History Series / HIGHLANDER

Half of Season Six was an [[PoorlyDisguisedPilot extended screen-test]] to find [[DistaffCounterpart a female immortal to cast in a [[SpinOff]]; it was ultimately decided to use [[AscendedExtra the already-established character]] of Amanda the [[ClassyCatBurglar cat burglar]] (Elizabeth Gracen) instead. ''[[Series/HighlanderTheRaven The Raven]]'' [[CutShort only lasted a season]] due to [[HostilityOnTheSet inter-personal]] and {{creative|differences}} issues backstage.

* HeWhoFightsMonsters: WordOfGod states James Horton's hatred of Immortals and desire to KillEmAll stems from that fact that he spent most of his career as Watcher to [[PutTheLaughterInSlaughter The Kurgan]], of all people. The conflict between Horton's oath of non-interference and his devout Catholic beliefs eventually drove him to insanity.

* DecapitationRequired: The only way to permanently kill an Immortal is by beheading. Anything else just slows them down.

* ResurrectiveImmortality: Any normally fatal injury will cause an immortal to die and resurrect completely healed. However, there are situations like hanging where the immortal may stay deceased until rescued/removed from the circumstances. Other situations like being stranded without food, will trigger a painful cycle of starving to death, resurrecting, and starving to death.

Half of Season Six was an extended screen-test to find [[DistaffCounterpart a female immortal to cast in a spinoff]]; it was ultimately decided to use [[AscendedExtra the already-established character]] of Amanda the [[ClassyCatBurglar cat burglar]] (Elizabeth Gracen) instead. ''[[Series/HighlanderTheRaven The Raven]]'' [[CutShort only lasted a season]] due to [[HostilityOnTheSet inter-personal]] and {{creative|differences}} issues backstage.

** The first season tries to pattern itself after the movie and states that "The Gathering", the encounter of the last surviving Immortals to fight for the Prize, is taking place. However, as the show moved forward and more and more Immortals were mentioned or introduced, all mentions of the Gathering were dropped. {{Fanon}} says that too many Immortals dying without a Quickening sent all their power out to create new Immortals, delaying the Gathering indefinitely.

* StuffedInTheFridge: The closet, in “Turnabout”. Michael Moore’s killer alter ego Quentin Barnes left a dead watcher stuffed in a closet for Joe and Mac to find at an abandoned mental hospital.

* MixedAncestry: Charlie [=DeSalvo=] who is half black, half Italian.

* CelebrityParadox: One episode has Music/JoanJett as a guest star. The beginning of said episode has Richie dancing to "Cherry Bomb" by Jett's former band Music/TheRunaways.

Half of Season Six was an extended screen-test to find [[DistaffCounterpart a female immortal to cast in a spinoff]]; it was ultimately decided to use [[AscendedExtra the already-established character]] of Amanda the [[ClassyCatBurglar cat burglar]] (Elizabeth Gracen) instead. ''The Raven'' [[CutShort only lasted a season]] due to [[HostilityOnTheSet inter-personal]] and {{creative|differences}} issues backstage.

--'''Sole''': Or the absinthe would kill him.

* OutsideGenreFoe: Dr. Wilder from the episode "Deadly Medicine" seems to have walked in from a [[PoliceProcedural]]; a [[MadScientist]] [[SerialKiller]] with no knowledge of The Game who performs human experiments in his basement while talking about "improving the healing process".
** Ahriman, the shape-shifting demon of the Zoroastrian religion.

* Outside-GenreFoe: Dr. Wilder from the episode "Deadly Medicine" is a mortal [[MadScientist]] [[SerialKiller]] who performs human experiments in his basement while talking about "improving the healing process".

* StrangersOnATrainPlot: A guy catches Duncan sword fighting on tape and tries blackmailing him to kill his wife. Duncan retrieves the tape but doesn’t kill. After seeing Duncan setting up a fight with the immortal friend of the immortal he killed, the filmmaker tries getting Duncan to do a plot like this with him. Duncan refuses and kicks him out.

* ValuesDissonance: The season 2 episode "Run for Your Life" revolves around a Watcher disguised as a cop who is hunting down a black immortal. The entire episode, and the scenes of Duncan explaining racism to a black man especially, lands a lot differently in the era of Black Lives Matter.

* SocietyMarchesOn: The season 2 episode "Run for Your Life" revolves around a Watcher disguised as a cop who is hunting down a black immortal. The entire episode, and the scenes of Duncan explaining racism to a black man especially, lands a lot differently in the era of Black Lives Matter.

* OpeningNarration: Once he's introduced into the series, Joe Dawson describes the premise of the series during the opening credits. See top of page.

* CombatPragmatist: Methos and a number of the bad guys. Xavier St. Cloud and Morgan D'Estaing were known to use nerve gas and curare to push the odds in their favor, with Xavier later sending gun-wielding mortals after targets. Peter Kanis used attack dogs to soften up his targets before moving in for the kill. Slan Quince had a projectile dagger built into the pommel of his sword. Johnny Kelly was a threat to [=MacLeod=] only because he preferred to use a sniper rifle than engage in a straight-up swordfight. Some, like Andrew Cord, did not have a gimmick and were simply damn impressive fighters who weren't limited by any particular rules or disciplines.

* MasterPoisoner: Xavier St. Cloud regularly uses poisons and poison gas.