Enough said.

Next month, "Xena" enters its third season, debuting locally Oct. 5 on WPTT-22, a UPN affiliate. In 22 new episodes, Xena and Gabrielle will battle familiar and new foes. Xena's primary weapon is a chakram, a razor-sharp, discus-shaped throwing ring that acts like a boomerang. Her war cry ("Ay-yi-yi-yi!") sends fear into the hearts of her opponents.

Set in the "Golden Age of Mythology," before the ascendance of both the Greek and Roman cultures, "Xena's" storylines run from heart-wrenching drama to slapstick comedy.

Its popularity is fueled by viewers of both sexes. For the 1996-97 television season, the average episode was watched by 5.5 million households, according to Nielsen Media Research. That is typically higher than "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys," another successful syndicated show from which "Xena" was spun off. Xena first appeared on that show in March 1995, and "Xena: Warrior Princess" debuted that September.

Fans have shown their support for "Xena" in many ways. The show has developed a cult-like following on the Internet, with hundreds of fans creating Web sites devoted to the show. In addition, there are dozens of sites for each of the various individual characters.

They've also taken over parts of the English language. These Xenaphiles - what devotees call themselves - Xenafy many words. The Xenaverse is the name given to the show's timeline, since the show often jumps from one time period to another, with many anachronistic objects, people and phrases. They say the show is filmed in New Xenaland instead of New Zealand (where it is filmed) and stars "Lucy Flawless."

For Orlando, Fla.-bound fans, there is "Hercules and Xena: Wizards of the Screen," a new daily attraction at Universal Studios, which combines characters from both series. "We've taken both of the programs and done a special cross-over episode, without the sound and special effects," said Linda Buckley, director of publicity for Universal Studios in Orlando. "We take each audience behind the scenes, utilizing the world of post-production. We provide the finishing sound and effects required for the production.

"There's 205 people in each audience," said Buckley. "We select 13 people who actually participate in the production: They either act, become centaurs (half man/half horse) or operate a mechanical monster. They end up on the screen with Kevin Sorbo (Hercules) and Lawless.

The attraction opened July 12, with both Sorbo and Lawless attending the ceremonies. "We had them unveil this 24-foot sword," said Buckley. "They arrived via horse-drawn chariot. There were thousands of screaming fans who had arrived even before the studio opened - in anticipation of their arrival."

The first-ever Hercules and Xena convention, held earlier this year, was a sold-out event. There are more conventions planned for this year and next.

The Official Hercules/Xena Convention/East will be held Oct. 4 and 5 at the Valley Forge Convention Center, about 15 miles east of Philadelphia in Montgomery County, while the Official Hercules/Xena Convention/West will be held Oct. 18 in San Francisco.

Of course, with success comes spin-off marketing. There are "Xena" shirts, dolls, action figures, mugs and much more. This summer, the Official Xena: Warrior Princess Fan Club was formed. With almost no advertisements except for the World Wide Web, the fan club already has more than 3,500 members, according to Sharon Delaney, its president.

Delaney said she receives about 600 e-mails a day, including notes from fans, letters from electronic mailing lists and requests for information. She also handles the paper fan mail for Lawless. Delaney is also the editor of the quarterly newsletter, The Chakram.

Next month, The Official Xena: Warrior Princess magazine will debut from Topps Publishing. Topps also published the first of a "Xena" comic book line last month. A direct-to-video "Xena" (and "Hercules") animated video is scheduled for a Jan. 6 release.

Back to the Lucy Lawless Library

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