Xena: Warrior Princess Deserves a Reboot

The recent wave of television revivals — from Scrubs to Buffy the Vampire Slayer and even Baywatch — shows the age of the reboot is far from over. Thirty-one years after its debut, Lucy Lawless' cult classic Xena: Warrior Princess sits near the top of the list of series ready to return.

Xena first appeared in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys as a cruel, bloodthirsty villain in the episode "The Warrior Princess," but a moment of grace from Hercules led to a dramatic change of heart. The spin-off, which debuted in 1995 with the pilot "Sins of the Past," introduced Renee O'Connor's Gabrielle and began Xena's journey from villain to hero across six seasons, with their relationship becoming a defining trait of the show.

More than a gender-flipped Hercules, Xena was haunted by her past while proving herself a master tactician, problem-solver and a dangerous warrior with a favored weapon, the chakram. Flawed and morally gray, she could outwit gods and captivated millions with a complex, real portrayal of redemption and strength.

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