Hercules: The Legendary Journeys | |
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Genre |
Action/Adventure Sword and sorcery Fantasy Comedy-drama |
Created by | Christian Williams |
Starring |
Kevin Sorbo Michael Hurst |
Theme music composer | Joseph LoDuca |
Composer(s) | Joseph LoDuca |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language(s) | English |
No. of seasons | 6 |
No. of episodes | 111 + 5 pilot television movies (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Producer(s) |
Sam Raimi Bernadette Joyce |
Running time | 41–44 minutes |
Production company(s) | Renaissance Pictures |
Distributor |
MCA TV (1995–1996) (Seasons 1-2) Universal Television Enterprises (1996–1998) (Seasons 3-4) Studios USA (1998–1999) (Seasons 5-6) NBCUniversal Television Distribution (2004–present) |
Release | |
Original network | Syndication |
Audio format | Dolby Surround |
Original release | January 16, 1995 – November 22, 1999 |
Chronology | |
Related shows |
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys | |
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Developer(s) | Player 1 |
Publisher(s) | Titus Software |
Distributor(s) | Universal Television |
Producer(s) | Sam Raimi |
Composer(s) | Joseph LoDuca |
Platform(s) | Nintendo 64, Game Boy Color |
Release |
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Genre(s) | Action-adventure |
Mode(s) | Single player |
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys is an American television series filmed in New Zealand. It was produced from January 16, 1995 to November 22, 1999, and was based on the tales of the classical Greek culture hero Heracles (Hercules was his Roman analogue). 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 was preceded by several TV movies with the same major characters in 1994 as part of Universal Television'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 Kevin Sorbo initially declined to renew a three-year extension contract to continue his role as Hercules.
The series is set in a fantasy version of ancient Greece not precisely located in historical time. Although set in ancient Greece, 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 dinar.