Hercules: The Legendary Journeys

Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
Title Card, as seen in the Opening Credits.
Production
Starring	Kevin Sorbo Michael Hurst
Guest Starring	Kevin Smith Robert Trebor Bruce Campbell Liddy Holloway Alexandra Tydings Gina Torres
Episode Count	111
Season Count	6
Original Run	January 16, 1995-November 22, 1999

"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, narrated by Al Chalk.

Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (or "H:TLJ") was a television series which aired from 1995 to 1999. The series depicts American actor Kevin Sorbo as Hercules, the son of the god Zeus and the human woman Alcmene. After the jealous Hera kills Hercules' family in The Wrong Path, he sets out to foil her evil plans, and help others he encounters along the way. He is usually accompanied by childhood friend, Iolaus, played by British-New Zealand actor Michael Hurst. Sometimes Hercules is joined by Salmoneus, depicted by American actor Robert Trebor.

H:TLJ had two spin-off shows, Xena: Warrior Princess and Young Hercules, plus one animation, Hercules and Xena – The Battle for Mount Olympus. The live shows shared a number of reoccurring characters, but rarely shared story lines. All of the shows were filmed in New Zealand with mostly local actors, but they typically used American accents.

While the setting is usually ancient Greece, no solid historical timeline or locales are adhered to, and elements from various periods are seen, such as Oriental, Egyptian and Medieval. The cast, extras, and villagers often represent a wide range of cultures and races not common to ancient Greece. Anachronisms and references to the modern world in episodes were common, and often scripted on purpose.

Some of the crew worked across the three shows, or switched between them. During later seasons, some left to work on The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. H:TLJ would become one of the highest-rated syndicated series at the time, and it and its spin-offs were seen as the height of the first-run, syndicated era. The show won 3 ASCAP awards, and was nominated for over twenty other awards, including a Saturn Award.

Cast

• Kevin Sorbo as Hercules
• Michael Hurst as Iolaus

Supporting Cast

• Bruce Campbell as Autolycus (Season 2-6)
• Robert Trebor as Salmoneus (Season 1-5)
• Jeffrey Thomas as Jason (Season 2-5)
• Liddy Holloway as Alcmene (Season 1-4)
• Kevin Smith as Ares (Season 3-6)
• Alexandra Tydings as Aphrodite (Season 2-6)
• Meighan Desmond as Discord (Season 4-6)

Production staff

• Executive Producers:
  • Sam Raimi
  • Robert Tapert
  • Christian Williams

• Co-Executive Producers:
  • John Schulian

• Supervising Producers:
  • Robert Bielak
  • Steve Roberts

• Producers:
  • Andrew Dettmann
  • Eric Gruendemann
  • Gene O'Neill
  • Daniel Truly

• Associate Producers:
  • Bernadette Joyce

• Co-producers:
  • Paul Robert Coyle
  • David Eick
• Composer:
  • Joseph LoDuca

Episodes

H:TLJ Season One DVD Collection

Hercules-Xena Timeline (Chronology of the Series)

Hercules Episode List by Production Order. Some of the video collections include the television movies as part of Season 1. The cast sometimes referred to the films as Season 1 of seven seasons (see Kevin Sorbo's book, True Strength).

Tele Movies

• Hercules and the Amazon Women
• Hercules and the Lost Kingdom
• Hercules and the Circle of Fire
• Hercules in the Underworld
• Hercules in the Maze of the Minotaur

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"

H:TLJ Season Two DVD Collection

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"

H:TLJ Season Three DVD Collection

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"

H:TLJ Season Four DVD Collection

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"

H:TLJ Season Five DVD Collection

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"

H:TLJ Season Six DVD Collection

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"