Just four minutes into "Sins of the Past," the first episode of Xena, you'll gladly follow the warrior princess anywhere. Taking on a gang of marauders, she leaps onto an upright spear embedded in the ground and, with a cry of "Ai-yi-yi-yi-yi," does a circular wall of death on their chests. A syndication phenomenon, this audacious 1995 series was a spin-off from Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. Lucy Lawless stars as Xena, dressed to kill in leather and breastplate. Her exploits are legend: "She came down out of the sky in a chariot throwing thunderbolts and breathing fire," remarks one awestruck boy in the first episode. Xena wants to bury her violent past, but there is no rest for the formerly wicked as she takes up arms (and feet) against any number of villains and mythological beasts. She is joined by Gabrielle (Renee O'Connor), a young peasant woman who "is not cut out for this village life," and runs away from home to join Xena in her adventures.

As the series evolved, speculation was rife about the true nature of their relationship. Playful and provocative teasers in several of these episodes give this first season an unexpected erotic charge, as witness "Altared States," in which the two skinnydip, and later, a drugged Gabrielle, revived by Xena, looks upon her and gushes, "By the gods! You are beautiful." Other memorable episodes include "Callisto," which introduces the vengeful female warrior who would further bedevil Xena in seasons to come; "Prometheus," in which Kevin Sorbo guest stars as Hercules; "Chariots of War," in which Xena wears a dress (!), and "Warrior...Princess," in which Xena trades places with her look-alike, a Princess named--yes--Diana, who is the target of assassins. By the gods, Xena is an absolute hoot whose pleasures--stylized action sequences, cheesy special effects, tongue-in-cheek anachronistic dialogue--are anything but guilty ones. Clumsy packaging, lack of commentary, and less than pristine picture quality are minor drawbacks to this otherwise thrilling set. --Donald Liebenson

while not being Buffy the vampire slayer,it certainly had entertainment value and(while not)becoming the best television show ever it is certainly one of the best...its in my top ten list...like when many grew up with Charlies Angels...i grew/ing up with this,Buffy,South Park,the new series of Doctor Who(:D)and The X Files.
season one may not be the best season of the show but it is one of the best ways to start a show.
eppy reviews-
Sins of the Past-4/5-the start of a cultural icon.
Chariots of war-3/5
Dreamworker-5/5
Cradle of Hope-3/5
The Path Not Taken-4/5
The Reckoning-5/5-Ares Debut on the show.
The Titans-4/5
Prometheus-5/5-Xena competes with Hercules
Death in Chains-4/5
Hooves and Harlots-5/5
The Black Wolf-4/5
Greeks Bearing Gifts-3/5
Performing Bards-2/5
A Fistful of Dinars-4/5
Warrior...Princess-5/5-Lucy Lawless plays a dual role.
Mortal Beloved-4.5/5
Royal Couple of Thieves-4/5
The Prodigal-2/5
Altared States-3/5
Ties That Bind-4/5
The Greater Good-5/5
Callisto*-5/5-the best episode of this season and one of the best episodes ever!!!a must watch.
Death Mask-3/5
Doctor in the house-3/5

all in all a classic season of the show that demands multiple views...so purchase it today.

the season of the show on dvd that is, since it was released in two half box sets last time. For those of you who came in late: this is a fantasy show about xena, warrior princess out to atone for past bad deeds by doing good ones, and how she travels around with her friend gabrielle, a bard, doing just that. Often comedic in tone, tongue in cheek, and occasionally really rather serious, a hugely entertaining show.

This collects the entire first season of twenty four episodes, and has four a disc, and six discs in total. This does appear to be a bit of a rush effort, as there's no direct scene access, no blurbs on the box in regard to each individual episode, it contains a trailer from the company for 'tv classics to video' [and not to dvd?!?] and the only extras are two photo galleries.

but what the heck. the episodes are in the right order. and in one box set. so it's worth having.

I gave the new boxsets (uk ones) 5 stars just because its XENA and nothing else there are yet again no extras for the uk dvds so whats the point in releasing them again

i purchased all six seasons in collectors case plus the anniversary boxset (R1) for ??90 from ebayy these are the far superior these r1 dvds have just about every xena behind the scenes and making ofs plus all other extras you can imagine

so go for the R1 dvds instead thats if you are a true xena fan

I have purchased this new edition of Xena:Warrior Princess Complete Series 1 and 2, and I am very glad that I did! The episodes are finally in the right order: the series 1 boxset contains all 24 of season One episodes, and in the right order! It is a delight to witness Xena and Gabrielle's adventures at the early years of their travels together.
Very recommended!

I did not watch this first time around on UK tv as could not get the channels that were showing it, however over the last 2 years I have collected the box sets and watched these but they are now quite hard to find so am glad they have released this version.

I would highly recommend this series as there are some excellent episodes, the main appeal to the series for me is Xena and Gabriell's relationship and how this grows and evolves through the series, there are 6 series all together and I've not yet watched the last, but have been told by friends that it is excellent. There are also some very funny episodes and some that will really make you think about life in general.

Another reviewer commented on the last box sets and how series one, volume I, had some episodes repeated on the volume II box set, I hope this is sorted as I have recently realised that I now have episodes missing, however watching it at the time I did not notice.

I hope you enjoy the hours of entertainment but make sure you have the next box sets ready as there are many great cliff hangers at the series finale, that you'll want to know what happens next.