With the loss of its progenitor, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (bar the final eight episodes), Xena: Warrior Princess is out on its own for the first time this year. Going by last season’s cliffhanger ending (before the clip show, naturally), it seems unlikely that there could be anyone to make a series about, as Xena had had her back broken and, despite Gabrielle’s best efforts to help, found herself nailed to a cross next to her best friend. Last seen apparently breathing their last, the feisty twosome are promised to be back in action imminently.

In fact it seems likely that, possibly to stop Xena going the way of Hercules, the sixth season has already been commissioned. There are plenty of rumors flying about the new season, with Ted Raimi saying in an online session that there may be another musical show (this is likely to be currently-planned third episode Succession), but also being considered is a story done completely as computer-generated animation. With regular villain Caesar out of the way, there is a theory that Vlad the Impaler will be making an appearance.

Speaking of returning foes, after a higher profile turn this summer as a villain in the movie Chill Factor, Hudson Leick will no doubt be returning at some point as Xena’s arch-foe Callisto. After the revelation last season that she is destined to run into Xena in many different lives through the ages, Alti (Claire Stansfield) is also scheduled for a reunion with her enemy in fourth episode Them Bones, Them Bones, in which she is unwittingly resurrected from her bones by an Amazon.

Other episodes in production as the fall season approaches include fifth episode Animal Attraction and second episode Chakram, which explains the origins of Xena’s weapon of choice. It also features the return of Joxer, who attempts to tell Gabrielle how he feels about her, and after the excitement generated a few years back by Xena and Gabrielle sharing a hot tub, you can expect more of the same, but solely with the warrior princess this time.

The biggest problem to affect both Xena and her real-life counterpart in the early section of the season, however, is Lucy Lawless’s pregnancy, something that will have to be written into the show, or it would be necessary to write out Xena for several episodes. Speaking to E! Online, Lawless revealed that she knows the identity of the father of Xena’s child, but she’s not giving anything away. After Gabrielle’s luck with kids, though, she’d better hope Xena’s baby is on the side of good…

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