This article appeared in the Hercules and Xena Yearbook. It's a great mag, and well worth buying. I think you can still get it, but then again, I live in Durango. The Macarena is still new here!
Following a successful direct-to-video launch and some significant tryouts on Legendary Journies, Young Hercules earned full-series status this year as a half-hour afternoon offering on the FOX Network. A prequal that expands the back stories of Herc, Iolaus and Jason, this new show features Ryan Gosling as the adolescent son of Zeus, a headstrong kid full of idealism, pride and insecurity who has not yet reconciled his mortal and godly identities. The young Iolaus, played by Dean O'GOrman, is cut from wilder cloth, a conniving but lovable rogue who seems to have more in common with Autolycu than the adult sidekick we've come to know -- leaving room for conflict and growth in this classic relationship. Most of the action is set at Cheiron the Centaur's Academy, as our cadets hone their warrior skills and do a lot of growing up in the process. Aware of their own mythic history, producers Rob Tapert and Sam Raimi have added a female member to this team of friends, but are careful to craft things in "pre-feminist" fashon: spirited Lilith (Jodie Rimmer) is the only girl at Cheiron's Academy, and she feels somewhat out of place in this male-dominated world (remember, adult Herc had his consciousness raised in the original 1994 telefeture Hercules and the Amazon Women). Rounding out the regular cast is Chris Conrad as youthful Jason, the "serious kid" with regal obligations that he constantly weighs against the fun and adventure of hanging with his heroic pals. Young Hercules airs at 4:30 P.M. in most major cities and, if the ratings hold up, may be followed by yet another teen-oriented spin-off from Renaissance, Amazon High.