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I'm a big fan of S4 as well, so I can understand why people would vote for it - the AN eps were excellent, particularly in the way they were able to work around Kevin Sorbo's health problems while still keeping him in an important subplot, and Stranger in a Strange World had one of my all-time favorite shout-outs to The Prisoner.

I agree that several of the S4 Herc comedies were less than stellar - TPTB were desperately trying to figure out what to do while Sorbo was on restricted duty and spawned some fairly dubious eps in the process (Porkules and One Fowl Day spring immediately to mind). I also think that there was still a desire to make sure that there was an ep or two "for the kids," which may explain Beanstalks and Bad Eggs (although no ep with Auto could be all bad). OTOH, this season marked the first appearances of Nebula, as well as the last one of the magnificent Cory Everson as Atalanta, so it all balances out at the end.

Sorbo and Hurst had an amusing exchange in their DVD interview for Hercules on Trial -

Sorbo: I remember that I was doing a lot of pontificating . . .
Hurst: There was nothing else to do!

I can see how they might feel that way as actors, but I thought that Robert Bielak and the other writers did a pretty good job of taking what could have been a pretty dull assignment (quick, cheap bottle show to fill the schedule) and using it to raise some interesting questions. It's also the only time I remember Ares doing on Herc what he so often did on Xena, acting as the Great Tempter and acid commenter on the folly of Herc's do-goodism. I liked the eps where TPTB rounded up some of the characters from earlier eps, and it was great that they could get Claudia Black back to reprise her role in Atlantis. Favorite scene - Lisa Chapell as Dirce questioning herself as Princess Melissa and complimenting herself on her "extraordinary beauty!"