Greek mythology shows have been popular across various genres for decades, with the epic myths and legends of the ancient civilization recreated for the small screen, or even simply inspiring new stories for the modern era. Greek mythology is regularly adapted for the small screen due to how poetic, tragic, and philosophical it can be. That has allowed it to be relatable for fans of everything from romantic stories to high drama to superhero tales. There are even some Greek mythology shows that hide their inspiration by the myths and legends of Ancient Greece so well most viewers have no idea they’re based on millennia-old source material.
Whether it’s epic heroes or the gods on Mount Olympus themselves, Greek mythology is notorious for how wild and unpredictable it can be, making it the perfect source material for thrilling TV shows. Even something as seemingly harmless as having an illegitimate child like Hercules or getting lost on a return journey home changes dramatically when the gods take notice. Greek mythology shows prove that the genre remains in fashion with a mix of vintage and contemporary entries, both in prestige formats and in lighter fare in the swords and sandal genre.
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20 Best Greek Mythology Movies
From classics like Spartacus to offerings from the 21st century like Troy (2004), Greek mythology movies often showcase Hollywood at its finest.
25 Kaos (2024)
The Bombastic Vision Of A Modern World Run By Zeus
One of the latest TV shows about Greek mythology is 2024’s Kaos, which arrived on Netflix in August 2024. Not only does Kaos include one of the most star-studded casts among shows about Greek gods and legends, it’s also one of the most innovative takes on the mythos of the ancient empire. Kaos is set in a modern world that is ruled over by the Greek gods, including Zeus (as played to paranoid perfection by Jeff Goldblum).
Kaos makes use of multiple characters from Greek mythology, including both Gods from Olympus and heroes (and villains) of classic legends, including Orpheus (Killian Scott), his muse Eurydice (Aurora Perrineau), Dionysus (Nabhaan Rizwan), and the Trojan priestess Cassandra (Billie Piper). Many traditions of Ancient Greece have been masterfully reworked into the modern setting, and for viewers seeking a show about Greek mythology with a slick and modern twist, Kaos is bound to satisfy.
24 The Great Greek Myths (2016)
A Solid Documentary That Lays The Foundations For Understanding Greek Mythology
There are dozens, if not hundreds, of documentaries focusing on Ancient Greece, and one of the best for learning about Greek mythology is 2016’s The Great Greek Myths. Featuring animations to accompany each tale, the 20-episode series (which is available on Amazon Prime Videos) takes viewers through 20 key legends or themes across Greek mythology.
For example, the story of Prometheus gets its own episode, whereas Zeus focuses on several, with episode’s 1 and 2 being “Zeus and the Conquest of Power” and “Zeus in Love,” respectively. While a deep and thorough knowledge of the source material isn’t needed to enjoy any show about Greek mythology, it certainly helps, and 2016’s The Great Greek Myths is a great way to get started (or revisit the history behind some of the many myths and legends).
23 The StoryTeller: Greek Myths (1991)
Jim Henson’s Take On Greek Mythology
The 1991 miniseries The StoryTeller: Greek Myths is a great way for younger viewers to learn some of the basics of Greek Mythology. While the show only consisted of four episodes, the fact that they were created by the mind behind The Muppets, Jim Henson, and star the legendary Michael Gambon as the titular StoryTeller already seals The StoryTeller: Greek Myths as a great way to learn.
This TV show about Greek Mythology takes viewers through a few classic Greek legends, all fully dramatized with an ensemble cast, while Gambon’s storyteller (alongside his trust dog, voiced by Brian Henson) narrates the stories. The tales of Theseus, Perseus, and Medusa are just some of the myths covered across the four episodes. Looking back, it is somewhat surprising this miniseries wasn’t taken further, as it was an incredibly innovative way of utilizing the imagination that came with Jim Henson’s puppets and using them in an educational context.
22 Ulysses 31 (1981)
The Anime That Reframes Greek Myths Into The 31st Century
There are several anime shows about Greek Mythology, but one of the most timeless is the French-Japanese cartoon Ulysses 31, which aired between 1981 and 1982. The premise of Ulysses 31 was in some ways straightforward. The show simply took characters from Greek mythology and retold (loosely) their stories in the 31st century. It’s far from a historically accurate show about Greek legends, but it never tries to be, and instead uses Ancient Greece’s myths as a foundation to build a colorful anime space-opera adventure.
The Odyssey is now a space-ship, for example. Zeus remains the god of gods, and Poseidon’s servants have spacecraft shaped like giant tridents. Ulysses is a ship captain in Ulysses 31, and is tasked with finding the interstellar kingdom of Hades so that he can return to earth. While only 26 episodes long, Ulysses 31 serves as both an intriguing twist on Greek mythology and a nostalgic throwback to the unique anime era of the early 1980s.
21 The Mighty Hercules (1963)
The Saturday Morning Cartoon That Inspired Bruce Timm’s Superman Design
Anime isn’t the only subgenre of animation that drew from Greek Mythology. Saturday morning cartoons were entering their heyday in the 1960s, and among the dozens that kick-started the weekend for children across the nation was 1963’s The Mighty Hercules. As the title reveals, The Mighty Hercules monopolized in the spike of popularity of the swords-and-sandal genre of the late 1950s and 1960s, using Hercules as its central point to loosley adapt a multitude of different Greek myths and legends (or characters from them, at least).
The Mighty Hercules didn’t even try to stay true to the source material, but this is no surprise, since its goal was to simply create engaging animated entertainment for younger viewers. Hercules would face a different villain each week, coming down from Mount Olympus to thwart the likes of Medusa, the Cyclops, or The Minotaur. The format was successful enough to carry The Mighty Hercules for 128 episodes, and the character design of Hercules himself was cited as inspiration for Bruce Timm when designing the look of Superman in Superman: The Animated Series.
20 Hercules: The Animated Series (1998)
The Tie-In To The Acclaimed Disney Movie
There’s not much argument that Disney’s Hercules movie was a much more beloved adaptation of the tale than 1995 show, and made him a more charismatic character as well as a Disney prince. However, the movie did a huge time jump and skipped Hercules’ progress from “zero to hero” by including it all in a single musical montage.
The tie-in animated series from Disney explores the unexplored period where Phil was training Hercules to become a hero and mercenary.
The 1998 cartoon series, Hercules: The Animated Series fixes that, although in doing so it makes several contradictions to the film’s timeline. The tie-in animated series from Disney explores the unexplored period where Phil was training Hercules to become a hero and mercenary. That goes to show that montages aren’t all that, and it actually takes plenty of time before one can achieve an Olympian physique. Notably, both Tate Donovan and James Woods returned to voice Hercules and Hades, respectively.
19 Young Hercules (1998)
An Attempt To Bring Greek Mythology To A Younger Audience
While it only lasted for one season, Young Hercules featured an early role for a very young Ryan Gosling. This Greek mythology show was a prequel to Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, and aired on the Fox Kids Network between 1998 and 1999. Hercules attended Cheiron’s Academy to train to become a warrior, all while his half-brother, Ares the God of War, plotted to destroy him.
The show is mostly geared toward a younger audience and its Greek mythology was strained at best when it came to a faithful adaptation.
Kevin Tod Smith reprised his role as Ares from Hercules: The Legendary Journeys for this spinoff series. The show is mostly geared toward a younger audience and its Greek mythology was strained at best when it came to a faithful adaptation. Several characters from Greek legend appeared in the show though, including Jason, Iolaus, Theseus, Hephaestus, and, of course, Zeus. While Young Hercules failed to leave a cultural mark, it was nominated for a PrimeTime Emmy in 1999 for Oustanding Sound Editing.
18 Helen Of Troy (2003)
The Small-Screen Retelling Of One Of History’s Most Notorious Conflicts
Released in 2003, the TV miniseries Helen of Troy followed the woman who stood in the middle of the savage war in Troy that stretched out over 10 years. In Greek mythology, Helen of Troy is Zeus’s daughter and this story came from Homer’s epic poem the Iliad. In the series, the goddess Aphrodite promises him the love of the most beautiful woman in the world.
When Helen of Troy’s father presents her to marry Menelaus, it starts a war between all who fell short of her love. By the time Paris finally arrives, Troy is left in ruins. Helen of Troy picked up several awards, including a nomination for Best Miniseries at the Satellite Awards. This 2003 miniseries is one of several occasions that the siege of Troy has been adapted for screens, with it famously being the subject of the epic movie Troy starring Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Sean Bean, and Orlando Bloom, which was released the following year.
17 The Odyssey (1968)
Horror Icon Mario Bava’s Take On The Classic Tale
There have been several adaptations of Homer’s Odyssey, and an Italian miniseries based on the epic poem arrived in 1968 called The Odyssey. One notable thing about this specific tale of Greek mythology is that Italian horror icon Mario Bava was one of the directors of the eight-hour series. Of all the re-tellings of Homer’s epic, this one sticks closest to the story and is the most faithful to his tale.
The cast was also remarkably well-selected too.
It was clear that Bava had his hand in the series, as it looked like it was pulled out of Ancient Greece and the scene with the one-eyed Polyphemus was as horrific as it was brilliantly realized. The cast was also remarkably well-selected too. Of note is the inclusion of Demkin Fehmiu — a Yugoslavian actor who was the first Eastern European to land a role in Hollywood — as Odysseus.
16 Valentine (2008 – 2009)
Greek Gods Attempt To Navigate The Modern World
Valentine was an unusual Greek mythology show, as it aired on The CW as a romantic comedy-drama in 2008. Created by Kevin Murphy (Desperate Housewives), the Valentine family are gods living among the humans on Earth. They have been hiding their true nature from humans, but they realized that if they don’t do a better job when it comes to matchmaking, they will end up becoming mortals.
What connects this with Greek mythology is that Grace (Jaime Murray) is the Greek god Aphrodite and other gods include Eros, Hercules, Hephaestus, Circe, and Ares. The series only lasted for one season and eight episodes. There are elements of later shows like Small Gods in Valentine, as the Greek pantheon must also come to terms with the fact that they’re much less powerful than they used to be.
Related
10 Exciting Films About Ancient Greece
Fans of Greek epic films should take a look at this list of the best movies that celebrate ancient Greece, which bring to life timeless tales of old.
15 Krapopolis (2023- )
The Quirky Animated Show From Dan Harmon
Rick & Morty co-creator Dan Harmon took Greek mythology and used it to create an adult animated series with Krapopolis. As part of the adult animation block with Family Guy, The Simpsons, and Bob’s Burgers, Krapopolis tells the story of Tyrannis, a demigod and king of Krapopolis who wants to create the world’s first city. However, the humor comes from his family, which includes a Mantitore, a cyclops, a sea creature, and the Goddess of Self-Destruction and Questionable Choice. Also appearing are real gods like Athena, Poseidon, Dionysus, and more.
While it’s one of the least faithful Greek mythology shows when it comes to accurately representing the classic tales, it’s definitely among the funniest and most watchable.
The cast of Krapopolis is a big part of the appeal. Richard Ayoade of The IT Crowd fame, What We Do In The Shadows star Matt Berry, and Ted Lasso’s Hannah Waddingham all lend their voices to the show, and the results are hilarious. While it’s one of the least faithful Greek mythology shows when it comes to accurately representing the classic tales, it’s definitely among the funniest and most watchable.
14 Troy: Fall Of A City (2018)
One Of The Most Original Retellings Of An Epic Ancient Greek Romance
Troy: Fall of a City was a British miniseries based on the Trojan War and is one of several Greek mythology shows (and movies) that’s a re-telling of the love affair of Helen of Troy and Paris. While this story has been re-told often, 2018’s Troy: Fall Of A City is a very different version as it is not based on Homer’s Iliad or Odyssey but is instead an original version of the classic Greek myths.
This series adds in a lot of scenes and moments only hinted at in the original classic epic poems. With that said, this still focuses on the 10-year war between Troy and the Greeks after Paris and Helen leave Sparta for Troy. Troy: Fall Of A City was created by noted playwright David Farr, who aslo served as the screenwriter for 2016’s The Night Manager and the 2011 movie Hanna.
13 Blood Of Zeus (2020)
The Gritty And Gory Story Of Zeus’s Illegitimate Son
One of the latest additions to the pantheon of Greek mythology shows was Netflix’s Blood of Zeus, which arrived in 2020, and painted the ancient world in a new light by portraying it as a bloody animated show. It’s a new tale of a Greek hero but follows a template similar to the story of Theseus. Blood of Zeus follows the coming of age of a man named Heron who, like most fabled Greek myth heroes, is an illegitimate love child of a god, namely Zeus.
This sets off an intertwined plot that eventually culminates into an epic inter-family war in Olympus.
It’s not just Heron’s journey that Blood of Zeus gives focus, but also the brewing drama between Zeus and Hera, the latter of which was vengefully bitter regarding her husband’s affair. This sets off an intertwined plot that eventually culminates into an epic inter-family war in Olympus. Blood of Zeus was critically acclaimed with a rare 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
12 Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (1995)
Easy-Watch Adventures Starring The Ancient World’s Most Famouns Demigod
There have been plenty of iterations of Hercules, from the Marvel Comics character to the animated Disney version. He’s a character in Greek mythology who many young boys aspire to be when they grow up, and before Disney reintroduced the character to the world, there was Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. It’s a campy trip down memory lane and while the show doesn’t necessarily bode well for the critical palate, it’s still enjoyable enough in the realm of Greek mythology shows.
While it’s a little cheesy at points, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys is ultimately a TV show about a hero whose main strength is literally his strength — there’s little in the premise to suggest anything but easy-viewing action. Hercules isn’t exactly known to be the brightest among the demigods either, and that makes him all the more of a relatable character.
11 Class Of The Titans (2005)
Cronus Returns And Must Be Stopped By The Descendants Of Greek Heroes
Not to be confused with Ray Harryhausen’s epic or the remake, Class of the Titans is a cartoon from 2005 that’s quite similar to the Percy Jackson books and movies. It’s a contemporary adaptation of Greek mythology where the supposed descendants of the gods are walking among mere modern mortals. It’s a kid’s show, and adults might find it a bit too sterile for their taste, but when it comes to introducing children to the wonderful world of Greek mythology shows (albeit with tons of sugarcoating), one can’t go wrong with Class of the Titans.
The seven central heroes of the show are drawn together by an ancient prophecy that foretells they’ll be the only ones to stop him.
In terms of the plot, Class of the Titans sees the legendary titan Cronus breaking free of his incarceration in Tartarus to wreak havoc upon the world of mortals once more. The seven central heroes of the show are drawn together by an ancient prophecy that foretells they’ll be the only ones to stop him, as they’re all descended from Greek heroes of legend like Jason of the Argonauts, Artemis, Achilles, and Hercules.
10 Atlantis (2013)
A Deep Sea Submarine Pilot Discovers A World Of Ancient Legend
When it comes to educational Greek mythology shows, BBC proves it won’t lag behind and network loyalists will be pleased to know that it has its own serving of semi-informative adventure title called Atlantis. The whole show takes place in the famed city of Greek myths. A man named Jason somehow got transported several centuries back into the city in its prime after a deep-sea expedition went awry.
A word of warning is in order though: despite the title, the series doesn’t really have much to do with the legendary undersea city Atlantis as viewers may be familiar with. It just uses some of the familiar and established names in history to spin its own tale that’s similar enough to Greek mythology, such as the king of the city being the ruthless Minos, and Hercules, who is reimagined as an aging former prize-fighter.
9 Xena: Warrior Princess (1995)
The Critically Acclaimed Hercules Spinoff
Sam Raimi may be known for his work with Spider-Man and horror movies in the 2020s, but his career received an early boost decades ago with the hit Greek mythology show Xena: Warrior Princess. A classic from the 1990s that still enjoys an enthusiastic fanbase, Xena travels in the same circles as Hercules. In fact, she started as a character on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and was so popular that she got her own spinoff better than the original.
The show eventually surpassed
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
in popularity.
Like many Greek mythology shows, Xena was also based in a world that mixes real historic events, people, and places with fantastic elements from ancient myths, legends, and fables. The show eventually surpassed Hercules: The Legendary Journeys in popularity and generated a loyal and enthusiastic fanbase along with a lot of positive recognition from critics, and starring as the titular warrior princess was definitely a career highlight for actress Lucy Lawless.
8 Cupid (2009)
The Greek God Of Love Must Play Matchmaker In Modern New York
A modern comedic romance that relies on an old legend, Cupid is a revival of a series that aired in 1998. Some basic changes were made, like changing the setting from Chicago to New York, the former having more of a romantic reputation. The basic premise is that the main character just might be the human incarnation of the ancient god, Cupid, and he has a quest to unite 100 couples before returning to Olympus.
Although the show’s title uses the Roman name of the god, the main character’s alias, Ed Ross, is a derivation of the Greek name Eros, and the names are often used interchangeably. Bobby Cannavale, who won a Primetime Emmy Award for his guest role in Will & Grace, plays Ed Ross, and while the show didn’t last beyond its initial season, it’s still worth a watch for fans of Greeky mythology seeking shows that put a modern twist on one of its most intriguing deities.
7 Clash Of The Gods (2009)
The History Channel’s Informative Take On Greek Myths And Legends
The History Channel has its own offering for those who might be less inclined to read up on Greek mythology books for particular reasons. With 2009’s Clash of the Gods, the channel made it a mission to make a compelling Greek mythology show that mixes drama and tension with being informative, covering everything from when Zeus and his siblings fought the Titans through to the Odyssey and the Trojan War. Topics covered include Medusa’s creation and even the Minotaur.
Each episode focuses on a character or event from the Greek mythology.
All the stories are told in a stylized VFX similar to the one popularized by films like 300. Each episode focuses on a character or event from the Greek mythology, with the first being focused on the story of Zeus, followed up by his son Hercules and then his brother Hades. It might be too 3D or animated for some viewers, but anyone looking to enrich their knowledge of Greek mythology ought to be interested.
6 Olympus (2015)
The Live-Action Precursor To Blood Of Zeus
Olympus is pretty similar in theme and story to Netflix’s Blood of Zeus, though it existed five years earlier and on the SyFy channel. It’s one of the Greek mythology shows that tackles the story of another brave young man who may or may not be the son of one of the Olympian mainstays. Throughout the young man’s journey to find out the truth about his past, he eventually becomes a worthy challenger to the Olympians themselves. He must then lead humankind on a quest to become immortal like the gods themselves.
While Olympus is a SyFy show and perhaps lacks the budget of, say, a Netflix historical drama, it still delivers the intrigue and setting mainstays fans of Greek mythology TV shows will love. Olympus focuses on a character simply known as Hero, played by Tom York of Poldark fame. Several known names from the ancient world appear, such as Medea, Minos, Pandora and Xerxes.
