Television series

Xena: Warrior Princess

A syndicated slice of 90s cheese that somehow became genuinely great television: gods, warlords, time travel and slapstick, anchored by Lucy Lawless's utterly committed performance as a reformed warlord seeking redemption one chakram-throw at a time. It's episodic, wildly tonally inconsistent, and absolutely sincere about its central friendship. Camp, adventure, heart — for anyone who wants fantasy that doesn't take itself too seriously while still meaning every word.

TVMaze rating3.9

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you love episodic adventure with a wry, self-aware streak, where a fierce heroine and her loyal friend trade barbed banter as readily as swords and the mythic world feels playfully stretched rather than solemn.

Skip it if you want a grounded, realistic take on ancient history or prefer a tight serialized plot, since many stories are self-contained, campy and happy to stop for a joke.

What it asks of you: Settle in for a long run of hour-long episodes, six seasons' worth, mostly self-contained and easy to dip into, with a light touch that rarely demands close attention.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Buffy the Vampire Slayer1997

Same 90s alchemy of monster-of-the-week plotting, genuine emotional stakes, and a female lead who can crack a joke and a skull in the same breath.

But High school setting and Sunnydale slang date it in ways Xena's mythic Greece mostly avoids.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer poster

Hercules: The Legendary Journeys1994

The show Xena spun off from, same production team, same New Zealand hillsides standing in for ancient Greece, same wink-at-the-camera energy.

But Kevin Sorbo's Hercules is gentler and less morally complicated than Xena — less bite, more beefcake.

Hercules: The Legendary Journeys poster

Charmed1998

Sisterhood, magic, and demon-of-the-week plots delivered with the same unembarrassed sincerity and low-budget charm that made Xena work.

But Contemporary San Francisco setting and witchcraft mythology feel a world away from Xena's ancient battlefields.

Charmed poster

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Xena: Warrior Princess

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Jason and the Argonauts1963

Xena's entire mythic Greece — squabbling gods, monster quests, doomed heroes — is a direct descendant of this film's DNA, just filtered through decades of camp.

Ray Harryhausen's stop-motion gods and monsters practically invented the visual grammar Xena borrowed weekly — skeletons, hydras, capricious Olympians and all.

But Stiff dialogue and dated effects; this is earnest 60s myth-making with zero irony.

Jason and the Argonauts poster
More like this (8)

Wonder Woman1975

Lynda Carter's original TV superheroine — righteous, physical, funny — is Xena's spiritual grandmother in spandex and gold armor.

But Slower pacing and stagier action; this is a much earlier, gentler idea of what a woman hero could be.

Wonder Woman poster

Legend of the Seeker2008

Sword-and-sorcery quest storytelling with the same episodic monster-and-morality structure, plus a will-they-won't-they at its core.

But Leans more po-faced fantasy epic than Xena's constant self-aware humor.

Legend of the Seeker poster

Cleopatra 25252000

Made by the same Renaissance Pictures crew, this is pure trashy, leather-clad, post-apocalyptic sci-fi camp — Xena's spirit transplanted into the future.

But Cheaper, sillier, and shorter-lived; the seams show even more than Xena's ever did.

Cleopatra 2525 poster

Jack of All Trades2000

Bruce Campbell hamming it up in another Xena-adjacent production, all swashbuckling swagger and deliberate anachronism.

But Broader comedy, weaker emotional core — this one's pure goofball adventure.

Jack of All Trades poster

Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda2000

Kevin Sorbo again, this time leading a scrappy crew through space opera with the same earnest, episodic heroism.

But Swaps mythic Greece for space battleships — the genre shift is bigger than it sounds.

Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda poster

Beastmaster1999

Syndicated fantasy adventure with animal sidekicks, quests, and the same unpretentious hour-long comfort-food structure.

But Thinner writing and less chemistry between leads — a lesser cousin, but still fun.

Beastmaster poster

Warriors of the Wind1984

Same core fantasy of a girl becoming legend and saving the world through courage, reimagined in hand-drawn animation with none of the camp.

Miyazaki's fierce, compassionate warrior princess ends conflict through empathy rather than the sword, a quieter answer to the same legendary-heroine question.

But Meditative pace and genuine environmental stakes replace Xena's quips and chakram throws entirely.

Warriors of the Wind poster

The Woman King2022

Strips away the myth and the jokes to ask the exact question Xena asked every week — what does becoming a warrior cost a woman — and answers it in blood, not stunt work.

The real all-female Agojie army of Dahomey, brought to visceral life — history's answer to the sisterhood-in-arms fantasy Xena and Gabrielle played out for fun.

But Grounded, brutal, and rooted in real atrocity; there's no camp here to soften the violence.

The Woman King poster

People

Cast

Writing

Production

Recommended by

The Witcher, Doctor Who, Monkey, Hercules, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Galavant, Wonder Woman, Legend of the Seeker, Cleopatra 2525, Jack of All Trades, Beastmaster, Clash of the Titans, Highlander, Willow, Kaos, Red Sonja, Wonder Woman, Conan the Adventurer, McLeod's Daughters, Relic Hunter, She Spies