Best Xena replacement show, movie, or books?
Posted by jicara_india427@reddit | xena | View on Reddit | 62 comments
Xena is one of my favorite characters and I'm nostalgia watching. Does anyone have recs for anything similar? Like, bad ass women seem to be the norm now (yay!) but not anyone who has a dark past and now does good for the sake of it. Usually there's a revenge aspect and that's not what I'm looking for.
So, shows, books (omg love books) or movie ideas??
Thank you š
Objective_Twist_7373@reddit
Birds of Prey has one or two seasons years ago on the WB/CW. It didnāt take off due to lack of interest, but I thought it was pretty good.Ā
Lost Girl is supernaturalā¦ the main character is Bi. Boā¦ her past is dark to her. Could be a fit.
Sheena is another old one from 2000.
jicara_india427@reddit (OP)
omg!! I loved lost girl! I don't think I finished the series but it was so good.
ty for birds of prey! I'll check that and sheena out. I've never heard of sheena tho.
Objective_Twist_7373@reddit
I finished a Xena rewatch and it made me sad. I might watch Lost Girl again.
Oh the original Charmed and Reign have strong female characters too.
Prior_Recipe_5999@reddit
the charmed reboot isnt as bad as people think either
jicara_india427@reddit (OP)
nooo... it is lol. I went in with an open mind and they went really weird with it. had such potential too! I really wanted to like it but ugh š I'm still mad about this lol
Prior_Recipe_5999@reddit
I see where u went wrong
U dismissed it too quickly
Sometimes u gotta be patient with a show and give it time to grow on u
Itāll start out awkward and then glow up
Like pubertyĀ
Canāt just leave a show in its awkward phase u gotta nurture itĀ
Prior_Recipe_5999@reddit
Ur not one of those āit went wokeā people are you ?
Prior_Recipe_5999@reddit
I knew people like u who were initially put off but they stuck with it and they were won over in the later half of s1 and fell in love with s2 and consider it one of the best seasonsĀ
Please give it another chance Iām telling u ur wrong about the showĀ
Prior_Recipe_5999@reddit
I actually watched the entire show start to finish trust meĀ
U probably should give it another chanceĀ
Prior_Recipe_5999@reddit
U must have not finished it then it had a rough start but The show got better with each season try giving it another chanceĀ
jicara_india427@reddit (OP)
I'm such a charmed fan it's bad lol. I've been rewatching that lately too.
Objective_Twist_7373@reddit
I was like 13/14 when it aired and so addicted. We had basic channel access, so when Prue died, it was all sound. I could just hear it. I was so scared and told my best friend not to tell me. I found out she died in the new season after summer. I remember it years later.
Technical_Activity78@reddit
Alias starring Jennifer Garner is great. Sheās a spy and lots of fight scenes. It came on the year after Xena ended and got me through lol ended up loving it.
jicara_india427@reddit (OP)
oh I remember this!! I liked this a lot but didn't watch religiously. do you remember dark angel? alias reminded me of it and I loved dark angel haha
Informal_Border8581@reddit
I always considered Leverage to be a modern day Xena. It's not warlords anymore, it's corrupt executives. Nate Ford and Eliot Spencer are very Xena-coded, Sophie is to Nate what Gabrielle was to Xena, Parker is Callisto, Hardison is a mix of Joxer and Autolycus. That's just my interpretation though. Because Xena is the gold standard and I measure every other show/movie by it. Seriously. Watching the MCU, with Thor's hammer and Captain America's shield,etc , I just kept saying Xena's chakram was better...
jicara_india427@reddit (OP)
ohhh ok, I see where you're going. I'd prefer woman led tho, and for some reason damages is in my head now š but I've been interested in leverage so I'll definitely check it out. love how you broke down the xena characters lol
but omg you're right, nothing comes close to the chakram!
Xyber-Faust@reddit
Stargirl
Agents Of SHIELD
jicara_india427@reddit (OP)
ohhh I need to finish shield! didn't think about stargirl so ty!
Seed0fDiscord@reddit
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, badass woman who fights evil cause of destiny
pit_of_despair666@reddit
Yep I went from watching Xena to watching Buffy. I also recommend Jessica Jones, Veronica Mars, Fringe, Felicity, Alias, Dark Angel, The OA, Fallout, Battlestar Galactica, Firefly, and Agatha All Along.
jicara_india427@reddit (OP)
you've got good taste!
jicara_india427@reddit (OP)
love buffy but she doesn't have a dark past? her present was hella dark though š
Seed0fDiscord@reddit
She burned down a gym full of vampāasbestos
DrLoomis131@reddit
Out of the box suggestion but the tv series Penny Dreadful - main character is Vanessa Ives and she has a dark past (and darkness within) while trying to do the best she can. Itās a gathering of many horror literature characters - Dracula, Frankenstein, Dorian Gray, witches, etc. If you donāt mind some horror moments and an ensemble cast, I think you would REALLY enjoy her character.
Another horror drama is Bates Motel - the lead character is Norma Bates and she also has a ton of baggage in her past that gets explored while sheās just trying to live her life running the motel. She was nominated for an Emmy for her performance.
All Iāve got is Horror lol
jicara_india427@reddit (OP)
hey I love horror so I'm down! I've been interested in both of these since they came out so time to move them up the list! ty!
Separate_Tax_2647@reddit
Wynonna Earp, who hunts demons in a modern-day but western setting, with her sister, a woman-sheriff and Doc Holliday as a love insterst.
SprayWild9015@reddit
Love Wynonna Earp! There is also tales of purgatory on audible. Kat Barrell, could play a new age Xena, met her a few months ago at a con her in OZ.
MercilessShadow@reddit
Yes! They even reference Xena several times with the outfits. Wynonna is like Xena if she was a moody alcoholic in present day lol
Prior_Recipe_5999@reddit
i rewatched WE recently i never noticed a xena reference
michelle_js@reddit
I scrolled down to find this and upvote!
Prior_Recipe_5999@reddit
Relic hunter is like xena cross indiana jones only the main character is basically a mix of xena's fighting ability and gabrielle's ethics
Prior_Recipe_5999@reddit
black scorpion is like xena mixed with power rangers its short tho
TheEntreprenerd@reddit
Jessica Jones from Marvel might be the first series that has scratched a bit of Xena itch. The lead is a strong female, with supernatural strength. Being tormented by her past, her disposition and the antagonist, plus a lesbian storyline (Carrie-Anne Moss).
Another one that had a very strong female lead and an interesting storyline but not much kung-fu fighting is Orphan Black. Kept me at the edge of my seat and entertained throughout the series. Plus, a pretty major lesbian storyline!
If you want to go old school, same era, we talk Buffy (lesbian storyline), Charmed, Alias, which all have some nice fighting styles and enough sci-fy/fantasy!
thesleepycat@reddit
Yes to these two recs!!!
TheGreatMonk@reddit
Orphan black is sooooo good
BlitzNova_@reddit
Rizzoli and Isles
SexyTiredSmurfette@reddit
Relic Hunter and She Spies
leiathelab@reddit
Legend of the Seeker was a 2-season show that involves a lot of the same filming locations & actors as Xena. Joxer and Draco both play small parts in the show, and probably several others who Iāve forgotten. Thereās also Cara, a female lead in season 2 with a dark past who I just love. She gives me early Xena vibes.
RoseBlue_8@reddit
The Judge From Hell.
hottie-von-coolie@reddit
Orphan Black, with Tatiana Maslany is amazing!
CaladanCarcharias@reddit
Itās amazing how many characters Tatiana portrays and how they all have distinguishable personalities, quirks, and mannerisms!
hottie-von-coolie@reddit
Yes!! She earned her Emmy!
Disastrous_Ad_4504@reddit
Lost girl for sure! Which is see has been suggested a lot. Also- the 100! My wife got really into the 100 fan fic during the pandemic too.
Disastrous_Ad_4504@reddit
Also if youāre into gaming, the Horizon games give me major xena vibes sometimes. And Aloy is a lesbian š
Necessary_Cow_1152@reddit
It aired around the same time and it's a different style of science-fiction but Star Trek Voyager is great. Kate Mulgrew as captain Janeway is a very tough lady and would just incinerate Xena with her phaser if she could hit her lol Later Jeri Ryan as Seven being a half Borg with force field shielding and superior targeting and plasma weapons could definitely at least hurt Xena imo š¤
Its comfort TV to me. I mean they are lost in space she is like the tough mother captain of the ship lol
I also watch the show 'Reign'....it's not action but historical fiction drama about Mary Queen of scots. It inspired me to read about the actual history of her and Catherine de Medici and some of the history of France, Scotland, and England at the time. Great portrayal of Catherine by Megan Follows. Catherine de Medici in real life had to have been tough. She held France together for decades as her husband then sickly sons die after becoming King it's crazy
elusivesanity25@reddit
If you like the are they/arenāt they queer baiting, Rizzoli & Isles. There are even some character similarities. I remember thinking āthis feels really familiarā when I first started watching it, and then it finally clicked.
the_warrior_princess@reddit
Wheel of Time!
kimberst@reddit
Wheel of time is so great!
jicara_india427@reddit (OP)
oh really? I didn't realize, ty!
stayclassyhitchcock@reddit
Buffy
10Panoptica@reddit
Weird suggestion, but have you seen Crazy Ex Girlfriend? The main character is an anti-heroine with an undiagnosed mental illness. She is haunted by a dark past and spends the show struggling to be a good person and cope with her issues. Also, it's got a really wide range of comedy to drama, that's really fun.
PrettySailor@reddit
It's completely different, but you might enjoy Yellowjackets, because it has the whole strong women survivors dealing with their dark past thing, and there's some mystical cult stuff that's reminiscent of the shamans in Xena.
Agent8699@reddit
Lost Girl is pretty much the closest Iāve come across. Bo and Kenzi being the Xena and Gabrielle of course, with Bo also having a dark past.
Jessica Jones and Orphan Black also came close, although tonally they were darker. Orphan Black is incredible!Ā
Iām not a huge fan of any of the knock offs from Xenaās original surge of popularity, like Relic Hunter.
I canāt think of any modern day comparisons in terms of the characters. Maybe Legends of Tomorrow, particularly the later seasons when Sara was the captain. The large ensemble cast meant it wasnāt the Sara and Ava show though.
Tonally, thereās modern day shows like Our Flag Means Death, which could be a gender bent Xena and Gabrielle. And What We Do in the Shadows.
There was an awesome movie on Netflix called Old Guard which kind of scratched the Xena itch for me.Ā
And you could always look at the old, Hong Kong action movies that originally inspired Xena - The Bride With White Hair, etc.Ā
clearsign42@reddit
Lost Girl
Valuable_Detail_4531@reddit
Charmed
Gonzale1978@reddit
Jessica jones,agents of shield, stargate SG-1, alias, orphan black.
But_like_whytho@reddit
A couple of shows that were similar from the same era are Relic Hunter and Queen of Swords, both of which are on FreeVee. Theyāre not dark, but they are from the same time period with strong female leads and some camp.
Tenou21@reddit
It was only on for 2 seasons before it got cancelled, but Dark Angel (2000) starring Jessica Alba has exactly what you're looking for, a badass woman with a dark past, and now mostly does good for the sake of it. Mostly. Though sometimes she does it for the money.
Priapus3@reddit
I'm actually going to say something that's probably gonna be seen as controversial but, if you're not locked in to live action but okay with anime, Vinland Saga tells a very similar story, just with a lot less comedy and a lot more blood and depression.
It is a male lead instead of female, in fact any sense of female empowerment is sadly absent, at a glance, but it doesn't take too much squinting to compare Thorfinn to Xena when you really stop to think about it.
Story structure is also somewhat different, the entire first season is basically the equivalent of "what if the entire series was about Xena's warlord days", it's the second season where the redemption arc really takes off.
Overall not normally a series I'd recommend to Xena fans given the severe tone differences, but if you really want another story about a warrior who's done terrible things and eventually turns a new leaf after some introspective, then Vinland will give you that.
godsibi@reddit
Blue Eye Samurai
Twilight of the Gods
Both are animated TV shows on Netflix
IseQween@reddit
Unfortunately, nothing satisfies my XWP addiction better than rewatches and fanfic. I haven't read any of the uber books, but I understand many are very good and capture the darkness in either the Xena or Gabrielle type character.
Spacer-Star-Chaser@reddit
I've seen some people mention The Outpost as a spiritual successor. I don't quite agree because the premise is very different but it does have a badass protagonist with a dark past and there's definitely a revenge aspect if I remember correctly. At the very least, it's worth checking it out.