The New Adventures of Robin Hood
The New Adventures of Robin Hood is an American-French television series that premiered on January 13, 1997 on TNT. The show was based on the legend of Robin Hood, the English folk hero, and was filmed in Vilnius, Lithuania. It was produced and distributed by Dune Productions, M6, and Warner Bros. International.
| The New Adventures of Robin Hood | |
|---|---|
 Intro card | |
| Created by | Tom Kuhn Fred Weintraub Sandra Weintraub |
| Starring | Matthew Porretta John Bradley Anna Galvin Barbara Griffin Martyn Ellis Richard Ashton Hakim Alston Andrew Bicknell Christie Lee Woods |
| Country of origin | France United States |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 52 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Tom Kuhn Fred Weintraub |
| Running time | 45 mins |
| Production company(s) | Tarnview Limited Dune Productions M6 Warner Bros. International Television |
| Distributor | Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution |
| Release | |
| Original network | Turner Network Television (seasons 1 and 2) first-run syndication (seasons 3 and 4) |
| Original release | January 13, 1997 – December 13, 1998 |
The tone of the series resembled its contemporaries Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess. The premiere episode aired immediately after an episode of WCW Monday Nitro. A unique promotional effort took place between the two, with the Nitro main event—Hulk Hogan vs The Giant—not beginning until two minutes before the show ended, then continuing and being broadcast during portions of commercial breaks.[1]
The New Adventures of Robin Hood aired for a total of four seasons with fifty-two episodes airing over a span of two calendar years. The first two seasons aired on TNT, and the series moved to first-run syndication for the final two.
Plot
Following the adventures of the legendary outlaw hero and his team, this series tells all new tales pitting Robin, Little John, Marion, and Tuck against the forces of oppression and greed. Similar to other fantasy-action shows at the time, such as Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and The Adventures of Sinbad, this version incorporates fantasy elements into the Robin Hood mythos, the most notable addition being the wizard Olwyn, who acts as a mentor to Robin. Among the recurring elements are enchanted weapons ("Robin and the Golden Arrow", "Devil's Bride"), monsters ("Nightmare of the Magic Castle", "Return of the Giant"), and time travel ("Return to Camelot", "The Time Machine").
Episodes
Season 1 (1997, TNT)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Rage of the Mongols" | Dimitri Logothetis | Lee Watters | January 13, 1997 | |
| A village under siege from Mongol warriors turns to Robin and the team to aid them in finally defeating the raiders and their leader Kobak (Keith Cooke), but the matter is complicated by the refusal for help from the village elders. | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Attack of the Vikings" | Harley Cokeliss | Robert Gunn & Sandra Weintraub | January 20, 1997 | |
| Robin must rescue both himself and his archenemy when he and Prince John are kidnapped by Vikings. | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Robin and the Golden Arrow" | Joe Coppoletta | Sandra Weintraub | January 27, 1997 | |
| When Captain Delouche, a knight with magic armor that protects him from harm, begins abducting young women (one to be his bride, the other as a sacrifice to the Celtic war goddess, Maka), Robin must retrieve the one weapon that can penetrate the armor, a golden arrow. The only obstacle? It's in Prince John's castle. | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "A Race Against Death" | Terry Marcel | Sandra Weintraub | February 3, 1997 | |
| Robin enters a deadly contest to keep the granddaughter of an old friend from marrying Prince John's minion, Sir Gilbert. | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "A Price on His Soul" | Joe Coppoletta | Katie Ryan | February 10, 1997 | |
| The immortal scientist Baragon seeks to end his cycle of feeding by taking Robin's life force. | ||||||
| 6 | 6 | "Marion to the Rescue" | Keith Washington | Larry Felix Jr. | February 17, 1997 | |
| Marion must save both her cousin and teammates from her wicked sister-in-law, a practicing witch who plans to marry the young girl off to a fellow corrupt noble. | ||||||
| 7 | 7 | "The Legend of Olwyn" | Terry Marcel | Katherine Ashworth | February 24, 1997 | |
| Robin is knocked unconscious by a young copycat and flashbacks reveal how he came to be the King of Thieves. | ||||||
| 8 | 8 | "Witches of the Abbey" | Terry Marcel | Susan Graham | March 3, 1997 | |
| Little John is kidnapped by a coven of evil witches (one of whom is Robin's aunt Alice) to be their new servant, and Robin fakes his death to save his best friend. | ||||||
| 9 | 9 | "The Arabian Knight" | Juan A. Mas | Sandra Weintraub | March 10, 1997 | |
| An evil warrior from the Middle East seeks to make Marion part of his harem. | ||||||
| 10 | 10 | "The Birthday Trap" | Terry Marcel | Muriel Morrissey | March 17, 1997 | |
| Robin must save his stepmother's birthday party from thieves. | ||||||
| 11 | 11 | "Miracle at Avalon" | Roger Tucker | Claudia Lonow & Larry Felix Jr. | March 24, 1997 | |
| The team must get the daughter of the God of Healing to her mother before her twenty-first birthday, or else those she's saved will die from old wounds she healed, including Robin and Tuck's. But the evil Sir Guy of Gisborne (Greg Porretta) seeks to prevent their journey to finally rid himself of Robin, with help from the exiled Avalonian witch, Mordrell. | ||||||
| 12 | 12 | "Dragon from the Sky" | Terry Marcel | Margaret Sachs | March 31, 1997 | |
| Marion befriends and protects an alien. | ||||||
| 13 | 13 | "Nightmare of the Magic Castle" | Dimitri Logothetis | Sandra Weintraub & Larry Felix Jr. | April 7, 1997 | |
| To prevent a warlock from releasing a monster, Robin must learn the secrets of the beast's domain. | ||||||
Season 2 (1997)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 1 | "The Ultimate Army" | Terry Marcel | Larry Felix Jr. | July 14, 1997 | |
| Little John joins an army to prove himself to the world, not knowing it belongs to the evil Lord Malice. Making the situation worse is that Malice has also recruited Robin's former fighting instructor (Frank Porretta) to train his army. | ||||||
| 15 | 2 | "The Legion" | Terry Marcel | David Sloan | July 21, 1997 | |
| With help from Mortiana, Prince John resurrects three members of Alexander the Great's army to help him kill Robin...in exchange for a year of his life. | ||||||
| 16 | 3 | "The Devil's Bride" | Harley Cokeliss | Martin Ensbury | July 28, 1997 | |
| Marion is kidnapped by Groliet (Robert Addie), an evil cult leader and former knight in the employ of Robin's father, to be the bride of his master, the dark god Bailor. To save Marion and defeat Bailor, Robin must find a unicorn horn, the one item that can kill Bailor. | ||||||
| 17 | 4 | "The Prey" | Joe Coppoletta | David Sloan & Cornelia Gink | August 9, 1997 | |
| After Robin and the team rob his illegal casino, the evil Lord Simon challenges three hunters in his debt to hunt the ultimate prey: Robin Hood. | ||||||
| 18 | 5 | "Bombs Away" | Joe Coppoletta | David Sloan | August 23, 1997 | |
| Sir Guy hires Master Ika to plant bomb traps for the rest of the team, while he goes after Marion. | ||||||
| 19 | 6 | "The Road to Royston" | Terry Bedford | Mike Ashworth | August 30, 1997 | |
| Robin helps a young woman save her sister from a forced marriage. | ||||||
| 20 | 7 | "The Mystery of Druid's Grove" | Harley Cokeliss | Sandra Weintraub | September 6, 1997 | |
| The team must save Kemal and his bride Kadija from a slave trader...who also happens to be an old enemy of Marion's. | ||||||
| 21 | 8 | "The Legend of the Amazons" | Michele Ohayon | Cornelia Gink & Sandra Weintraub | September 27, 1997 | |
| The team helps a group of Amazons find a magic staff before an evil sultan does. | ||||||
| 22 | 9 | "Outlaw Express" | Adrian Carr | David Sloan | October 4, 1997 | |
| Robin poses as his evil look-a-like in order to recapture other escaped prisoners. | ||||||
| 23 | 10 | "The Sceptre" | Terry Bedford | Sandra Weintraub & Chip Graham | October 11, 1997 | |
| Robin's team and Prince John's men work together when an evil sorcerer gets a hold of Merlin's sceptre, and uses it to raise an army of the dead. | ||||||
| 24 | 11 | "Justice for All" | Joe Coppoletta | David Sloan & Sandra Weintraub | October 25, 1997 | |
| A fanatical priest endangers the Druids. | ||||||
| 25 | 12 | "Percy's Ghost" | Vicangelo Bulluck | Leslie Woody | November 1, 1997 | |
| Robin and his team must get four nobles to a secret meeting regarding an alliance against Prince John. | ||||||
| 26 | 13 | "Your Land is My Land" | Andy Armstrong | Steve Barnett | November 8, 1997 | |
| An evil Norman lord terrorizes Saxon farmers into giving him their land, until Robin and the team show up. | ||||||
Season Three (syndication)
27. First Love: Robin's former fiancé seeks the outlaw hero's help in rescuing her husband.
28. The Haunted Castle: An investigation into a man and his daughter's disappearance leads to the team confronting their own fears.
29. The Giant King: When the son of old friend falls ill, Robin and the team seek out the last of a race of Irish giants with healing breath. But when the young man is cured, he becomes a tyrant.
30. Sword of the Samurai: Robin teams up with an aspiring samurai to retrieve a sword from the evil Count Frederick.
31. Robinville: A visit to a celebration in Robin's honor turns chaotic when the son of the man Robin freed the town from seeks revenge.
32. Vanishing Act: When Marion, and later Little John's sister Ingrid, go missing, Robin and Little John get help from a hermit to find them.
33. The Hunter: In a Predator-style episode, Rowena accidentally summons a creature who must collect seven warriors for a sacrifice that will enhance his power.
34. A Date with Destiny: Robin is sent back fifteen years and mistakenly alters history.
35. Orphans: Robin must rescue a young boy from an evil knight who seeks to overthrow his cousin, a queen.
36. The Assassin: Robin and the team must keep three nobles safe from a shapeshifting assassin.
37. Body and Soul: Robin dies in action before his time and must occupy another body while a new one is being created.
38. Assault on Castle Dundeen: The team helps a young lord protect his castle from his evil uncle.
39. The Auction: An auction held by Tuck is put on hold when Robin learns his father may still be alive. Or is he?
Season Four (syndication)
40. Ringside Murder: Tuck is framed for the murder of a lord and the team must clear his name.
41. Heroes: The Sheriff has a look-a-like pose as Robin while the real one is sent back in time, and placed in the body of a treacherous ancestor.
42. Godiva: An evil sorceress seeks revenge on Robin.
43. Raven's Peak: The team must help a man hide when he's accused of murder.
44. Black Rose: An exiled Amazon named Black Rose plans to assassinate Queen Eleanor.
45. The Running Bride: Robin must escort a princess to her wedding while keeping her safe from an evil duke and earl.
46. The Prison: Marion is taken hostage by prisoners who plan to unleash a plague on England.
47. The Rebellion: Olivia (from "First Love") is taken by the evil Lord Tumble after her husband is killed.
48. Return to Camelot: Merlin transports Robin to the past to train a young King Arthur.
49. The Hanged Man: In a plot similar to The Manchurian Candidate, The Sheriff uses a mad scientist to brainwash either Marion, Little John, or Tuck to kill Robin.
50. The Time Machine: A teenager named Elvis travels back to Nottingham via his father's time machine, only to have it stolen by raiders
51. Day After Day: Robin must free his team and a whole village when an evil warlock curses the area to relive the same day over and over until the woman he obsesses over agrees to marry him.
52. Return of the Giant: A lord uses a spell to summon a giant to kidnap the woman who rejected his proposal.
Cast
- Robin Hood - Matthew Porretta (seasons 1-2; the first Robin Hood was played by Matthew Porretta, who previously had a role as Will Scarlett O'Hara in another Robin Hood feature: the 1993 satire comedy, Robin Hood: Men in Tights.); John Bradley (seasons 3-4)
- Lady Marion Fitzwalter - Anna Galvin (season 1); Barbara Griffin (seasons 2-4)
- Little John - Richard Ashton
- Big John - Warwick Davis
- Friar Tuck - Martyn Ellis
- Olwyn - Christopher Lee
- Kemal - Hakim Alston
- Prince John - Andrew Bicknell
- Rowena - Christie Lee Woods
- Marjorie - Hélène Cardona
Home release
The first season of this show was released on DVD on June 1, 2010, and is sold exclusively on the Warner Bros. online shop as a manufacture-on-demand product.[2]
References
- Keith, Scott. "rec.sports.pro-wrestling FAQ". Retrieved 2007-05-02.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-05-30. Retrieved 2010-05-27.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)