A four-hour miniseries for NBC, this reinterpretation of the myth of Hercules stars dark and brooding Paul Telfer as the title character, and an all-star supporting cast. Hercules is the bastard son of the beautiful Alcmene (Elizabeth Perkins, BIG), who was the object of the god Zeus's unwanted affections while waiting for her husband Amphitryon's (former 007 Timothy Dalton, THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS) return. Zeus's jealous wife Hera curses Hercules from the start, and he is rejected by his mother, who banishes him to the mountains along with his music teacher, Linus (Sean Astin, LORD OF THE RINGS), where he encounters the nymph Deianeira (Leelee Sobieski, THE GLASS HOUSE, MY FIRST MISTER). Later he is tricked into killing his two sons, as well as his nephews, and the unlucky hero, whose suicide is prevented by his godly father, is condemned by king Eurystheus (Kristian Schmid, THE GREAT RAID) to carry out 12 labors of repentance. These are executed with the strength and courage for which Hercules is known, and are charmingly accompanied by Hercules's self-styled bard, Linus.