Ryan Gosling’s Forgotten Fantasy Show Is a 51-Episode Masterpiece With One Big Twist

Ryan Gosling is one of those actors who always manages to impress, no matter the project. His work on Drive and La La Land showed that he had talent in droves, while Barbie showed he could be one of the best parts of a major blockbuster. Even Gosling’s latest film, Project Hail Mary, is shaping up to be a massive success. It’s a surprising journey, considering that Gosling started out as a child actor before his rise to the top. His first major series, Young Hercules, was proof of his budding talent, and one of the few prequels that’s actually worth watching.

True to its name, Young Hercules tells the tale of Hercules’ journey to become a hero before the events of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, as Gosling’s titular demigod is trained by the centaur Cheiron (Nathaniel Lees) while battling the dark forces of the god of war, Ares (Kevin Tod Smith). Gosling wasn’t even meant to play Hercules, since the series originally kicked off with a TV movie featuring Ian Bohen in the lead. Bohen would eventually depart, leading Gosling to step into the role and kickstart his career. While Young Hercules isn’t available on any streaming services, the entire series is available on DVD for fantasy fans and ’90s kids to discover.

Thanks to Ryan Gosling, ‘Young Hercules’ Actually Made Hercules an Interesting Character

The best aspect of Young Hercules is Ryan Gosling’s performance, which makes Hercules a more interesting character. Hercules: The Legendary Journeys more or less made Hercules a flawless hero, a far cry from the more nuanced, tortured figure in Greek mythology. Gosling’s take on Hercules actually reintroduces some of those flaws, as he makes mistakes, struggles to gain recognition from his father Zeus, and finds himself dealing with the ups and downs of puberty. By making Hercules’ teenage struggles just as compelling as his battles against monsters, Young Hercules stands out from other prequels.

Young Hercules also dug into the origins of the friendship between Hercules and his companion, Iolaus (Dean O’Gorman). Unlike Hercules, Iolaus was conscripted to attend Cheiron’s heroic training because he was a former thief who got caught; he and Hercules also take some time to warm up to each other, but by the end of the series, they’ve become good friends. Hercules would also befriend other mythological figures, most notably Jason (Chris Conrad), who would eventually lead the Argonauts in search of the Golden Fleece. Later, the hero Theseus (Mfundo Morrison) would play a role in Young Hercules‘ final stretch of episodes.

‘Young Hercules’ Would Only Last a Single Season

Although Young Hercules had solid ratings, it only lasted for a single season, consisting of 50 episodes. The series finale, “Valley of the Shadow”, featured a unique twist: Hercules and his friends are called upon by a mysterious figure to battle a monster, not knowing that the old man is actually Zeus in disguise. Throughout the series, Hercules wanted nothing more than to meet his father, and “Valley of the Shadow” shows that he accomplished that goal, even if he didn’t know it. It also adds depth to Hercules’s meeting with Zeus in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, since Zeus has literally watched his son grow up.

Young Hercules, alongside Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess, was among the first projects Weta Workshop worked on. While Weta is best known for its groundbreaking work on the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Avatar films, its signature flourishes are on full display during Young Hercules. Most of the creatures Hercules and his friends fight actually feel like real-life beings, while the sets feel like they’ve been pulled from Ancient Greece. The fact that Weta founder Richard Taylor was able to do this on a syndicated TV budget is nothing short of impressive.

While Ryan Gosling is currently a major movie star, Young Hercules was the first chance for him to flex his talent. It’s also proof that not every prequel needs to be predictable.