Hercules: The Legendary Journeys

The beloved predecessor of Xena, her parent series, her contemporary for many long and fruitful years. Kevin Sorbo first shone in an opening series of five TV movies before he was given an entire series, and it must be said that few other actors have had so many wonderful years with their series character. As a series, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys is a compact work that consciously plays with the ancient world, and thanks to its unusual humor and updates, it is as much an excellent drama as an utterly insane comedy, not to mention the context with the modern world and the reference to classic Hollywood. If you still haven't outgrown the preconceived notion that it's a children's show, give the show a chance. You might also be surprised by the range of interesting guest stars, from Lucy Liu to Corinna Everson to Bruce Campbell and the entire generation made famous by The Lord of the Rings. (08/08/2011)

The legendary Season 1, whose episodes are still pretty epic. I almost can't believe it. The highlight is of course the trilogy with Xena, The Warrior Princess, The Gauntlet & Unchained Heart, but the other 10 episodes are worth it too. Especially As Darkness Falls. (13/07/2020)

The excellent Season 2, which ran concurrently with Season 1 of Xena. We meet Autolycus (Bruce Campbell) for the first time and witness the birth of Aphrodite (Alexandra Tydings) from sea foam. The episodes with the mother of monsters or the wedding of Alcmene and Jason (Jeffrey Thomas) are great. (13/07/2020)

Season 3 ran concurrently with Season 2 of Xena. For example, the Halloween episodes Mummy Dearest and Girls Just Wanna Have Fun built on each other perfectly. Excellent are the episodes Prince Hercules, Surprise (with Callisto), the wedding episode When a Man Loves a Woman, the crossover episode Judgment Day, Hercules during the French Revolution in the episode Les Contemptibles, or Atlantis. (13/07/2020)

Season 4 ran concurrently with Season 3 of Xena. There are many memorable episodes in this series as well, the doppelganger episodes, the Widow Twanky storyline, the parody of Some Like It Hot with Autolycus and Salmoneus, Hercules in high school, and behind-the-scenes episodes from the making of the show. Every idea is a gem. (13/07/2020)

Season 5 is the last full-length series of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, and it should (and could) have been the last. It ran concurrently with Season 4 of Xena, which had a pretty substantial finale in its own right. This time around, much of the Hercules series is accompanied by his new partner Morrigan (Tamara Gorski), whom he picked up during his adventures in Ireland. Hercules traveled a lot this season, and in addition to Britain, he also managed to visit Sumeria and Scandinavia in a short time. Overall, this is one of the best series, though it's a long way from the original style and story of wandering through the ancient world... when the ancient gods were petty and cruel and plagued humanity with hardships, and Hercules no longer mourns his original family, and Hera isn't the main problem either. It's worthy of attention. (13/07/2020)

The short 6th season is more of a gift for fans that ran concurrently with the 5th season of Xena (in the time before the birth). There are a few more stories to wrap up, and a few more friends to say goodbye to. A little bit of a classic, amazons, ancient Egypt, opening the first bank, making peace with Dio, and that's it. THANK YOU. (13/07/2020)