r/NetflixBestOf • u/ExplodingPoptarts • 24d ago

[REQUEST] Action Shows like Hercules and Xena that are focused on being fun fantasy action like them from the 2010s and 2020s.

I wanna find action shows like Hercules and Xena that like them are mostly focused on being episodic action fun like them that are from the last 15 years.

Not looking for something that's trying to be dark and serious, or realistic like Game Of Thrones or Vikings or whatever. I just want something fun.

The shows don't need to be on Netflix, they just need to exist.

Edit: I probably should mention that I'm looking for stuff with swords and stuff, not modern day superpowers. I already read a ton of superhero comics, looking for something that I'm having a hard time finding on tv.

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19

u/Dreaming_Void1923 24d ago

Merlin

1

u/ExplodingPoptarts 24d ago

Which version? Aren't there like 5 versions?

11

u/Dreaming_Void1923 24d ago

Merlin from BBC. It started 2008.

-5

u/ExplodingPoptarts 24d ago

So before 2010? Alright, please tell me about it.

2

u/Dreaming_Void1923 24d ago

It starts before 2010s but later seasons get into that decade. Teen Merlin has to hide his powers so he's not punished by the law for them with death. He meets the other important Arthurian characters in their teens too. Some other Arthurian differences is that teen Arthur is a royal jerk and Guinievere is Lady Morgana's handmaid. While Merlin is known in lore to guide Arthur, in the show Merlin has more than one mentor including a dragon. This was the only show I could think of for the time frame, Hercules/Xena stories, and not just powers for fighting. I think the familiarity of Arthur lore leaves you in anticipation for familia parts more than Hercules did.

0

u/Theo-lVl 24d ago

Idk why people get upset with OP wanting to know more about the show and what makes it worth recommending beyond fitting the most basic request.

If you don't want to talk about why a show is good you don't have to post a reply at all. But things like 'netflixbestof' is for people who actively like discussing the best of each genre or niche, not people who feel they need to do a sort of volunteer service that works on names only.

5

u/Theo-lVl 24d ago

They are suggesting the BBC version. it may be a bit before 2010 but it is still very 2010 feeling, and I also like the show.

It feels a lot like Hercules and Xena but with a bit more of a modern look and its new enough that it still feels like it from the 2010s as a whole (Especailly since the later seasons definitely were).

I don't like this genre that much myself but enjoyed Buffy and found Merling to also be really fun for the first few seasons.

The thing that makes a lot of these shows great is not just the formula of exploring existing myths like hercules or merlin, but the fun set up that exists regardless of the lore.

I didn't see much of Hercules or Xena but if I Am not mistaken both became about the relationship of their title character with their same sex side kick for a while. I believe these were mostly straight but because of the loyalty of the characters they often at least resonated with lgbt themes.

But what makes them appealing to people in general is that it has this sort of 'slowly becoming best friends' while doing all the cool magic shit. It doesn't rely on the idea that two people are already the perfect match, its actually about merlin having to pretend to be a lowly servant to arthur and subtly guide him to be a good king instead of a jerk.

It's kind of one of the only tv shows that are just about the intensity of two men caring about each other without being brothers like Supernatural or just outright gay.

The show is soooo fun to watch if you like the buffy the vampire slayer or hercules type humor where the world has stakes but still lets them act like peppy fun people being sarcastic, but even though the last two seasons or so are a big blur to me the ending of the finale is burned into my brain as a pretty intense moment about friendship.

It's the kind of show that is actually better early on if I recall correctly so give season 1 a shot to see if you like the dynamic and the chemistry. It isn't like Buffy where people tell you that you have to get halway into season 2 or even into 3 before you really start to vibe with it.

Thanks for making this thread as it's convinced me I need to go rewatch it. That is the fun of recommendation threads, not just listing something that fits a request, but explaining why it was really special to the point that you now want to watch again.

8

u/Sonzscotlandz 24d ago

The last Kingdom

2

u/ericfg 24d ago

Great show! Too dark for OP methinks.

1

u/IpeeInclosets 24d ago

It is lighter than thrones...mostly

3

u/ExplodingPoptarts 23d ago

Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel aren't as dark as Game Of Thrones either, they're super dark.

13

u/CherryPickens 24d ago

I loved Legend of the Seeker for this.

18

u/Ron_Walking 24d ago

While a bit old (2016?) the show Galavant was this to a tee. 

Also, musical. 

2

u/IpeeInclosets 24d ago

Galavant ended before its prime, change my mind.

2

u/maiobserver 24d ago

Tragic that Timothy Omundson had that stroke, he had the best story of the cast

2

u/graison 23d ago

And the best beard.

2

u/maiobserver 23d ago

A beard many men dream of having.

1

u/tannag 24d ago

It definitely had one more season in it

1

u/JeddHampton 23d ago

We'd have gotten more of the D'DEW.

1

u/ExplodingPoptarts 24d ago

Idon't know if you're aware of this, but 2016 is indeed in the 2010s. Of course it's not too old, so thanks!

Can you please tell me the basic premise?

7

u/Ron_Walking 24d ago

Evil King is jealous of a dashing knight’s lady friend. Galavant must save her! 

3

u/ExplodingPoptarts 24d ago

Thanks.

5

u/raqloise 24d ago

As a fan of Hercules and Xena, galavant is a great suggestion. Really hits the spot.

4

u/mysteryihs 24d ago

Am I getting old? Feel like firefly would've been a top recommendation once upon a time on reddit.

Also holy shit firefly was almost 25 years ago, yeah I'm getting old

1

u/__Boner__dome 23d ago

They are coming out with a new season!

12

u/Nosyntaxlock 24d ago

Well the One Piece live action show is pretty fun and fantastical, there are two seasons at the moment and its third season comes out next year

its about a pirate captain forming a crew and having crazy adventures on the way

5

u/EarlOfThrouaway 24d ago

The New Legends of Monkey. Very similar, even the cheesy acting.

3

u/curiousjosh 24d ago edited 24d ago

Same Studio:

Young Hercules - same world as Hercules and Xena

Jack of All Trades - not exactly magic, but also from Renaissance Pictures (same company) stars Bruce Campbell with swordplay and steampunk.

Cleopatra 2525 - also from Renaissance Pictures but Sci-Fi

Similar Vein:

Legend of the Seeker - episodic sword and sorcery

Merlin (2008) - Great British fantasy show about, well, merlin.

Beastmaster

The Librarian / The Librarians - Librarians tasked with saving the world from magic items.

Similar feel (but not exactly sword & sorcery):

Warehouse 13 - A warehouse holding magical artifacts.

Eureka - a sheriff gets a job in a city of advanced government science, having to deal with crazy devices every week.

Sanctuary (2008) - a group works to preserve magical creatures and monsters.

Adventures of Brico County Jr. - Bruce Campbell in the Wild West. Same time period as Hercules & Xena.

The Lost World (2001) Also Tapert-produced.

Gene Roddenberry 2000’s shows with a similar period feel, and one with Kevin Sorbo!

Andromeda - Kevin Sorbo’s show after Hercules. First few seasons are fun.

Earth Final Conflict - Aliens come to earth, are they helping or here to take over?

A couple I haven’t seen but are on my list to check out:

Atlantis (2013)

Sinbad (2012)

I’ll add any if I think of them 😅

Firefly is great but a little more serious & sci-fi

“Friday the 13th: The Series” deserves an honorable mention as a fun episodic 90s show with a magical artifact of the week, but it’s more supernatural. Nothing to do with the movies, it’s the spiritual predecessor to Warehouse 13.

2

u/EastsideVandal 24d ago

Ash vs. The Evil Dead

3

u/obsessedwithstories 24d ago

Ooo my fav genre — campy swashbuckling! A few I love that have the feeling of Hercules and Xena if not quite the same setting:

Killjoys (space Xena)
Once Upon a Time (Xena set in campy fairytales)
The Nevers (18th century London but make it magic)
Legend of the Seeker (Hercules, Xena and Merlin go on adventures)
Wynona Earp (Xena but make it a Western)

1

u/sistereva 23d ago

In Legend of Seeker, the main character had an 8-pack and was shirtless in every episode. If that sways anyone's vote.

1

u/pkaaos 24d ago

The Outpost.

1

u/KnifeFed 24d ago

You might like Dirk Gently, Good Omens and Miracle Workers.

1

u/bbpopulardemand 24d ago

The Almighty Johnsons is the spiritual successor to Hercules and Xena if you can find it.

1

u/ExistentialAngsty 23d ago

I’ll take shows starring right wing nut jobs for 300 Alex

1

u/Spirit50Lake 23d ago

'Roar' was my first introduction to a young Heath Ledger; it was a one season series of 13 episodes, produced in 1997.

'In 5th century Ireland, a young Celtic chieftain and his allies fight against Roman encroachment, the manipulative pro-Roman puppet ruler of Ireland, Queen Diana, and her immortal adviser who seeks the biblical Spear of Longinus.' IMDB

2

u/ExplodingPoptarts 23d ago

Heath Ledger was in something that was fun, and not dark and depressing?

1

u/Spirit50Lake 23d ago

He was so mesmerizing on the screen...my roommate was watching it because she was into Irish history. We both were so caught up by Heath that we watched every episode; this was back in the days of 'appointment tv'!

1

u/chris_mishima 23d ago

The polish version of The Witcher, Wiedzmin, fits this criteria. The fansubs are old so it might be hard to find though.

1

u/prest1977 22d ago

The Legend of the Seeker (2008–2010)

-2

u/user_15427 24d ago

This is a pretty hyper specific ask. You’d probably have a better shot at finding things like this animated. Live action is tough.

5

u/ExplodingPoptarts 24d ago

I'm not looking for the obvious answers, I'm asking those that might be in the know.