| Xena: Warrior Princess | |||
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DVD box set |
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| Country of origin | United States | ||
| No. of episodes | 24 | ||
| Broadcast | |||
| Original channel | USA Network | ||
| Original run | September 4, 1995 – July 29, 1996 |
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| Home video release | |||
| DVD release date | April 23, 2003 | ||
| Season chronology | |||
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The first season of the television series Xena: Warrior Princess commenced airing in the United States and Canada on September 4, 1995, concluded on 29 July 1996, and contained 24 episodes. It introduces Gabrielle (Renee O'Connor), the series co-star, beside Xena (Lucy Lawless), previously a secondary character in the TV series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.[1] Gabrielle becomes Xena's greatest ally; her initial naiveté helps to balance Xena and assists her in recognizing and pursuing the "greater good."
The first season aired at United States in USA Network. The season was released on DVD as a seven disc boxed set under the title of Xena: Warrior Princess: The Complete First Season on April 23, 2003 by Anchor Bay Entertainment.[2]
Contents |
The season was produced by Pacific Renaissance Pictures in parcery with Universal Studios[3] and was aired on the USA Network in the U.S. The executive producers were Robert Tapert (series creator), with Sam Raimi and R. J. Stewart. The main staff writers were Tapert, Stewart and many others, as Steven L. Sears (co-executive producers), Terence Winter, Peter Allan Fields and Roy Thomas. Some of the first season's episodes were written or co-written by writers on a freelance basis. The regular directors throughout the season were Doug Lefler, Michael Levine, Charles Siebert, Jace Alexander, Josh Becker, John Cameron and Gary Jones. The theme music and opening sequence was composed by Joseph LoDuca.[4]
The initial season used many New Zealand natives like Jay Laga'aia in the cast. Willa O'Neill played the sister of Gabrielle, Lila. Only the name of Lucy Lawless appears in the opening sequence although Renée O'Connor also stars.
Danielle Cormack played Ephiny, an amazon warrior, and Alison Bruce played Queen Melosa, the queen of Ephiny. The main actor of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Kevin Sorbo and Michael Hurst,[5] appeared during the season. Robert Trebor played Salmoneus, a friend of Hercules's famous for his "get rich quick" schemes. Kevin Tod Smith portrayed Ares in two episodes and in later seasons. The American actor Bruce Campbell portrayed Autolycus, the king of thieves, a main character in Hercules. Tim Thomerson played Meleager, a friend of Gabrielle and reformed drunk. Karl Urban played the biblic Mael, Karl also played Cupid and Julius Caesar in later seasons. Ted Raimi played Joxer and Hudson Leick played Callisto, both are idols of the series Fandom.
Numerous supporting characters have been given expansive and recurring appearances in the progressive storyline, including: Scott Garrison as Perdicas, Darien Takle as Cyrene, Tom Atkins as Atrius and Leslie Wing as Karis.
The pilot episode garnered 4.5 million viewers, ranked in #44 in U.S. syndicated rank, behind Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Based on its strong opening, Robert Tapert produced another 23 episodes of the same style and duration. Season episode #12 garnered 6.3 millions of viewers, and was ranked in #13 in U.S. syndicated rank, only behind of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. The season lost viewers in last episode, that garnered 3.9 million viewers, again behind Hercules and Star Trek.
The first season was released in another 27 countries between 1995 to 1996, and 105 countries in total until today.
| No. | Title | Director | Writer | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Sins of the Past" | Doug Lefler | Robert Tapert, R. J. Stewart | September 4, 1995 |
| Xena renounces her warlord past and begins burying her weapons. She later retrieves them to save a group of villagers from being sold into slavery. Gabrielle convinces Xena to allow her to travel with her. | ||||
| 2 | "Chariots of War" | Harley Cokeliss | Josh Becker, Jack Perez, Adam armus, Nora Kay Foster | September 11, 1995 |
| When Xena is injured during a fight, the widowed Darius and his children look after her. Xena is left with the dilemma of whether to settle down with them or continue her fight to protect the innocent. | ||||
| 3 | "Dreamworker" | Bruce Seth Green | Steven L. Sears | September 18, 1995 |
| Morpheus kidnaps Gabrielle so he can make her his bride. In order to be married, Gabrielle must lose her "blood innocence". Using her wits, she manages to avoid causing any blood shed. Xena enters the dream world so that she can save Gabrielle, but while there she must battle her own evil side before she can accomplish her rescue. | ||||
| 4 | "Cradle of Hope" | Michael Levine | Terence Winter | September 25, 1995 |
| When a baby is prophesied to inherit the throne, King Gregor and his councilor, Nemos search for the newborn babe. Meanwhile, Xena and Gabrielle meet Pandora, while searching for the mother of an abandoned baby. | ||||
| 5 | "The Path Not Taken" | Stephen L. Posey | Julie Sherman | October 2, 1995 |
| A weapons dealer kidnaps a princess so he can profit from the resulting war between two feuding kingdoms. Xena pretends to be the ruthless warrior she once was, in order to gain access to the dealer's base. While there, Xena meets an old lover, Marcus. Marcus prevents Xena from rescuing the princess, but later sacrifices his own life to save her. | ||||
| 6 | "The Reckoning" | Charles Siebert | Peter Allan Fields | October 16, 1995 |
| Ares plots to get Xena back into his fold by framing her for the murder of some villagers and organizing a lynching. Xena is put on trial and Gabrielle sticks by her throughout. Xena fools Ares into thinking she is joining him again, and he brings the dead villagers back from the dead. | ||||
| 7 | "The Titans" | Eric Brevig | R. J. Stewart | October 30, 1995 |
| When Gabrielle reads from an ancient parchment, she unwittingly awakens three Titans, who believe that she is a goddess. While Xena works to stop Hyperion from awakening a whole army of Titans, Gabrielle searches for the parchment that will send the Titans back into slumber. | ||||
| 8 | "Prometheus" | Stephen L. Posey | R. J. Stewart | November 6, 1995 |
| When people begin losing their healing ability, Xena and Gabrielle discover that Hera has chained Prometheus. Xena goes through a number of trials in order to gain a sword that will break Prometheus' bonds. She and Gabrielle team up with Hercules and Iolaus, both Xena and Hercules know that whoever uses the sword will die and they argue over who will use it. | ||||
| 9 | "Death in Chains" | Charles Siebert | Babs Greyhosky, Adam Armus, Nora Kay Foster | November 13, 1995 |
| King Sisyphus has taken Celesta, Hades' sister hostage so that she cannot take him to the Underworld. Hades asks Xena for her help in freeing his sister. Xena and Gabrielle must rescue Celesta before she dies. | ||||
| 10 | "Hooves and Harlots" | Jace Alexander | Steven L. Sears | November 20, 1995 |
| When Gabrielle risks her own life to protect the dying Amazon princess, Terreis, she is given the princess' Right of Caste, which effectively makes Gabrielle the heir to the current Amazon Queen, Melosa. Ephiny, one of the Amazons begins teaching Gabrielle the ways of the Amazons as she will one day be their queen. | ||||
| 11 | "The Black Wolf" | Mario Di Leo | Alan Jay Glueckman | January 8, 1996 |
| When an old friend of Xena's lands herself in prison, Xena also gets herself arrested so that she can rescue her. Gabrielle begins a food fight so she can get into prison to help Xena. | ||||
| 12 | "Beware Greeks Bearing Gifts" | T. J. Scott | Roy Thomas, Janis Hendler, Adam Armus, Nora Kay Foster | January 15, 1996 |
| The ongoing war in Troy prompts Helen to contact Xena for her help in ending it. When Xena arrives she finds that she and Helen are in the midst of a plot orchestrated by Helen's brother-in-law. | ||||
| 13 | "Athens City Academy of the Performing Bards" | Jace Alexander | R. J. Stewart, Steven L. Sears | January 22, 1996 |
| Gabrielle travels alone to Athens so she can enter a bard competition. The prize is a place at the Academy of the Performing Bards. While there she helps another bard who is under pressure from his father to succeed. This recap episode includes many flashbacks to prior episodes, as well as cuts to classic "B" movies. | ||||
| 14 | "A Fistful of Dinars" | Josh Becker | R. J. Stewart, Steven L. Sears | January 29, 1996 |
| Xena and Gabrielle join a group of outlaws to prevent them from obtaining Ambrosia, which can turn a mortal into a god. | ||||
| 15 | "Warrior... Princess" | Michael Levine | Brenda Lilly | February 5, 1996 |
| When Xena's look-alike, Princess Diana, is under threat from assassination, Xena takes her place. While living with "the little people", Diana realizes that there is poverty in the kingdom, something that she is shocked to discover. Meanwhile, Xena plays matchmaker with Diana and the brother of her betrothed. | ||||
| 16 | "Mortal Beloved" | Garthy Maxwell | R. J. Stewart | February 12, 1996 |
| Hades's Helmet of Invisibility is stolen by Atyminius and Hades calls for Xena's help. Xena convinces him to return Marcus to the land of the living so they can retrieve the helmet and restore order to the Underworld. | ||||
| 17 | "The Royal Couple of Thieves" | John Cameron | Steven L. Sears | February 19, 1996 |
| Xena joins Autolycus, the "King of Thieves" so they can recover a chest, which contains the world's most powerful weapon. They disguise themselves as an assassin and his lover, and Xena has a fight with the real assassin. | ||||
| 18 | "The Prodigal" | John T. Kretchmer | Chris Mannheim | March 4, 1996 |
| When Gabrielle journeys home to Potidaea, she discovers that her sister, Lila is angry at her for leaving her at home all alone. The village is also under attack from a warlord, so Gabrielle uses what she has learned while traveling with Xena, teaches the villagers how to defend themselves. | ||||
| 19 | "Altared States" | Michael Levine | Chris Mannheim | April 22, 1996 |
| Xena and Gabrielle must protect Icus, whose father believes he must be sacrificed. Xena discovers that Icus' older brother, Maell has fooled his father into believing he is the voice of the god he worships. | ||||
| 20 | "Ties That Bind" | Charles Siebert | Adam Armus, Nora Kay Foster | April 29, 1996 |
| An elderly warrior, Atrius shows up claiming to be Xena's father. When he is captured and tortured by a village, Xena takes an army and almost slaughters the whole village. Then Atrius reveals himself to be Ares in disguise attempting to win Xena back again. | ||||
| 21 | "The Greater Good" | Gary Jones | Steven L. Sears | May 6, 1996 |
| Salmoneus asks Xena for her protection from an evil warlord. Xena is struck by a poisoned dart and dies, leaving Gabrielle and Salmoneus to save the day. | ||||
| 22 | "Callisto" | T. J. Scott | R. J. Stewart | May 13, 1996 |
| Xena has to battle the fierce woman warrior Callisto, who is bent on revenge for the death of her family. | ||||
| 23 | "Death Mask" | Stewart Main | Peter Allan Fields | June 6, 1996 |
| Xena meets her brother Toris, who has joined the army of the warlord who attacked Amphipolis and killed their brother Lyceus years before. Xena works hard to keep Toris from committing murder or being murdered himself before she can bring the warlord Cortese to justice. | ||||
| 24 | "Is There a Doctor in the House?" | T. J. Scott | Patricia Manney | July 29, 1996 |
| Xena and Gabrielle rescue the pregnant Ephiny from the battlefield and take shelter in one of Asclepius' temples, finding it full of casualties. While there, she gives birth to her centaur son, Xenan. Xena tends to the wounded and Gabrielle is mortally injured while helping out. | ||||
The DVD release of season one was released by Anchor Bay Entertainment in the U.S. on 23 September 2003[6] after it had completed broadcast on television. As well as every episode from the season, the DVD release features bonus material including deleted scenes, bloopers and behind-the-scenes featurettes.
| The Complete First Season | ||||
| Set details[7] | Special features | |||
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| Release dates | ||||
| United Kingdom | United States | Australia | ||
| 6 June 2006 | 23 April 2003 | 12 October 2005 | ||
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