
* "The Cave of Echoes"

### Season Three

* "Mercenary"
* "Doomsday"
* "Love Takes a Holiday"
* "Mummy Dearest"
* "Not Fade Away"
* "Monster Child in the Promised Land"
* "The Green-Eyed Monster"
* "Prince Hercules"
* "A Star to Guide Them"
* "The Lady and the Dragon"
* "Long Live the King"
* "Surprise"
* "Encounter"
* "When a Man Loves a Woman"
* "Judgment Day"
* "The Lost City"
* "Les Contemptibles"
* "Reign of Terror"
* "The End of the Beginning"
* "War Bride"
* "A Rock and a Hard Place"
* "Atlantis"

### Season Four

* "Beanstalks and Bad Eggs"
* "Hero's Heart"
* "Regrets... I've Had a Few"
* "Web of Desire"
* "Stranger in a Strange World"
* "Two Men and a Baby"
* "Prodigal Sister"
* "...And Fancy Free"
* "If I Had a Hammer..."
* "Hercules on Trial"
* "Medea Culpa"
* "Men in Pink"
* "Armageddon Now"
* "Armageddon Now Part 2"
* "Yes, Virginia, There is a Hercules"
* "Porkules"
* "One Fowl Day"
* "My Fair Cupcake"
* "War Wounds"
* "Twilight"
* "Top God"
* "Reunions"

### Season Five

* "Faith"
* "Descent"
* "Resurrection"
* "Genies and Grecians and Geeks, Oh My"
* "Render Unto Caesar"
* "Norse By Norsevest"
* "Somewhere Over the Rainbow Bridge"
* "Darkness Rising"
* "For Those of You Just Joining Us"
* "Let There Be Light"
* "Redemption"
* "Sky High"
* "Stranger and Stranger"
* "Just Passing Through"
* "Greece is Burning"
* "We'll Always Have Cyprus"
* "The Academy"
* "Love on the Rocks"
* "Once Upon a Future King"
* "Fade Out"
* "My Best Girl's Wedding"
* "Revelations"

### Season Six

* "Be Deviled"
* "Love, Amazon Style"
* "Rebel With a Cause"
* "Darkness Visible"
* "Hercules, Tramps & Thieves"
* "City of the Dead"
* "A Wicked Good Time"
* "Full Circle"

## Broadcast

The show made its debut on Cartoonito UK and Ireland on January 5, 2015. In order, there are 111 episodes, not the TV movies.