Xena: Warrior Princess is an American television series that was created by Robert Tapert and John Schulian. Xena is a historical fantasy set primarily in ancient Greece, although it has a flexible time setting and occasionally features Oriental,[1] Egyptian[2] and Medieval[3] elements. The flexible fantasy framework of the show accommodates a considerable range of theatrical styles, from high melodrama to slapstick comedy, from whimsical and musical[4] to all-out action and adventure. While the show is typically set in ancient times, its themes are essentially modern and it investigates the ideas of taking responsibility for past misdeeds, the value of human life, personal liberty and sacrifice, and friendship. The show often addresses ethical dilemmas, such as the morality of pacifism; however, the storylines rarely seek to provide unequivocal solutions.
The character of Xena debuted on March 13, 1995, on the TV series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. Three episodes featuring Xena, collectively called The Xena Trilogy, initially aired as part of the first season of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.[5] Xena's own series began on September 4, 1995.[6] The series ran for six seasons and 134 episodes until its final episode aired on June 23, 2001. The series won an Emmy Award in 2001, and was ranked in #10 in TV Guide's Top 25 Cult TV Shows of All Time.[7]
Series overview
editEpisodes
editIntroductory episodes (1995)
editThe program and its namesake character are introduced during the first season of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. The Hercules: The Legendary Journeys episodes, "The Warrior Princess", "The Gauntlet" and "Unchained Heart", served as pilot episodes for the show.
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 9 | "The Warrior Princess" | Bruce Seth Green | John Schulian | March 13, 1995 | 76608 |
|
Iolaus is seduced by the cunning and cruel Xena, Warrior Princess, who aims to use him to destroy Hercules, leaving her free to take over the world… | ||||||
| 12 | 12 | "The Gauntlet" | Jack Perez | Peter Bielak | May 1, 1995 | 76612 |
|
Xena is betrayed by her lieutenant, Darphus, and forced to walk "the gauntlet". Determined to get her revenge, she forms an alliance with Hercules, who tries to make her see that there is more to life than vengeance and evil. | ||||||
| 13 | 13 | "Unchained Heart" | Bruce Seth Green | John Schulian | May 8, 1995 | 76613 |
|
Hercules, Salmoneus and Iolaus team up to fight Darphus, who has risen from the grave and plans to feed Hercules to Ares' dog of war Graegus. In the end, Ares loses his most valuable pawn as Xena turns her back on evil once and for all. | ||||||
Season 1 (1995–96)
edit| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Sins of the Past" | Doug Lefler | Story by : Robert Tapert Teleplay by : R.J. Stewart | September 4, 1995 |
| 2 | 2 | "Chariots of War" | Harley Cokeliss | Story by : Josh Becker & Jack Perez Teleplay by : Adam Armus & Nora Kay Foster | September 11, 1995 |
| 3 | 3 | "Dreamworker" | Bruce Seth Green | Steven L. Sears | September 18, 1995 |
| 4 | 4 | "Cradle of Hope" | Michael Levine | Terence Winter | September 25, 1995 |
| 5 | 5 | "The Path Not Taken" | Stephen L. Posey | Julie Sherman | October 2, 1995 |
| 6 | 6 | "The Reckoning" | Charles Siebert | Peter Allan Fields | October 16, 1995 |
| 7 | 7 | "The Titans" | Eric Brevig | R.J. Stewart | October 30, 1995 |
| 8 | 8 | "Prometheus" | Stephen L. Posey | R.J. Stewart | November 6, 1995 |
| 9 | 9 | "Death in Chains" | Charles Siebert | Story by : Babs Greyhosky & Adam Armus & Nora Kay Foster Teleplay by : Adam Armus & Nora Kay Foster | November 13, 1995 |
| 10 | 10 | "Hooves & Harlots" | Jace Alexander | Steven L. Sears | November 20, 1995 |
| 11 | 11 | "The Black Wolf" | Mario Di Leo | Alan Jay Glueckman | January 8, 1996 |
| 12 | 12 | "Beware Greeks Bearing Gifts" | T.J. Scott | Story by : Roy Thomas & Janis Hendler Teleplay by : Adam Armus & Nora Kay Foster | January 15, 1996 |
| 13 | 13 | "Athens City Academy of the Performing Bards" | Jace Alexander | R.J. Stewart & Steven L. Sears | January 22, 1996 |
| 14 | 14 | "A Fistful of Dinars" | Josh Becker | Steven L. Sears & R.J. Stewart | January 29, 1996 |
| 15 | 15 | "Warrior... Princess" | Michael Levine | Brenda Lilly | February 5, 1996 |
| 16 | 16 | "Mortal Beloved" | Garth Maxwell | R.J. Stewart | February 12, 1996 |
| 17 | 17 | "The Royal Couple of Thieves" | John Cameron | Steven L. Sears | February 19, 1996 |
| 18 | 18 | "The Prodigal" | John T. Kretchmer | Chris Manheim | March 4, 1996 |
| 19 | 19 | "Altared States" | Michael Levine | Chris Manheim | April 22, 1996 |
| 20 | 20 | "Ties That Bind" | Charles Siebert | Adam Armus & Nora Kay Foster | April 29, 1996 |
| 21 | 21 | "The Greater Good" | Gary Jones | Steven L. Sears | May 6, 1996 |
| 22 | 22 | "Callisto" | T.J. Scott | R.J. Stewart | May 13, 1996 |
| 23 | 23 | "Death Mask" | Stewart Main | Peter Allan Fields | June 3, 1996 |
| 24 | 24 | "Is There a Doctor in the House?" | T.J. Scott | Patricia Manney | July 29, 1996 |
Season 2 (1996–97)
edit| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 1 | "Orphan of War" | Charles Siebert | Steven L. Sears | September 30, 1996 | V0206 |
| 26 | 2 | "Remember Nothing" | Anson Williams | Story by : Steven L. Sears & Chris Manheim Teleplay by : Steven L. Sears | October 7, 1996 | V0201 |
| 27 | 3 | "The Giant Killer" | Gary Jones | Terence Winter | October 14, 1996 | V0204 |
| 28 | 4 | "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" | T.J. Scott | Nora Kay Foster & Adam Armus | October 28, 1996 | V0202 |
| 29 | 5 | "Return of Callisto" | T.J. Scott | R. J. Stewart | November 4, 1996 | V0210 |
| 30 | 6 | "Warrior... Princess... Tramp" | Josh Becker | R. J. Stewart | November 11, 1996 | V0205 |
| 31 | 7 | "Intimate Stranger" | Gary Jones | Steven L. Sears | November 18, 1996 | V0211 |
| 32 | 8 | "Ten Little Warlords" | Charles Siebert | Paul Robert Coyle | November 25, 1996 | V0215 |
| 33 | 9 | "A Solstice Carol" | John T. Kretchmer | Chris Manheim | December 9, 1996 | V0209 |
| 34 | 10 | "The Xena Scrolls" | Charlie Haskell | Story by : Robert Sidney Mellette Teleplay by : Nora Kay Foster & Adam Armus | January 13, 1997 | V0208 |
| 35 | 11 | "Here She Comes... Miss Amphipolis" | Marina Sargenti | Chris Manheim | January 20, 1997 | V0212 |
| 36 | 12 | "Destiny" | Robert Tapert | Story by : Robert Tapert Teleplay by : R.J. Stewart & Steven L. Sears | January 27, 1997 | V0207 |
| 37 | 13 | "The Quest" | Michael Levine | Story by : Steven L. Sears & R.J. Stewart & Chris Manheim Teleplay by : Steven L. Sears | February 3, 1997 | V0221 |
| 38 | 14 | "A Necessary Evil" | Mark Beesley | Paul Robert Coyle | February 10, 1997 | V0219 |
| 39 | 15 | "A Day in the Life" | Michael Hurst | R.J. Stewart | February 17, 1997 | V0223 |
| 40 | 16 | "For Him the Bell Tolls" | Josh Becker | Adam Armus & Nora Kay Foster | February 24, 1997 | V0220 |
| 41 | 17 | "The Execution" | Garth Maxwell | Paul Robert Coyle | April 7, 1997 | V0218 |
| 42 | 18 | "Blind Faith" | Josh Becker | Nora Kay Foster & Adam Armus | April 14, 1997 | V0214 |
| 43 | 19 | "Ulysses" | Michael Levine | R.J. Stewart | April 28, 1997 | V0213 |
| 44 | 20 | "The Price" | Oley Sassone | Steven L. Sears | May 5, 1997 | V0217 |
| 45 | 21 | "Lost Mariner" | Garth Maxwell | Steven L. Sears | May 12, 1997 | V0226 |
| 46 | 22 | "A Comedy of Eros" | Charles Siebert | Chris Manheim | May 19, 1997 | V0225 |
Season 3 (1997–98)
edit| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 47 | 1 | "The Furies" | Gilbert Shilton | R.J. Stewart | September 29, 1997 | V0224 |
| 48 | 2 | "Been There, Done That" | Andrew Merrifield | Hilary J. Bader | October 6, 1997 | V0227 |
| 49 | 3 | "The Dirty Half Dozen" | Rick Jacobson | Steven L. Sears | October 13, 1997 | V0411 |
| 50 | 4 | "The Deliverer" | Oley Sassone | Steven L. Sears | October 20, 1997 | V0401 |
| 51 | 5 | "Gabrielle's Hope" | Andrew Merrifield & Charles Siebert | R.J. Stewart | October 20, 1997 | V0402 |
| 52 | 6 | "The Debt: Part 1" | Oley Sassone | Story by : Robert Tapert & R.J. Stewart Teleplay by : R.J. Stewart | November 3, 1997 | V0406 |
| 53 | 7 | "The Debt: Part 2" | Oley Sassone | Story by : Robert Tapert & R.J. Stewart Teleplay by : R.J. Stewart | November 10, 1997 | V0407 |
| 54 | 8 | "The King of Assassins" | Bruce Campbell | Adam Armus & Nora Kay Foster | November 17, 1997 | V0410 |
| 55 | 9 | "Warrior...Priestess...Tramp" | Robert Ginty | Adam Armus & Nora Kay Foster | January 12, 1998 | V0404 |
| 56 | 10 | "The Quill is Mightier" | Andrew Merrifield | Hilary J. Bader | January 19, 1998 | V0408 |
| 57 | 11 | "Maternal Instincts" | Mark Beesley | Chris Manheim | February 7, 1998 | V0405 |
| 58 | 12 | "The Bitter Suite" | Oley Sassone | Steven L. Sears & Chris Manheim | February 14, 1998 | V0409 |
| 59 | 13 | "One Against an Army" | Paul Lynch | Gene O'Neill & Noreen Tobin | February 21, 1998 | V0413 |
| 60 | 14 | "Forgiven" | Garth Maxwell | R.J. Stewart | February 28, 1998 | V0415 |
| 61 | 15 | "King Con" | Janet Greek | Chris Manheim | March 7, 1998 | V0403 |
| 62 | 16 | "When in Rome..." | John Laing | Steven L. Sears | March 14, 1998 | V0416 |
| 63 | 17 | "Forget Me Not" | Charlie Haskell | Hilary J. Bader | March 21, 1998 | V0417 |
| 64 | 18 | "Fins, Femmes and Gems" | Josh Becker | Story by : Robert Tapert and Adam Armus & Nora Kay Foster Teleplay by : Adam Armus & Nora Kay Foster | April 25, 1998 | V0418 |
| 65 | 19 | "Tsunami" | John Laing | Chris Manheim | May 2, 1998 | V0414 |
| 66 | 20 | "Vanishing Act" | Andrew Merrifield | Terry Winter | May 9, 1998 | V0421 |
| 67 | 21 | "Sacrifice: Part 1" | David Warry-Smith | Steven L. Sears | May 16, 1998 | V0420 |
| 68 | 22 | "Sacrifice: Part 2" | Rick Jacobson | Paul Robert Coyle | May 23, 1998 | V0419 |
Season 4 (1998–99)
edit| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 69 | 1 | "Adventures in the Sin Trade: Part 1" | T.J. Scott | Story by : R.J. Stewart & Robert Tapert Teleplay by : R.J. Stewart | September 28, 1998 |
| 70 | 2 | "Adventures in the Sin Trade: Part 2" | T. J. Scott | Story by : R.J. Stewart & Robert Tapert Teleplay by : R.J. Stewart | October 5, 1998 |
| 71 | 3 | "A Family Affair" | Doug Lefler | Story by : Liz Friedman & Chris Manheim Teleplay by : Chris Manheim | October 17, 1998 |
| 72 | 4 | "In Sickness and in Hell" | Josh Becker | Adam Armus & Nora Kay Foster | October 24, 1998 |
| 73 | 5 | "A Good Day" | Rick Jacobson | Steven L. Sears | October 26, 1998 |
| 74 | 6 | "A Tale of Two Muses" | Michael Hurst | Gillian Horvath | November 2, 1998 |
| 75 | 7 | "Locked up and Tied Down" | Rick Jacobson | Story by : Robert Tapert & Josh Becker Teleplay by : Hilary Bader | November 9, 1998 |
| 76 | 8 | "Crusader" | Paul Lynch | R.J. Stewart | November 16, 1998 |
| 77 | 9 | "Past Imperfect" | Garth Maxwell | Steven L. Sears | January 4, 1999 |
| 78 | 10 | "The Key to the Kingdom" | Bruce Campbell | Eric A. Morris | January 11, 1999 |
| 79 | 11 | "Daughter of Pomira" | Patrick Norris | Linda McGibney | January 18, 1999 |
| 80 | 12 | "If the Shoe Fits..." | Josh Becker | Adam Armus & Nora Kay Foster | January 25, 1999 |
| 81 | 13 | "Paradise Found" | Robert Tapert | Chris Manheim | February 1, 1999 |
| 82 | 14 | "Devi" | Garth Maxwell | Chris Manheim | February 8, 1999 |
| 83 | 15 | "Between the Lines" | Rick Jacobson | Steven L. Sears | February 15, 1999 |
| 84 | 16 | "The Way" | John Fawcett | R.J. Stewart | February 22, 1999 |
| 85 | 17 | "The Play's the Thing" | Christopher Graves | Ashley Gable & Thomas A. Swyden | March 1, 1999 |
| 86 | 18 | "The Convert" | Andrew Merrifield | Chris Manheim | April 19, 1999 |
| 87 | 19 | "Takes One to Know One" | Christopher Graves | Jeff Vlaming | April 26, 1999 |
| 88 | 20 | "Endgame" | Garth Maxwell | Steven L. Sears | May 3, 1999 |
| 89 | 21 | "The Ides of March" | Ken Girotti | R.J. Stewart | May 10, 1999 |
| 90 | 22 | "Déjà Vu All over Again" | Renee O'Connor | R.J. Stewart | May 17, 1999 |
Season 5 (1999–2000)
edit| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 91 | 1 | "Fallen Angel" | John Fawcett | Story by : Robert Tapert & R.J. Stewart Teleplay by : R.J. Stewart | September 27, 1999 | V0903 |
| 92 | 2 | "Chakram" | Doug Lefler | Chris Manheim | October 4, 1999 | V0901 |
| 93 | 3 | "Succession" | Rick Jacobson | Steven L. Sears | October 11, 1999 | V0902 |
| 94 | 4 | "Animal Attraction" | Rick Jacobson | Chris Manheim | October 18, 1999 | V0905 |
| 95 | 5 | "Them Bones, Them Bones" | John Fawcett | Buddy Williers (aka Steven L. Sears) | November 1, 1999 | V0908 |
| 96 | 6 | "Purity" | Mark Beesley | Jeff Vlaming | November 8, 1999 | V0907 |
| 97 | 7 | "Back in the Bottle" | Rick Jacobson | Story by : Robert Tapert & Steven L. Sears Teleplay by : Steven L. Sears | November 15, 1999 | V0909 |
| 98 | 8 | "Little Problems" | Allison Liddi | Gregg Ostrin | November 22, 1999 | V0913 |
| 99 | 9 | "Seeds of Faith" | Garth Maxwell | George Strayton & Tom O'Neill | January 10, 2000 | V0912 |
| 100 | 10 | "Lyre, Lyre, Hearts on Fire" | Mark Beesley | Adam Armus & Nora Kay Foster | January 17, 2000 | V0911 |
| 101 | 11 | "Punch Lines" | Andrew Merrifield | Chris Manheim | January 24, 2000 | V0910 |
| 102 | 12 | "God Fearing Child" | Phil Sgriccia | Story by : Chris Manheim Teleplay by : Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman | February 7, 2000 | V0915 |
| 103 | 13 | "Eternal Bonds" | Mark Beesley | Chris Manheim | February 14, 2000 | V0916 |
| 104 | 14 | "Amphipolis Under Siege" | Mark Beesley | Chris Black | February 21, 2000 | V0919 |
| 105 | 15 | "Married with Fishsticks" | Paul Grinder | Kevin Maynard | February 28, 2000 | V0914 |
| 106 | 16 | "Lifeblood" | Michael Hurst | Story by : Rob Tapert & R.J. Stewart Teleplay by : R.J. Stewart and George Strayton & Tom O'Neill | March 13, 2000 | V0924 |
| 107 | 17 | "Kindred Spirits" | Josh Becker | George Strayton & Tom O'Neill | April 17, 2000 | V0918 |
| 108 | 18 | "Antony and Cleopatra" | Michael Hurst | Carl Ellsworth | April 24, 2000 | V0904 |
| 109 | 19 | "Looking Death in the Eye" | Garth Maxwell | Carl Ellsworth | May 1, 2000 | V0920 |
| 110 | 20 | "Livia" | Rick Jacobson | Chris Manheim | May 8, 2000 | V0921 |
| 111 | 21 | "Eve" | Mark Beesley | George Strayton & Tom O'Neill | May 15, 2000 | V0922 |
| 112 | 22 | "Motherhood" | Rick Jacobson | Story by : Robert Tapert Teleplay by : R.J. Stewart | May 22, 2000 | V0923 |
Season 6 (2000–01)
edit| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 113 | 1 | "Coming Home" | Mark Beesley | Melissa Good | October 2, 2000 | V1411 |
| 114 | 2 | "The Haunting of Amphipolis" | Garth Maxwell | Story by : Edithe Swensen & Joel Metzger Teleplay by : Joel Metzger | October 9, 2000 | V1401 |
| 115 | 3 | "Heart of Darkness" | Mark Beesley | Emily Skopov | October 16, 2000 | V1402 |
| 116 | 4 | "Who's Gurkhan?" | Michael Hurst | Story by : Robert Tapert Teleplay by : R.J. Stewart | October 23, 2000 | V1404 |
| 117 | 5 | "Legacy" | Chris Martin-Jones | Melissa Good | October 30, 2000 | V1405 |
| 118 | 6 | "The Abyss" | Rick Jacobson | James Kahn | November 6, 2000 | V1406 |
| 119 | 7 | "The Rheingold" | John Fawcett | R.J. Stewart | November 13, 2000 | V1408 |
| 120 | 8 | "The Ring" | Rick Jacobson | Joel Metzger | November 20, 2000 | V1409 |
| 121 | 9 | "Return of the Valkyrie" | John Fawcett | Emily Skopov | November 27, 2000 | V1410 |
| 122 | 10 | "Old Ares Had a Farm" | Charles Siebert | R.J. Stewart | January 15, 2001 | V1414 |
| 123 | 11 | "Dangerous Prey" | Renee O'Connor | Joel Metzger | January 22, 2001 | N/A |
| 124 | 12 | "The God You Know" | Garth Maxwell | Emily Skopov | January 29, 2001 | N/A |
| 125 | 13 | "You Are There" | John Laing | Chris Black | February 5, 2001 | N/A |
| 126 | 14 | "Path of Vengeance" | Chris Martin-Jones | Joel Metzger | February 12, 2001 | N/A |
| 127 | 15 | "To Helicon and Back" | Michael Hurst | Liz Friedman & Vanessa Place | February 23, 2001 | V1419 |
| 128 | 16 | "Send in the Clones" | Charlie Haskel | Paul Robert Coyle | March 4, 2001 | |
| 129 | 17 | "The Last of the Centaurs" | Garth Maxwell | Joel Metzger | April 30, 2001 | |
| 130 | 18 | "When Fates Collide" | John Fawcett | Katherine Fugate | May 11, 2001 | |
| 131 | 19 | "Many Happy Returns" | Mark Beesley | Liz Friedman & Vanessa Place | May 14, 2001 | V1426 |
| 132 | 20 | "Soul Possession" | Josh Becker | Melissa Blake | June 4, 2001 | |
| 133 | 21 | "A Friend in Need: Part 1" | Robert Tapert | Robert Tapert, R. J. Stewart | June 11, 2001 | |
| 134 | 22 | "A Friend in Need: Part 2" | Robert Tapert | Robert Tapert, R. J. Stewart | June 18, 2001 |
Home media release
edit| Season | Episodes | DVD release date | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | ||||
| 1 | 24 | April 23, 2003 April 20, 2010 (re-release) |
June 6, 2005 | June 23, 2005 (NZ) October 12, 2005 (Aus) | ||
| 2 | 22 | September 2, 2003 March 29, 2011 (re-release) |
August 1, 2005 | August 24, 2005 (NZ) October 12, 2005 (Aus) | ||
| 3 | 22 | February 10, 2004 March 12, 2012 (re-release) |
October 3, 2005 | September 22, 2005 (NZ) December 10, 2005 (Aus) | ||
| 4 | 22 | June 15, 2004 March 12, 2013 (re-release) |
November 21, 2005 | November 17, 2005 (NZ) December 10, 2005 (Aus) | ||
| 5 | 22 | October 19, 2004 July 22, 2014 (re-release) |
— | December 10, 2005 (Aus) | ||
| 6 | 22 | March 8, 2005 May 17, 2016 (re-release) |
April 3, 2006 | December 10, 2005 (Aus) | ||
References
edit- ^ "Purity". Xena: Warrior Princess. 1999-11-08.
- ^ "Antony and Cleopatra". Xena: Warrior Princess. 2000-04-24.
- ^ "When in Rome...". Xena: Warrior Princess. 1998-03-02.
- ^ "The Bitter Suite". Xena: Warrior Princess. 1998-02-02.
- ^ "Xena Full Summary". Starpulse.Com. Archived from the original on 2009-01-24. Retrieved 2008-06-08.
- ^ "Xena: Warrior Princess (a titles and air dates guide)". Epguides.com. Retrieved 2008-08-09.
- ^ "TV Guide Names the Top Cult Shows Ever". TvGuide.com. Archived from the original on 2008-07-01. Retrieved 2008-08-09.