If you spent any time flipping through cable channels in the late nineties, you probably remember Kevin Sorbo’s flowing locks and the campy, leather-clad action of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. It was a massive hit. But tucked away in the shadows of that flagship show was a weird, experimental spin-off that most people initially dismissed as a "teen version" of the myth. Young Hercules, the 1998 TV series, wasn't just some low-budget cash-in. It was a prequel that eventually became a cult classic for one very specific reason: it starred a teenage Ryan Gosling.
He was just a kid from Canada back then.
Honestly, looking back at it now, the show is a fascinating time capsule of 90s television production. It was filmed in New Zealand, just like its parent show and Xena: Warrior Princess, using the same Pacific Renaissance Pictures crew. But it had a totally different energy. While the Sorbo version was about a man-god wandering the earth doing good deeds, the Young Hercules (1998) TV series was basically a high school drama set in Ancient Greece. Only the high school was Cheiron’s Academy, and the "jocks" were demigods training to be heroes.
The Weird Production Behind the Prequel
Most people don't realize that Young Hercules actually started as a movie. A direct-to-video pilot movie starring Ian Bohen (who played the younger version of Herc in the main series) was released first. But when the Fox Kids Network picked it up as a daily strip—meaning it aired five days a week—Bohen didn't want to move to New Zealand full-time.
Enter Ryan Gosling.
He had to move across the world to play a Greek demi-god with a Canadian accent. It’s kinda hilarious to watch now. Gosling was skinny. He wasn't the buff "Legendary Journey" version of the character yet. He looked like a guy who belonged in a boy band, not a guy who could wrestle lions. But he had that same smirk. That same charisma that eventually made him an Oscar nominee was already there, even when he was fighting rubber monsters on a shoestring budget.
The show ran for 50 episodes in a single season. Because it aired every day, the production schedule was absolutely grueling. They were churning out content at a pace that would break most modern TV crews. This led to a very specific aesthetic. You had recycled sets, familiar props from the Xena warehouse, and a heavy reliance on CGI that—let's be real—hasn't aged gracefully. 1998 was a rough time for television digital effects.
Why the Tone Was So Different
The 1998 series tried to bridge the gap between "Saturday morning cartoon" and "serious mythology." It was produced by Robert Tapert and Sam Raimi. Yes, that Sam Raimi. You can see his fingerprints all over the camera work. There are those fast zooms, the slapstick fight choreography, and the POV shots of flying objects.
It was lighter than The Legendary Journeys.
While the main show dealt with Hercules losing his family and wandering in grief, this show was about a boy trying to earn his father’s love. Zeus was a distant, literal "voice in the sky" (voiced by Christopher Burgess) who occasionally threw lightning bolts when he was annoyed. The stakes felt smaller, but the emotional core was actually quite relatable for the target audience. It was about friendship. It was about Jason (the future king) and Iolaus (the sidekick) figuring out who they were before the history books wrote their stories.
The Supporting Cast That Made It Work
You can't talk about the Young Hercules (1998) TV series without mentioning Dean O'Gorman as Iolaus. He was fantastic. He brought a frantic, nervous energy that balanced Gosling's cooler, more stoic vibe. Fans of The Hobbit trilogy might recognize O'Gorman—he played Fili years later.
Then there was Chris Conrad as Jason. He played the "straight man" of the trio, the one who actually tried to follow the rules while Herc and Iolaus were getting into trouble. The chemistry between these three was the show's secret weapon. Even when the script was cheesy, their friendship felt genuine.
And we have to talk about the gods.
The show featured Ares, the God of War, played by the late Kevin Smith. Not the filmmaker, but the New Zealand actor who became an icon for his portrayal of the character. Smith’s Ares was charming, dangerous, and oddly funny. In this series, he spent most of his time trying to corrupt his younger half-brother. It was a classic "bad influence" sibling dynamic, just with more swords and leather vests.
- Cheiron: Played by Nathaniel Lees, the centaur mentor was the father figure Herc actually needed.
- Lilith: Played by Jodie Rimmer, she provided a strong female perspective in what was otherwise a bit of a "boys' club" academy.
- Discord: Another crossover from the main series, bringing that campy villain energy.
The Ryan Gosling Factor
It is genuinely wild to watch La La Land or Blade Runner 2049 and then go back to 1998 and see Gosling in a blonde wig. He has since admitted in interviews that he wasn't exactly a natural at the "action" part. He wasn't a martial artist. He was a performer.
But his "acting" in this show is better than it had any right to be.
He didn't phone it in. Even when he was talking to a puppet or standing in front of a green screen that looked like it was made in MS Paint, he was present. He played Hercules not as a confident hero, but as a kid with a massive chip on his shoulder. He was the son of a god who didn't feel like he belonged anywhere. That nuance is probably why the show still has a following on streaming services today.
Why It Ended After One Season
You’d think a show with 50 episodes was a massive success. In reality, that was just how "stripping" worked for kids' TV. They filmed a massive block of episodes to air daily. While the ratings were decent, the landscape of television was changing rapidly at the end of the nineties. Fox Kids was shifting its focus.
The show was expensive to produce compared to animated series. Even with the New Zealand tax breaks and shared resources with Xena, the cost-per-episode didn't make sense for a morning time slot. So, it was quietly cancelled.
But it didn't disappear.
Because of Gosling’s meteoric rise to fame in the mid-2000s, the Young Hercules (1998) TV series became a "must-see" for completionists. People wanted to see the "serious actor" in his goofy roots. What they found was a show that was actually quite charming. It didn't take itself too seriously, yet it managed to tell some surprisingly decent stories about growth and responsibility.
Misconceptions About the Show
People often get this show confused with the animated Disney movie or its spin-off series. They are totally different. This wasn't the "Zero to Hero" Hercules. This was a gritty-lite, live-action prequel to the Sorbo-verse.
Another common mistake? People think it was filmed in Hollywood. It wasn't. The lush forests you see aren't California; they’re the outskirts of Auckland. That New Zealand "look" is part of the show's DNA. If it had been filmed on a backlot in Burbank, it would have lost that rugged, dirty-fingernails feel that defined the Raimi/Tapert era.
How to Revisit the Series Today
If you’re looking to dive back into this slice of 90s nostalgia, you have a few options. It’s no longer on mainstream broadcast TV, obviously, but it pops up on various streaming platforms.
Shout! Factory released the entire series on DVD a few years back. It’s the best way to see it, mostly because they didn't try to "remaster" it in a way that breaks the old CGI. It looks exactly how it should: grainy, colorful, and a little bit silly.
Actionable Steps for the Nostalgic Viewer:
- Watch the Pilot First: Don't skip the movie pilot. Even though it features Ian Bohen instead of Gosling, it sets the stage for the world-building.
- Look for the Crossovers: If you’re a fan of Xena or The Legendary Journeys, keep an eye out for recurring actors. The "New Zealand acting pool" was small, so you’ll see the same faces in different roles constantly.
- Don't Binge It: This show was meant to be watched in 22-minute chunks over breakfast. Binging 10 episodes in a row might make the repetitive fight music a bit much.
- Appreciate the Stunt Work: The stunt teams in New Zealand were world-class. Despite the cheesy effects, the actual physical choreography is often quite impressive.
The Young Hercules (1998) TV series remains a bizarre, delightful footnote in television history. It represents a time when networks were willing to take big, weird swings on live-action adventure shows for kids. It gave us a glimpse of a future A-list star before the world knew his name, and it kept the flame of Greek mythology burning just a little longer in the hearts of 90s kids.
Whether you're there for the camp, the Sam Raimi style, or just to see "The Goose" swing a sword, it's worth a second look. Just don't expect the CGI Hydra to look real. It never did, and that's part of the charm.
