Universal TelevisionBy the time Lucy Lawless made her debut as Xena in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, she’d already had a few appearances in other roles. In those, bearing fiery eyes that fit the mythological adventure setting, the New Zealand actress was an unmistakable presence. But after taking on a role originally meant for another actress, that of Xena herself, few could’ve predicted that she’d not only soon get a spinoff show, but that it would eclipse the renown of the original series. Thirty years after it premiered, Lawless has become an icon, and Xena: Warrior Princess has evolved into a TV classic.The women on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys ran the gamut from temptresses to damsels, goddesses to witches. Fw could go toe-to-toe with Hercules, who was destined to nearly always emerge on top. But Kevin Sorbo, inhabiting Hercules with jockish aplomb, met his match in the form of Lawless’ Xena. She nearly bests Hercules in combat, and she definitely overtakes him in sheer personality. Initially an unscrupulous, warmongering villain, she’d be turned into a fan-favorite hero over the course of a few episodes. So when Xena: Warrior Princess begins, she’s on a new quest to make amends.The setup of Xena: Warrior Princess isn’t too different from Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. Both are globe-trotting mythological mishmashes, pulling from folklore and myth as needed, and both typically revolve around stories that feature the leading heroes having to rescue someone, prevent a battle, or stand up for the defenseless. Xena, though, jumped between tones with an ease that Hercules never quite mastered. It ranges from high-stakes fantasy to pure camp, and Lawless is ready for it all. In combat, her teeth grit with a kind of ferocity usually reserved for her male counterparts. In ridiculous situations, she’s comfortable with snark and goofy self-awareness. It’s a role seemingly tailor-made for her.Xena’s extended cast included figures like the ever-entertaining Bruce Campbell playing the thieving Autolycus and Ted Raimi’s amusing turn as the dimwitted Joxer. And while Hercules had Iolaus, a sidekick pulled from ancient Greek mythology who served as both best friend and the Robin to Hercules’ Batman, Xena’s partner was Gabrielle, an original character played by Renee O’Connor. Their relationship is marked by growth — when Xena first meets Gabrielle, she’s rescuing the latter from slavery. Gabrielle is inspired by Xena and joins her on her journey, with that act of heroism serving as Xena’s primary affirmation of burgeoning inner goodness. Gabrielle, for her part, becomes a more proficient warrior while her friendship with Xena deepens.Though the series never outright states that there’s romance between the two, Warrior Princess never shied away from Xena and Gabrielle being affectionate with one another (the pair kiss multiple times, but the show is content to let you sift through the context). Lawless herself would come to determine that the two were definitely a couple, and alongside the actor’s outspoken support for LGBTQ rights, Xena has transformed into a lesbian pop culture figurehead. The ‘90s were awash in gay panic humor on mainstream television, and while Xena didn’t lack its own fair share of fandom controversy (especially when it came to digging through Xena’s relationships with the show’s men), it’s been embraced since as ahead of its time.Xena and Gabrielle went off the air nearly 25 years ago, but the fanfic is still being written. | Universal TelevisionWell, in most regards. In 2025, Xena: Warrior Princess is primarily let down by its budget, and if you go in expecting a Game of Thrones-esque epic, the interchangeable village sets might disappoint. There were also circumstances its creators couldn’t have predicted; when Lawless broke her pelvis filming a sketch for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, writers and directors went to cartoonish lengths to hide her injury, and there are a handful of Season 2 episodes where it’s clear that Lawless is recuperating. Lawless, however, would eventually say the accident “put me on the map,” and that people soon watched the show just because they’d heard that its leading lady was hurt.Though Xena has grown into a franchise that encompasses comic books, conventions, and so, so much fan fiction, it’s proven immune to further onscreen installments. Talk of a movie has sprung up since the show’s 2001 cancellation, and in 2015, a TV reboot was discussed before being dropped a few years later. This doesn’t mean that Lawless has been without work, especially in the realm of genre TV. Since Xena, she’s kept busy with shows like Battlestar Galactica, Spartacus: Blood and Sand, Salem, and Ash vs Evil Dead.Despite being a sort of “nerd queen” figure, Lawless remains self-effacing. Describe her look? “I’ve got bag lady hair,” she told The Guardian. She seems content to let Xena rest, but for many of its fans, the series looms large, whether they enjoy it for its ceaseless adventures or the way it waded into the uncertain waters of televised representation in the ‘90s. Those creative choices didn’t please everyone, but Xena herself wasn’t about satisfying the world. She was all about trying to be better and proving to herself that she could improve. That’s the spirit of a warrior.