Growing up, I was a massive fan of the movie Highlander. Something about the mixture of swordfights, history and the soundtrack by Queen really spoke to me, and it was a favourite I returned to over and over again. Heck, I even kind of liked the terrible sequel, Highlander 2: The Quickening, but I draw the line at Highlander: The Final Dimension, which still may be one of the worst movies I ever saw in theatres as a kid. Highlander The Series though, that was really good!
Despite flopping theatrically in 1986, Highlander, starring Christopher Lambert as an immortal warrior named Connor MacLeod, was an international hit at the box office and cleaned up on home video. After a disappointing sequel (Highlander 2: The Quickening), the decision was made to spin the franchise off into a TV show. The show, which starred Adrian Paul as Duncan MacLeod, ran for six seasons, spawning a spin-off (Highlander: The Raven) and two films (Highlander: Endgame, Highlander: The Source).
As a Highlander fan, I’d wager that the show was the best iteration of the franchise, outside of the original film that we’ve ever gotten. Ignoring all the sequels, this one assumes Connor didn’t actually win “The Prize” in the original movie, as there are still loads of Immortals out there. However, we get a lot more info and their world, including the organization (The Watchers) that observe them. Adrian Paul, who became an international heartthrob, made for an excellent immortal. The show had a very popular run, even if the movies that followed it were both abysmal, as was the spin-off series.
In this episode of Gone But Not Forgotten, we take a look into the show’s origins, including the pilot, which featured Christopher Lambert as Connor, the spin-offs, feature films and the show’s enduring legacy.
Do you remember Highlander The Series? Let us know in the comments! Gone But Not Forgotten is written and edited by Dave Arroyo, narrated by Jesse Shade, produced by Chris Bumbray, and executive produced by Berge Garabedian. Check out some previous episodes below!