Xena, la guerrière

After waging brutal war for years, Xena finds her conscience stopping her, and she devotes her life(and her considerable abilities) to helping out anyone who needs it. Along with Gabrielle, a young woman from a small village who wants to see the world, they meet many cultures(including primitive ones... and yes, they tend to be treated respectfully, if not necessarily entirely accurately; we see scenes of rituals, dances and the like, and it isn't looked down upon), mythologies(Greek, Norse, Indian, etc., deities and demons alike) and creatures. The themes of battle or love are explored well, as well as whether you can truly escape your past or not. This often has a silly, goofy tone and approach(Sam Raimi, the creator, is known for his love of The Three Stooges), and it won't be for everyone. It does also get serious, dramatic and downright epic at other times, with fantasy beings faced and fought. The acting varies(and it definitely gets to be over the top for some of the humor), but when it really needs to be good, it usually is. This has great guest stars, such as Kevin Smith(no, the thin one) as Ares(his hunger for armed conflict really shines through), Bruce Campbell(yup, he's in this, too... and yes, he's arrogant as always) as Autolycus the master thief and Karl Urban(no, really, he's actually convincing in this) as Ceasar. The action is cool, with reasonable choreography(not on the level of movies), and they change it up some so it doesn't get to be repetitive. And somehow, it doesn't get to be boring in spite of our titular lead being a much better fighter than almost anyone else(so yeah, not always a sense of risk, at least from that). Sets and costumes are well-done, considering the budget. The FX get greater as this goes. In the first few of the seven seasons, this doesn't go that far beyond the basic setup, but then it does start taking chances and it is often interesting. There is disturbing content, sensuality and violence in this. I recommend this to fans of the people behind it, and what it's inspired by. 7/10

Here's the thing, see, about XENA - the fantasy action show telling the tale of the formerly evil Xena, now a force for good, and Gabrielle the Amazon Queen, her warrior/bard partner.

You have two really beautiful women dressed in impractical leather goods flitting about the Ancient World wielding shiny weapons with great skill and nary a thought to chronology or historical accuracy. You have the relentless modern American speech. You have the over-discussed, over-analysed and highly subjective element of "lesbian subtext". You have campy humour, sly winks at the audience, over-the-top fight sequences, and more dialogue limited to the screaming of each other's names than the second half of Titanic.

You have re-used extras, recycled sets, a bikini-clad Aphrodite spouting Valley-girl speech, a penchant for killing off popular guest stars, TWO man-free pregnancies, high angst levels, a range of episodes that swing madly from dark violence to Andrew Lloyd-Webber style musicals and from intense drama to slapstick comedy.

You have strong female leads who accept responsibility for their choices and their actions, good and bad. You have really beautiful scenery in the form of New Zealand. You have great chemistry between the two stars, and you have enough smarts to know how to combine all of these things into a show that succeeds more than it fails.

Give it a chance. I promise, ten episodes and you'll be hooked. In short, XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS is smart TV pretending that it's dumb. Which is just fine by me, thanks.

I loved this show from the first time it came out. The concept of a strong willed woman being able to beat up bad guys and smart was unheard of, until Xena. She seriously had many skills. I loved the direction the show took the two characters, but the final episode was disappointing. I lagged on watching it during the 7th season. It got too weird, but it's still my favorite tv show. Possibly of all time. Lawless gave Xena dignity and balance that was intriguing to see. I loved how they delved into Xena's past and the show wasn't always about kicking butt. It really did something for female heroes on television. This show pioneered that idea since Charlie's Angels on the 70's. However, it was way better. RIP to Kevin Smith as Ares. You'll be missed. Everyone whoever was on the show did a great job and made it worthwhile. Joseph Lo Duca, you're music was awesome. I miss this show alot and I don't have the Oxygen channel, so it sucks. Watch this show!

One of the best TV shows ever.

Xena: Warrior Princess is the thinking person's fantasy/action show. A perfect mix of often dark drama, wacky/campy comedy, action, angst and romance, it was poignant, thrilling, funny, suspenseful, sexy and much more. Set in the fantasy world of a creatively reinvented antiquity, X:WP offers us the ultimate female hero: strong and vulnerable, tough and soft, brave and caring, heroic and deeply flawed, she's all warrior and all woman. We follow Xena's journey on her quest for redemption as well as Gabrielle's growth from a naive peasant girl to a reluctant warrior. And there are other fascinating characters: Ares, the God of War who is determined to lure Xena back to the dark side but is eventually changed by his love for her; Callisto, Xena's victim and nemesis who manages to be sympathetic even at her most evil; Joxer, the bumbling warrior wannabe with the heart of a lion.

Of course the show had its weak moments, especially in the last three seasons. At its best, however, it featured smart writing and creative directing, enhanced by the wonderful acting of Lucy Lawless as Xena, Renee O'Connor as Gabrielle, Kevin Smith as Ares, Ted Raimi as Joxer and Hudson Leick as Callisto. (Alexandra Tydings' Aphrodite, Paris Jefferson's Athena are worthy of mention as well; so are Karl Urban as Julius Caesar and Marton Csokas as Borias, Xena's lover in her days as a warlord.)

I have to comment on one of the reviews which mentioned Xena and Gabrielle being out for revenge against men and complained that the heroines beat up men all the time but never get hit themselves. Hello? Did this person even watch the show? I suspect not. Some of the most prominent villains on the show were women (Callisto, Najara, Alti), and many of Xena and Gabrielle's allies were men. In fact, the episode "The Dirty Half Dozen" explicitly repudiates hostility to men. X:WP's feminism was never anti-male or heavy-handed.

Bottom line? If you haven't seen this show, get the DVDs (or VHS) and give it a try. Start with the premiere, "Sins of the Past." The first half of S1 wasn't all that great (the show had yet to find its footing) but watch "Hooves and Harlots" and "The Reckoning." If you're not hooked yet, try "Ties That Bind," "The Greater Good" and "Callisto." You'll probably want to stay on for S2.

Just like Hercules it was really good-corny show.

Sure some effects were bad. That didn't matter to me because the show was able to carry itself and become an iCONIC show. It had great characters and a mystical story

Verdict: in 2021 people are still complaining about females not getting lead roles....umm...this "female" crushed the 90s. It was better than Hercules.