It wasn’t very long ago that I was lamenting the loss of 90s television shows like Hercules and Xena: Warrior Princess. They were corny, absolutely, but that was the whole point! They were fun. They were exciting! I was really young when they were still running, I remember watching them late at night when my grandparents, before bed. My Grandma would pop some popcorn, and we’d sit in the various plush recliners scattered around the living room and watch us some Hercules. The two series’ inevitably came to an end, and left a void in their wake.

The void has been filled. Some weeks ago, The Girlfriend(tm) told me about Legend of the Seeker. Her primary reason for doing so was to point me in the direction of Bridget Regan’s epic cleavage, but it turned out to be a good recommendation for more than just that (though that alone would’ve made the viewing worth it). Legend of the Seeker is based on Terry Goodkind’s Sword of Truth novels that I suspect much of my readership is familiar with, but I’ll be honest here, I’ve never read them. I know little to nothing about them.

Legend of the Seeker has been a very fun, wild ride. Even better, it actually contains a lot of nods to Hercules and Xena, and I’ve loved spotting them. A lot of the same actors from those series’ play bit parts in this series. Joxer? Iolaus? Yep, they (Ted Raimi and Michael Hurst) are there, and they were immediately recognizable. It’s a shame that the two of them (especially Hurst) don’t have a more stable part in the show, but you take what you can get when it comes to nostalgia.

So, the show itself. Again, I don’t know anything about Goodkind’s novels, so I can’t give my opinion on how good of an adaptation it is. From what I hear, the story isn’t quite the same, which has actually been a new level of entertainment for fans of the books. They’re two stories, so you can enjoy both. What I can tell you for sure is that it’s a very solid and entertaining TV show. Certainly, it has its corn and cheese, but that’s part of what makes it great. It’s a degree more serious than Hercules, there’s less comedy relief, but it’s still there and it’s still great.

I’m not sure what specifics I can give about the story. It’s fairly generic, to be honest. Young, sexy hero (the Seeker, played by Craig Horner) in a vaguely medieval setting is chosen via prophecy, bands together with a young, sexy Heroine (the Confessor, played by Bridget Regan) and an old, wise wizard (the… uh, wizard, played by Bruce Spence). They journey together to defeat the big bad. That’s the gist. I don’t need to tell you more.

This is a series where I do not particularly care what situations the characters are put in, as long as they are actually put into situations and don’t simply coast along. I love the characters. I love the Hero, the Lady, and the Wizard. Richard, Kahlan and Zedd are fun, lovely characters and I like seeing what happens to them. I like seeing what they do. I like them interacting with one another. They could go to the god damn Circus for all I care, as long as the characters talk to each other and grow as people because of their ride on the teacups.

The romance subplot is one I actually, actively enjoy. Those are rare. The awkward flirtatious interactions between Richard and Kahlan? I love it, and shockingly enough, their relationship progresses. All too often, those television relationships kite on and on and they never go anywhere, but maybe my perception is skewed by the fact that I watched something like 100 episodes of Inu Yasha before breaking myself of the habit. Their ‘relationship’ progresses. Their attitudes about romance are not the same in episode 15 as it is in episode 1 or 2. This is a breath of fresh air to me.

The actors are also very attractive, which is most certainly a plus. Come on, I’m 22 years old. I’m perfectly fine with the main characters of a television show being crazy, crazy attractive. Come on, check these two out.

Delicious.

The whole thing is filmed in New Zealand. You may remember that lovely landscape from the Lord of the Rings films. The scenery is absolutely beautiful. Lush, vibrant. Rolling green hills, blue skies, verdant forests.

And seriously, check out this cleavage.

…and what the hell, check this one out, too.

The entire series thus far is up on Hulu (the first episode is embedded at the top of this post), so you can stream the whole thing at your leisure, if you’ve an interest. They’re up to episode 15, each episode is about 40-45 minutes long. Episode 16 will be hitting sometime this week. The fact that it’s on Hulu pleases me to no end, because I absolutely love that method of distribution. I am much, much more likely to watch a television show if I can pick it up whenever I want, in full. There are many, many TV series’ that I never started because I couldn’t start at the beginning. Now? I can. I love it, and you should, too. Go give Legend of the Seeker a shot!

…oh, fine. I’ll give the ladies a little eye candy, too. Check it, ladies. The beautiful flesh isn’t only for dudes (or lesbians) to ogle.
I’d do him, and I’m a heterosexual male. Uh, I think.