The Hercules/Xena/Sinbad production people had a short-lived Robin Hood series a few years ago. To give you an idea of how historically accurate it was: Prince John was an old man, Maid Marian was a leather-miniskirt-wearing kickboxer… oh, and there were dragons, and the first episode started with Mongols attacking an English village…
They made 13 episodes? Now want to see them. All I remember about the show was that I thought one of the sons was really good looking, and I wished they haven’t cancelled it.
I also wish I’d seen Roar, if only to see what Heath Ledger looked like before 10 things I hate about you.
In that time period (late 50s, early 60s), there was also a William Tell and Ivanhoe series. Also in the sixties, there was a French series set during the Hundred Year War, Thierry La Fronde (Thierry the slinger).
Elfkin, The guy I bought it from on ebay had in his description that 6 of them never made it to TV.
Baldwin, that Robin Hood sounds like a hoot. Although, I find all the people in the Hercules/Xena combo to be way too clean to be convincing. Though, it is a fun bit of camp every once in a while.
I have seen Ivanhoe at the local bookstores (haven’t seen it at the video stores). I haven’t actually seen any episodes though. What was it really like. I checked out the IMDB but it wasn’t as descriptive as I wanted.
I actually have an episode of that on tape. Fairly entertaining, in a 50’s kid-oriented kind of way.
RE: Wizards and Warriors. Here’s the [url=“http://us.imdb.com/Title?0085113”]imdb.com entry**
Holy crap, I had no idea that was Jeff Conaway. That man certainly gets around.
I remember in one episode they had to fight an “invisible dragon.” Now that’s a special effects budget to put any Star Wars to shame…screw LOTR… 
I remember Covington Cross, and the one things that stands out in my mind was the fact that the Castles they fought in/around obviously had storm windows on them. Leaded glass panes don’t reflect like that.
It annoyed me, for some petty, nit-picky reason.
Yeah, it sounds real fun…and I’m sure that’s why it went into production…but think about it - it wasn’t produced by the folks who produced Xena and Herc (sorry, Baldwin - they had nothing to do with either Sinbad or Robin Hood), it was produced in an effort to cash in on the popularity of those shows. It was bad - unimaginably bad.
There was also a Richard the Lionheart series round about the same time.
And about 10 years ago the BBC did a children’s series about King Arthur and Merlin.
I wish regular television wasn’t so bereft of serious medieval television. It looks like there is a series produced every 3-5 years.
Covington Cross arrived at my house yesterday but I haven’t had a chance to watch it yet, 13 episodes on 2 video tapes (too bad they didn’t produce DVDs). I don’t mind if it is bad. It fills me with the need to watch things from that time period.
Now I remember! Well, actually, all I remember is that they existed and I didn’t watch them because I didn’t like them. But I remember the Ivanhoe theme! It must have been on just before or after a show I liked.
As long as I’m here, I’ll add I didn’t like Covington Cross or Cadfael. The incongruity of the medieval setting and modern values was too much for me to suspend my disbelief. Expressions and actions which today are unquestioned rights would have gotten you severely punished or even executed in the days of feudalism and the divine right of kings.
There was a William Tell series about ten years ago, and an animated Prince Valiant. There was also a Conan live-action show about five years ago (The title character looked like a pumped-up Ed O’Neil).
Is Robin of Sherwood still on the air? I haven’t seen that thing in about ten years.
I have seen all the Hercules/Xena/Sinbad/Robin Hood/Conan/whatever shit as well. All of them bad. I’m suprised no one’s mentioned Beast Master yet. Another truely terrible series.
Gargoyles had a few episodes taking place in the medieval times.
It may be Covington Cross, I don’t really recognize the name of that show, but I remember a show from the 80’s that took place in medieval times. The only episode I can remember is one where the two heros enter into a cave, but then there’s a “cave in,” and a shot from the outside of the cave actually having a face and they were trapped in it’s mouth. I can’t remember what else happened after that, but it was one of those shows where whenever they cut to commercial breaks, there was a little drawing of the scene put up.
Also, wasn’t there a show about two time travelers, one a medieval knight, the other a kid from the bronx that went through time together?
And there’s also “Knights and Warriors” I think it was called, which was an American Gladiators knock off where they did all these stupid things, like “Jousitng” while on rollerblades with big foam lances, and every episode started and finished with the King making an announcement. Really bad shit.
I seem to have triggered a lot of memories
And Sparrow triggered mine also. There was a Sir Lancelot TV series from that same era.
In the fantasy vein, there were the (BBC?) TV versions of the Chronicles of Narnia a few years ago. They can be easily had on tape or DVD.
In the Conan series (which was bad), Conan was played by Ralf Mueller, a former workout buddy of Arnold Schwarzenegger. When he was offered the part, Ralf called Arnold and asked permission to play Arnold’s character. Ralf does have one good role under his belt now - he played Haakon, the German gladiator and ally of Maximus in Gladiator. I think he did a fine job in that movie.
I have seen this Roar thing, I didn’t know it’s name tho.
To get the gist of it, think Power-Rangers early seasons, with half the budget done in “early-pseudo-celtic” style.
I am hyperventilating even thinking how awful it was…
The only reason I watched the 15 minutes I did was because it was apparantly an Irish Xena, and you don’t actually get many Irishy shows… It was unadulterated crap however sniff
All this time, I assumed the the Hercules/Xena people were involved in Sinbad and Robin Hood; they all had the same sort of campy attitude, comic book action and CGX monsters.
There was a cartoon series called Dungeons and Dragons back in the very early 1980’s, if I recall. Pretty silly, and with the ridiculous PC allergy to actual violence.
Well I watched some of the Covington Cross episodes. They aren’t great but they aren’t bad either. The video quality is fairly poor but that was mentioned in the auction. It plays like a sitcom: lame gags, daddy heads the household, etc. Not too bad, but not great either.
As for Robin of Sherwood, it doesn’t play anymore but you can find the entire series for both American and European VCRS (haven’t seen it advertised on DVD at all) online.
Ivanhoe was played by Roger Moore? Get out!
I’m curious about the thread title: “Other Medieval TV series”. Is there a current one?