TV show · 1997 · Action & Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy · English
Curator score: 3.0/10 (19.4K ratings)
Overview
Warrior Odysseus leaves his idyllic life in the kingdom of Ithaca to fight in the Trojan War. Following victory, he now must endure a lengthy, decade-long return journey, and with all his wits, overcome deadly monsters, powerful forces of nature, seductive enchantresses, and even journey into the bowels of the Underworld.
Ratings
Curator score: 3.0/10
IMDb: 7.0/10
TMDB: 7.2/10
Created by
Andrei Konchalovsky
Production
American Zoetrope, Hallmark Entertainment, Beta Film, KirchMedia, Mediaset, Panfilm
Cast
Armand Assante, Greta Scacchi, Isabella Rossellini, Bernadette Peters, Eric Roberts, Irene Papas, Jeroen Krabbé, Geraldine Chaplin, Vanessa Williams, Christopher Lee, Nicholas Clay, Adoni Anastassopoulos, Paloma Baeza, Ron Cook, Reid Asato, William Houston, Josh Maguire, Roger Ashton-Griffiths, Miles Anderson, Pat Kelman
Where to watch
Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Amazon Prime Video Free with Ads, Tubi TV
Curator Review
Verdict
A lavish, old-school miniseries take on Homer that leans into mythic spectacle, earnest performances, and a faithful episodic journey structure. It’s best appreciated as a grand, slightly stiff 1990s television event rather than a fast-moving modern fantasy series.
Best for
Viewers who enjoy classical mythology and literary adaptations
Fans of prestige miniseries with a theatrical, stagey feel
People who like adventure stories that are more earnest than cynical
Anyone curious about a complete, one-season retelling of a famous epic
Skip if
You want sleek modern fantasy production values
You prefer tightly paced action over long, episodic wandering
You’re looking for a show with sharp contemporary writing or heavy character irony
You dislike older TV miniseries aesthetics or melodramatic performances
Overview
This 1997 adaptation of The Odyssey is a sincere, ambitious television epic that treats the source material with real reverence. It has the pleasures of a classic miniseries: a clear beginning, a complete journey, and a sense of scale that tries to make every island, monster, and divine intervention feel like part of a larger mythic world.
Worth noting
Its strengths are atmosphere, commitment, and the novelty of seeing Homer translated into late-90s TV fantasy. The limitations are equally period-specific: some effects are dated, the pacing can feel broad, and the production often favors solemnity over momentum. That said, the cast gives it enough gravitas to keep the voyage engaging.
Bottom line
If you like literary adaptations and don’t mind a more theatrical, made-for-TV style, it’s worth a look. If you want the sharper storytelling and visual polish of newer fantasy series, this will probably feel more admirable than addictive.