Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, starring Kevin Sorbo, ran from 1994 through 2000. Xena: Warrior Princess, starring Lucy Lawless, ran from 1995 through 2001. The shows were filmed near Auckland, New Zealand and were produced by Renaissance Pictures, owned by Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert. Hercules launched a revolution in fantasy television production, raising production values to a new level never shown before on television. The show introduced innovative techniques in special effects, such as forced perspective, which have since been utilized by other shows and even in major motion pictures.
Xena started out as an evil character on the Hercules show. But fans liked her so much that a decision was made to give the character of Xena a second chance and her own show. Xena made headlines and inspired many books because of its daring storylines and the mystique surrounding the so-called "subtext", the undefined relationship between the two lead characters.
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| Kevin Sorbo and Michael Hurst played Hercules and Iolaus, best friends, warriors, and heroes. |
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| Lucy Lawless and Renee O'Connor played Xena and Gabrielle, best friends, warriors, and heroes. |
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