Did the rapid success of Xena sway many viewers from Hercules during the air? In my memory, Xena received wildly more attention in the media and talk shows
with its innovative design, and Hercules seemed to fade into the background quite a bit despite being the parent show.
For instance, I watched the first two seasons, simultaneously when Herc 2 and Xena 1 were on, then gravitated away to watching Xena full time, returning to Herc when it featured Xena characters or the Dahak arc. I lost nearly complete interest in Hercules and only watched Revelations and Full Circle as my last eps.
I don't like to think that Xena's tipping the balance was partially what influenced Sorbo to quit, and as far as I know he's never expressed it outwardly in interviews. But given the tremendous exposure and public attraction to Xena, it seems it could've been an unspoken reason.
For instance, I watched the first two seasons, simultaneously when Herc 2 and Xena 1 were on, then gravitated away to watching Xena full time, returning to Herc when it featured Xena characters or the Dahak arc. I lost nearly complete interest in Hercules and only watched Revelations and Full Circle as my last eps.
I don't like to think that Xena's tipping the balance was partially what influenced Sorbo to quit, and as far as I know he's never expressed it outwardly in interviews. But given the tremendous exposure and public attraction to Xena, it seems it could've been an unspoken reason.
