main villain in the show's fifth season and sets off a story arc that has Hercules traveling to Sumeria, Norseland and Éire. Although Zeus, Hercules' father, is frequently cited by Hercules as a neglectful father, Zeus' love for Hercules is well documented in the show. Indeed, Hercules is often referred to as "the favorite son of Zeus". Zeus makes several appearances on the show, even saving his son's life and restoring his superhuman strength on one occasion when he needs it the most. Hercules, for his own part, is always there for Zeus when his father needs him, and in the end, Hercules reconciles with his father and buries whatever issues he has with the father he has come to understand and love. Cast Main cast Hercules (Kevin Sorbo) Iolaus (Michael Hurst) Recurring cast Alcmene (Elizabeth Hawthorne, Liddy Holloway, Kim Michalis) Aphrodite (Alexandra Tydings) Apollo (Scott Michaelson) Ares (Kevin Smith) Artemis (Rhonda McHardy) Atalanta (Cory Everson) Autolycus (Bruce Campbell) Callisto (Hudson Leick) Cassandra (Claudia Black) Charon (Michael Hurst) Cupid (Karl Urban) Dahak (Michael Hurst, Mark Newnham) Deianeira (Tawny Kitaen) Deimos (Joel Tobeck) Dirce (Lisa Chappell) Discord (Meighan Desmond) Falafel (Paul Norell) Gabrielle (Renee O'Connor) Hades (Erik Thomson, Mark Ferguson) Hera (Meg Foster) Iphicles (Kevin Smith) Jason (Jeffrey Thomas, Chris Conrad) Joxer (Ted Raimi) Kernunnos (Stuart Devenie) Morrígan (Tamara Gorski) Nebula (Gina Torres) Nemesis (Karen Witter, Teresa Hill, Kimberley Joseph) Odin (Peter McCauley) Persephone (Andrea Croton) Salmoneus (Robert Trebor) Serena (Sam Jenkins, Kara Zediker) Strife (Joel Tobeck) Xena (Lucy Lawless) Zeus (Roy Dotrice, Peter Vere-Jones, Charles Keating, Anthony Quinn). Episodes Spin-offs The show had two spin-offs, Xena: Warrior Princess and Young Hercules, with which it shared recurring characters such as Ares (Kevin Smith), Autolycus (Bruce Campbell), Salmoneus (Robert Trebor), Aphrodite (Alexandra Tydings), Deimos/Strife (Joel Tobeck) and Callisto (Hudson Leick). Both shows, although produced in New Zealand with mostly local actors using American accents, were syndicated worldwide. Home media Anchor Bay Entertainment released all six seasons of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys on DVD in Region 1 for the first time between 2003 and 2005. As of 2010, these releases have now been discontinued. On January 12, 2010, Universal Studios Home Entertainment announced that they planned on re-releasing Hercules: The Legendary Journeys on DVD. They have subsequently re-released all six seasons. In Region 4, Madman Entertainment has released all six seasons on DVD in Australia. NOTE: The Season 1 release in both regions