Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys | |
---|---|
Genre |
|
Created by | Robert Tapert |
Starring | |
Theme music composer | Joseph LoDuca |
Composer | Joseph LoDuca |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 6 |
No. of episodes |
|
Production | |
Producers |
|
Running time | 41–44 minutes |
Production companies | Renaissance Pictures Universal Television |
Original release | |
Network | Syndication |
Release | January 16, 1995 November 22, 1999 | –
Related | |
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys is an American television series filmed in New Zealand, based on the tales of the classical
It was preceded by five TV movies in 1994, with the same major characters, and was part of Universal Media Studios's Action Pack. They are, 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.[2]
Plot
"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 is evil, whenever an innocent would suffer, there would be Hercules!"
— Opening narration.
The series is set in a fantasy version of ancient Greece not precisely located in historical time. The show also has a mixture of Oriental, Egyptian and Medieval elements in various episodes. The series 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
Cast
Main cast
Recurring cast
- Alcmene (Elizabeth Hawthorne, Liddy Holloway, Kim Michalis)
- Aphrodite (Alexandra Tydings)
- Apollo (Scott Michaelson)
- Ares (Kevin Smith)
- Artemis (Rhonda McHardy)
- Cory Everson)
- Autolycus (Bruce Campbell)
- Callisto (Hudson Leick)
- Cassandra (Claudia Black)
- Charon (Michael Hurst)
- Cupid (Karl Urban)
- Dahak (Michael Hurst, Mark Newnham)
- Deianeira (Tawny Kitaen)
- 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)
- )
- Odin (Peter McCauley)
- Persephone (Andrea Croton)
- Salmoneus (Robert Trebor)
- Serena (Sam Jenkins, Kara Zediker)
- Strife (Joel Tobeck)
- Xena (Lucy Lawless)
- Xenon (Roger Oakley)
- Zeus (Roy Dotrice, Peter Vere-Jones, Charles Keating, Anthony Quinn).
Episodes
Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
First aired | Last aired | |||
TV films | 5 | April 25, 1994 | November 14, 1994 | |
1 | 13 | January 16, 1995 | May 8, 1995 | |
2 | 24 | September 4, 1995 | June 24, 1996 | |
3 | 22 | September 30, 1996 | May 12, 1997 | |
4 | 22 | September 29, 1997 | May 11, 1998 | |
5 | 22 | September 28, 1998 | May 17, 1999 | |
6 | 8 | September 27, 1999 | November 22, 1999 |
Spin-offs
The show had two
Home media
Anchor Bay Entertainment released all six seasons of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys on DVD in Region 1 for the first time between 2003 and 2005. As of 2010, these releases have now been discontinued.
On January 12, 2010, Universal Studios Home Entertainment announced that they planned on re-releasing Hercules: The Legendary Journeys on DVD. They have subsequently re-released all six seasons.
In Region 4, Madman Entertainment has released all six seasons on DVD in Australia.
Season | Ep # | Release Dates | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Region 1 | Region 4 | ||||||
Season 1 | 13 | June 24, 2003 April 20, 2010 (re-release) |
September 9, 2009[3] | ||||
Season 2 | 24 | October 21, 2003 March 29, 2011 (re-release) |
February 17, 2010[4] | ||||
Season 3 | 22 | March 23, 2004 March 13, 2012 (re-release) |
June 2, 2010[5] | ||||
Season 4 | 22 | July 13, 2004 March 12, 2013 (re-release) |
November 3, 2010[6] | ||||
Season 5 | 22 | January 11, 2005 July 22, 2014 (re-release) |
N/A | ||||
Season 6 | 8 | July 12, 2005 September 18, 2018 (re-release) |
N/A | ||||
Seasons 5 & 6 | 30 | N/A | January 12, 2011[7] |
- NOTE: The Season 1 release in both regions 1 & 4 includes the 5 tele-films preceding the series. The region 1 re-release does not include the TV movies.
In other media
Games
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys is an action adventure video game with beat 'em up elements that was released on the Nintendo 64 and Game Boy Color, developed by Player 1 and published by Titus Interactive, based on the television series.
Animation
Legacy
The success of the show led to the commissioning of several similar series, also set in the ancient world, including
See also
- List of Hercules and Xena characters
- Greek mythology in popular culture
- Hercules in popular culture
References
- ^ Research Hercules: the Legendary Journeys. BookRags.com. 2010-11-02. Retrieved 2013-11-01.
- ^ "Kevin Sorbo interview". 2007-10-09. Retrieved 2015-02-13.
- ^ "Buy Hercules: The Legendary Journeys - Season 1 (7 Disc Box Set) on DVD-Video from". EzyDVD.com.au. Archived from the original on 2010-02-01. Retrieved 2013-11-01.
- ^ "Buy Hercules: The Legendary Journeys - Season 2 (7 Disc Box Set) on DVD-Video from". EzyDVD.com.au. Archived from the original on 2010-03-04. Retrieved 2013-11-01.
- ^ "Buy Hercules: The Legendary Journeys - Season 3 (7 Disc Box Set) on DVD-Video from". EzyDVD.com.au. Archived from the original on 2012-07-29. Retrieved 2013-11-01.
- ^ "Buy Hercules: The Legendary Journeys - Season 4 (7 Disc Box Set) on DVD-Video from". EzyDVD.com.au. Archived from the original on 2010-09-16. Retrieved 2013-11-01.
- ^ "Buy Hercules: The Legendary Journeys - The Final Seasons: Season 5 & 6 (10 Disc Box Set) on DVD-Video from". EzyDVD.com.au. Archived from the original on 2010-11-15. Retrieved 2013-11-01.