Hercules: The Legendary Journeys is an American television series filmed in New Zealand, based on the tales of the classical Greekculture heroHeracles (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,[1]Sky1, five/5, Heroes & Icons, and Horror.
"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!"
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
^. EzyDVD.com.au. Archived from the original on 2010-02-01. Retrieved 2013-11-01.
^. 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.
^. EzyDVD.com.au. Archived from the original on 2010-09-16. Retrieved 2013-11-01.
^. EzyDVD.com.au. Archived from the original on 2010-11-15. Retrieved 2013-11-01.
External links
Wikiquote has quotations related to Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.
hercules, legendary, journeys, american, television, series, filmed, zealand, based, tales, classical, greek, culture, hero, heracles, hercules, roman, analogue, starring, kevin, sorbo, hercules, michael, hurst, iolaus, produced, from, january, 1995, november,. 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 1 Sky1 five 5 Heroes amp Icons and Horror Hercules The Legendary JourneysOpening sequence logoGenreAction adventure Heroic fantasy Comedy dramaCreated byChristian WilliamsRobert TapertStarringKevin Sorbo Michael HurstTheme music composerJoseph LoDucaComposerJoseph LoDucaCountry of originUnited StatesOriginal languageEnglishNo of seasons6No of episodes111 5 pilot television movies list of episodes ProductionProducersSam Raimi Bernadette JoyceRunning time41 44 minutesProduction companyRenaissance PicturesDistributorMCA TV 1995 1997 Universal Television Enterprises 1997 1998 Studios USA Television Distribution 1998 1999 ReleaseOriginal networkSyndicationPicture formatNTSCAudio formatDolby SurroundOriginal releaseJanuary 16 1995 1995 01 16 November 22 1999 1999 11 22 ChronologyRelatedHercules and Xena The Animated Movie The Battle for Mount Olympus Xena Warrior Princess Young HerculesIt 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 2 Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 2 1 Main cast 2 2 Recurring cast 3 Episodes 4 Spin offs 5 Home media 6 In other media 6 1 Video game 6 2 Animation 7 Legacy 8 See also 9 References 10 External linksPlot Edit 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 Kevin Sorbo as Hercules left and Michael Hurst as Iolaus right 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 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 Eire 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 EditMain cast Edit Main article List of Hercules The Legendary Journeys and Xena Warrior Princess characters Hercules Kevin Sorbo Iolaus Michael Hurst Recurring cast Edit 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 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 Morrigan 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 EditMain article List of Hercules The Legendary Journeys episodes SeasonEpisodesOriginally airedFirst airedLast airedTV films5April 25 1994 1994 04 25 November 14 1994 1994 11 14 113January 16 1995 1995 01 16 May 8 1995 1995 05 08 224September 4 1995 1995 09 04 June 24 1996 1996 06 24 322September 30 1996 1996 09 30 May 12 1997 1997 05 12 422September 29 1997 1997 09 29 May 11 1998 1998 05 11 522September 28 1998 1998 09 28 May 17 1999 1999 05 17 68September 27 1999 1999 09 27 November 22 1999 1999 11 22 Spin offs EditThe show had two spin offs Xena Warrior Princess and Young Hercules with which it shared recurring characters such as Ares Kevin Smith Autolycus Bruce Campbell Salmoneus Robert Trebor Aphrodite Alexandra Tydings Deimos Strife Joel Tobeck and Callisto Hudson Leick Both shows although produced in New Zealand with mostly local actors using American accents were syndicated worldwide Home media EditAnchor 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 DatesRegion 1 Region 4Season 1 13 June 24 2003April 20 2010 re release September 9 2009 3 Season 2 24 October 21 2003March 29 2011 re release February 17 2010 4 Season 3 22 March 23 2004March 13 2012 re release June 2 2010 5 Season 4 22 July 13 2004March 12 2013 re release November 3 2010 6 Season 5 22 January 11 2005July 22 2014 re release N ASeason 6 8 July 12 2005September 18 2018 re release N ASeasons 5 amp 6 30 N A January 12 2011 7 NOTE The Season 1 release in both regions 1 amp 4 includes the 5 tele films preceding the series The region 1 re release does not include the TV movies In other media EditVideo game Edit Main article Hercules The Legendary Journeys video game 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 Edit Hercules and Xena The Animated Movie The Battle for Mount Olympus is a 1998 American animated action adventure direct to video film starring the voices of Kevin Sorbo Lucy Lawless Michael Hurst Renee O Connor Kevin Smith and Alexandra Tydings all reprising their roles from Hercules The Legendary Journeys and Xena Warrior Princess It was directed by Lynne Naylor and written by John Loy It later received a television airing on Fox s Fox Kids block The movie s plot involved Hercules and Xena joining forces to save the Gods of Olympus from the Titans Legacy EditThe success of the show led to the commissioning of several similar series also set in the ancient world including The Adventures of Sinbad Conan the Adventurer The New Adventures of Robin Hood BeastMaster Tarzan The Epic Adventures and Jack of All Trades A sci fi series Cleopatra 2525 was also produced as a result of the series influence Thirteen years later Legend of the Seeker was produced by the same team See also EditList of Hercules and Xena characters Greek mythology in popular culture Hercules in popular cultureReferences Edit 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 amp 6 10 Disc Box Set on DVD Video from EzyDVD com au Archived from the original on 2010 11 15 Retrieved 2013 11 01 External links Edit Wikiquote has quotations related to Hercules The Legendary Journeys Hercules The Legendary Journeys at IMDb Hercules The Legendary Journeys at MobyGames Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Hercules The Legendary Journeys amp oldid 1131800705, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
