This is the story of a time long ago, A time of myth and legend, when the Earth was still young. The ancient gods
were petty and cruel, and they plagued mankind with suffering and beseiged them with terrors. For centuries the people had
nowhere to turn, no one to look to for help. Until he arrived. He was a man like no other. Born of a beautiful mortal woman,
but fathered by Zeus, king of the gods. Hercules possessed a strength the world had never seen, a strength surpassed only
by the power of his heart....No matter what obstacle, as long as there were people crying for help, there was one man who
would never rest --- Hercules
Hercules:
The Legendary Journeys was very loosely based on the tales of the classical culture hero Hercules. It has become one of the
highest rated syndicated shows in television history.
The first year was comprised of several TV movies focusing on Hercules, Iolus, Zeus, Deianira and the unseen malevolent Hera. They were (in order): 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.
Set in a fantasy version of ancient Greece not precisely located in historic time, the show starred Kevin Sorbo as Hercules and Michael Hurst as his sidekick
Iolaus. Typical plot lines involved Hercules and Iolaus saving rustic villagers from monsters, evil warlords or the often
selfish whims of the gods. In the earlier episodes (and mentioned in the show's opening title) Hercule's main nemesis is his
evil stepmother Hera, who seeks to destroy Hercules using various monsters because he is a reminder of her husband Zeus' infidelity.
Later in the series, the malicious God of War, Ares, replaces Hera as the show's primary antagonist. Ares is himself replaced
by the Satan-like God of Evil, Dahak, as the main villain in the show's final seasons.
Kevin Sorbo - Hercules
Michael Hurst - Iolaus
Meighan Desmond - Discord
Kevin Smith - Ares/Iphicles
Robert Trebor - Salmoneus
Alexandra Tydings - Aphrodite
Jeffrey Thomas - Jason
Paul Norell - Falafel
Bruce Campbell - Autolycus
Liddy Holloway - Alcmene
Gina Torres - Nebula
A scene in an episode in which Hercules and Autolycus travel to the past, Autolycus has an argument with his
younger self. The entire scene is played out exactly like a scene from Army of Darkness where Ash fights the Evil Ash. Most
of the dialogue is also the same. Series producer Sam Raimi directed Army of Darkness.
The episode, "Yes, Virginia, There
Is a Hercules" features the modern-day writing staff suggesting spinoffs for the Hercules series. Scenes from these proposals
come from stuff that already existed at that time: Hercules and Xena - The Animated Movie: The Battle for Mount Olympus and
Young Hercules.
Xena was originally supposed to die in the episode "Unchained Heart". When Universal needed a show to
replace its ratings-challenged Vanishing Son, the ending was rewritten and Xena: Warrior Princess was allowed to ride off
into her own series.
Anachronism: In "Atlantis", Hercules and Cassandra walk through a cornfield while she picks ears
of corn. Corn is indigenous to the Americas, could not have reached Europe until the seventeenth century and did not exist
in its modern form until the nineteenth.
On the credits of "Unchained Heart" the credits read "No vicious beasts intent
on taking over the world were harmed on the production of this film" where the Humane Society disclaimer would normally appear.
Hercules: What are you doing here?
Iolaus: What do you mean?
Hercules: Iolaus, you're dead.
Iolaus:
Yeah, well, I was kinda hoping you wouldn't notice.
Hercules: Rumor has it that Otis stole it from a warlord who
had stolen it from someone else.
Autolycus: So much for honor among thieves; gives us all a bad name.
