History Trivia / HerculesTheLegendaryJourneys

** This show itself (and [[Series/XenaWarriorPrincess Xena]]) is the 'Leader' when it comes to action-based medieval-ish series featuring mythical characters around UsefulNotes/TheNineties. Chief examples of this include [[Series/TheAdventuresOfSinbad Sinbad]] and [[Series/TheNewAdventuresOfRobinHood Robin Hood]].

** Rob Tapert really disliked "The Cave Of Echoes" from Season 2. He didn't mind having to do a ClipShow, but he cited this as being a particularly weak example due to how cheap it looked (the featured characters just walking up and down a cave set). Later clip shows on both shows had more inventive framing devices as a result of his dissatisfaction with this episode.

** This show itself (and [[Series/XenaWarriorPrincess Xena]]) is the 'Leader' when it comes to action-based medieval-ish series featuring mythical characters around UsefulNotes/TheNineties. Chief examples of this include [[Series/TheAdventuresOfSinbad Sinbad]] and [[Series/TheNewAdventuresOfRobinHood Robin Hood.]]
* MissingEpisode: By the fifth season, the Sci-Fi Channel acquired the rerun rights, but not for the soon-to-be produced, eight episode long Season 6. Reruns continued well after the GrandFinale premiered, but Sci-Fi never aired those last eight episodes. (Fortunately for fans, Season 6 was released on DVD, and this situation was never a problem for the other channels that would rerun the series.)

* RomanceOnTheSet: Creator/KevinSorbo met his future wife Sam Jenkins during the filming of "Prince Hercules." Presumably, this was part of the reason why she was brought back only a handful of episodes later as Serena the Golden Hind.

** Waylin the slave from ''The Lost Kingdom'' TV-Movie was originally going to be brought back as a recurring character. However, it was decided there was nothing else that could be done with the character. (Producers liked Robert Trebor, though, so Salmoneus was created in Waylin's place.)

** During a CrossOver with ''Xena'', Michael Hurst broke his arm while filming a fight scene. Iolaus' arm was subsequently injured in "Cast A Giant Shadow" and was seen in a cast for a couple episodes.

** Sam Jenkins, who played a one time love interest of Hercules named Princess Kirin in "Prince Hercules", then played his other love interest Serena.

* ActorAllusion:
** "...And Fancy Free" features an exchange that doubles as a reference to [[Series/LoisAndClark a role]] that Kevin Sorbo tried out for.
-->'''Father:''' I thought you’d be wearing a cape or something.\\
'''Hercules:''' I, uh, I tried, but it just didn't fly.
** "Porkules" has this exchange after Herc's turned into a pig and encounters Katherine (voiced by Alexandra Tydings).
--->'''Hercules:''' I'm Hercules.\\
'''Katherine:''' [[SarcasmMode Yeah, and I'm Aphrodite.]]

* CastingGag: A genius one in "The Academy" as Hercules has to tangle with an upstart corrupt student, who mocks him on "being an old-timer, let me take over." The student's actor? A then-unknown Creator/RyanGosling who had played the title role in the short-lived ''Series/YoungHercules'' spin-off. As a bonus, Jodie Rimmer, who played Lillith on ''Young Hercules'' plays Lillith's daughter, Seska, in the same episode.

* NamesTheSame: In universe example- Traicus was apparently a very popular name for warlords as several were mentioned or shown.

* CastingGag: A genius one in "The Academy" as Hercules has to tangle with an upstart corrupt student, who mocks him on "being an old-timer, let me take over." The student's actor? A then-unknown Creator/RyanGosling who had played the title role in the short-lived ''Series/YoungHercules'' spin-off.

** A genius one in "The Academy" as Hercules has to tangle with an upstart corrupt student, who mocks him on "being an old-timer, let me take over." The student's actor? A then-unknown Creator/RyanGosling who had played the title role in the short-lived ''Series/YoungHercules'' spin-off.

** Those who only remember Renee O'Connor as Xena's sidekick Gabrielle may be surprised to see her playing a totally different role in the second Hercules movie, "Hercules and the Lost Kingdom," as a young Trojan princess who is quite smitten with our hero.

** Joel Tobeck played a villain of the week in a Season 2 episode. He later returned to play Strife. After Strife was killed, he turned up as cousin Deimos. The resemblance between the two gods was {{Lampshaded}} in "Fade Out:"

** This show itself (and [[Series/XenaWarriorPrincess Xena]]) is the 'Leader' when it comes to action-based series featuring well known story characters around UsefulNotes/TheNineties. Chief examples of this include [[Series/TheAdventuresOfSinbad Sinbad]] and [[Series/TheNewAdventuresOfRobinHood Robin Hood.]]* MissingEpisode: By the fifth season, the Sci-Fi Channel acquired the rerun rights, but not for the soon-to-be produced, eight episode long Season 6. Reruns continued well after the GrandFinale premiered, but Sci-Fi never aired those last eight episodes. (Fortunately for fans, Season 6 was released on DVD, and this situation was never a problem for the other channels that would rerun the series.)

* CaliforniaDoubling: New Zealand ''for ancient Greece''. Hilariously {{Lampshaded}} in the DVD commentary for "For Those Of You Just Joining Us" during a clip set in Eire.

** Kevin Sorbo reportedly hated "The Warrior Princess" because of the PlotMandatedFriendshipFailure between Hercules and Iolaus.

* CreatorsFavoriteEpisode: Kevin Sorbo dubbed "Mercenary" as his favorite.
* DirectedByCastMember: Kevin Sorbo directed "The Apple" and "War Bride." Michael Hurst directed "Mercenary," "...And Fancy Free," "One Fowl Day," "Faith," "Somewhere Over the Rainbow Bridge" and "Greece Is Burning."

* FollowTheLeader: This series launched a wave of similar fantasy-action series in TheNineties, such as ''Series/TheAdventuresOfSinbad''.
* MissingEpisode: By the fifth season, the Sci-Fi Channel acquired the rerun rights, but not for the soon-to-be produced, eight episode long Season 6. Reruns continued well after the GrandFinale premiered, but Sci-Fi never aired those last eight episodes. (Fortunately for fans, Season 6 was released on DVD, and this situation was never a problem for the other channels that would rerun the series.)

* RealitySubtext[=/=]WrittenInInfirmity: "Yes, Virginia, There Is A Hercules", a clip show in which the staff of HTLJ try to work out what to do after Kevin Sorbo goes missing, was written when Sorbo fell seriously ill and couldn't film. Many of the suggested ideas (using Young Hercules, trapping Herc with the Sovereign) were done in the actual episodes.
* RomanceOnTheSet: Kevin Sorbo met his future wife Sam Jenkins during the filming of "Prince Hercules." Presumably, this was part of the reason why she was brought back only a handful of episodes later as Serena the Golden Hind.
* StarMakingRole: For Kevin Sorbo and, peripherally, [[Series/XenaWarriorPrincess Lucy Lawless]].
* ThrowItIn: During script readings, the writers and producers were very open to suggestions from Kevin Sorbo, Michael Hurst and main guest actors. This extended to during filming, such as the [[Theatre/TheSoundOfMusic "Doe, a deer, a female deer"]] exchange in "Encounter."
** Zig-zagged with the infamous "DISAPPOINTED!" scene. A common urban legend is that Kevin Sorbo's script stated he was supposed to read his line in a disappointed manner, and he wound up [[SayingSoundEffectsOutLoud saying the actual word out loud]]. In reality, while it's true it wasn't part of the script, this is not how that moment came to be; Sorbo broke character between takes as an in-joke with his crew, and in particular was referencing a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=MvbQ4wJak_c#t=16 similar delivery of that word]] from ''Film/AFishCalledWanda''. It was incorporated into the scene because it fit perfectly with the campy character of the Sovereign.

** Another spin-off with Autolycus as the lead? It was apparently briefly considered, but among those that nixed it was Campbell himself (as he felt it would make the character too much of a good guy and less of a wild card).