7.4 /10 1 Votes
8.2/10 TV First episode date 20 September 1999 | 6.5/10 IMDb Created by Gil Grant Original language(s) English Final episode date 20 May 2002 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Genre MysteryFantasyActionAdventure Starring Tia CarrereChristien AnholtLindy BoothTanja Reichert Country of origin Cast | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Relic Hunter is an anglophone Canadian television series, starring Tia Carrere and Christien Anholt.
Contents
- Overview and themes
- Cast and characters
- Relics featured in the series
- Production
- International distribution
- DVD releases
- References
It centers on Sydney Fox, a professor who is also a globe-trotting "relic hunter" who looks for ancient artifacts to return to museums and/or the descendants of the original owner. She is aided by her linguistic assistant Nigel and occasionally by her somewhat air-headed secretary Claudia. She often ends up battling rival hunters seeking out artifacts for monetary gain. The series includes fantasy and science fiction elements, with many of the relics featured having genuine supernatural powers or being pieces of unusually advanced technology.
It ran for three seasons in the U.S. between 1999 and 2002 after fulfilling its initial three-season, 66-episode contract, from which it was not renewed. In both Ireland and the United Kingdom, it is aired on Sky1 and subsidiary channels, while in Canada, it is aired on CityTV and Space, CTV's sister network A-Channel and recently Showcase. The series was shot in the Toronto area, and includes many familiar local landmarks among its locations.
Overview and themes
Relic Hunter follows the globe-trotting adventures of unorthodox American archaeologist Sydney Fox (Tia Carrere), and her more reserved British assistant Nigel Bailey (Christien Anholt). They are assisted at their "home base", a generic American university identified only as Trinity College, by ditzy student secretary Claudia (Lindy Booth), the spoiled and fashion-conscious daughter of one of the college's major donors. The character of Claudia was replaced in the third season by Karen Petrushky (Tanja Reichert), who is closer to the standard "sexy secretary" stereotype but who was more talented than Claudia at dealing with predicaments of a bureaucratic nature.
At the beginning of each episode, there is a short flashback in which a relic or artifact is used or abused in its original time before being lost, stolen or hidden. The show cuts to Trinity College in the present day, where Sydney and Nigel are asked to find the relic by some person or agency such as a museum, private collector (in disguise) or government. Most episodes feature the duo traveling around the globe, hunting for clues in order to find the artifact. Complications abound, often with rival relic hunters getting involved, generally giving Sydney a chance to show off her martial arts prowess. It is then up to Sydney and Nigel to seize the relic and ensure it ends up in the proper hands (such as the rightful owners or a suitable museum). Each episode ends with a scene at Trinity College explaining what has happened to the relic.
The plots in Relic Hunter usually take a grain of historical information and are dramatized in order to fit in with the story. There are, however, some historical errors on the show. For example, the episode "Devil Doll" mentioned Cuzco as an Aztec city but Cuzco was an Inca. Also "Gypsy Jigsaw" features some goofs: though the action takes place in Romania, the plate number of the taxi is not Romanian, the name of the places have no any resemblance with any Romanian place, and the Romanians in that episode talk with a rather Slavic accent than Romanian one. (Romanian is a Latin language and not a Slavic one.)
Many episodes feature comic moments interlaced with the action. Sydney also knows how to hold her own in a fight and Carrere is often involved in many fights and stunts in the show. The show also exploits the sexual tension between Sydney and Nigel, including one episode in which they went undercover in a nudist colony. Sydney is also frequently seen wearing skimpy clothing, with lots of cleavage and tight-fitting shorts; this was a major aspect of the series.
Cast and characters
Relic Hunter featured four starring roles throughout its run. The two protagonists of the series, Sydney Fox and Nigel Bailey are the only characters to appear in all 66 episodes of the series.
There were also a number of recurring characters in the series:
Relics featured in the series
The following table lists the relics featured in each episode, together with the time and location of the flashback sequence and any other locations used in the episode.
Production
The "Trinity College" campus scenes were filmed at the St. George campus at the University of Toronto in Canada. Campus landmarks prominently featured throughout the series include Victoria College and the Soldier's Tower (directly adjacent to Hart House).
The "Antianeirai" episode ship scenes were filmed aboard HMCS Haida, the last Tribal Class destroyer in the world, when she was berthed at Ontario Place, in Toronto, Canada. For instance, the scene where Sydney finds the belt was filmed in the forward mess deck. All onboard signage was covered with Russian words. Haida has a red maple leaf on one of her funnels and this was covered with a "bird" design. Anything that would show the ship to be of Canadian, or "western" origin, was removed for the film shoot.
All seasons were filmed in widescreen 16:9 but mainly shown in pan and scan 4/3 as are most of Fireworks Entertainment productions from 2000. The widescreen versions of all seasons are available for viewing at Netflix in Nordics as of 2012.
International distribution
Relic Hunter was broadcast in many countries around the world including:
DVD releases
Alliance Home Entertainment has released all three seasons of Relic Hunter on DVD in Region 1 (Canada only), for the very first time.
In Region 4, Warner Home Video released season 1 on DVD in Australia in two volume sets in 2005, these sets are now out of print. Madman Entertainment subsequently acquired the rights and released the second season on DVD in 2006 and the third season in 2010. A complete Season 1 box set was released by Madman on February 2, 2011.