Series synopsis
Highlander: The Series is an American sci-fi & fantasy drama action & adventure television series that premiered on Syndication on October 3, 1992. It ended on May 16, 1998. It was created by Gregory Widen. It stars Adrian Paul, Jim Byrnes, Jason Isaacs and Marion Cotillard.
Duncan MacLeod cannot die -- he is a 400-year-old immortal, who has seen his share of humanity's history. Still, he risks his life in battle against other immortals and tries to save people from harm.
Premise
Duncan MacLeod cannot die -- he is a 400-year-old immortal, who has seen his share of humanity's history. Still, he risks his life in battle against other immortals and tries to save people from harm.
Premise: THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Adrian Paul as Duncan MacLeod
- Jim Byrnes as Joe Dawson
- Jason Isaacs as Zachary Blaine
- Marion Cotillard as Lori Bellian
- Stella Stevens as Margaret Lang
- Philip Akin as Charlie DeSalvo
- Tracy Scoggins as Cassandra
- Stan Kirsch as Richie Ryan
Guest cast
- Alexandra Vandernoot as Tessa Noël
- Vanity as Rebecca Lord
- Cleo Rocos as Juliette Fitzcairn
- Nicholas Clay as Loxley
- Christopher Lambert as Connor MacLeod
- Richard Moll as Slan Quinse
- Peter DeLuise as Clinch
- J.E. Freeman as Joe Scanlon
- Tamsin Kelsey as Mrs. Gustavson
- Walter Marsh as Mr. Stubbs
- Jessica Van der Veen as Secretary
- Mary McDonald as Old Peasant
Episodes
This series spans 7 seasons with 120 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 0 | 1 | April 27, 2003 | April 28, 2003 |
| Season 1 | 22 | October 3, 1992 | May 22, 1993 |
| Season 2 | 22 | October 2, 1993 | May 28, 1994 |
| Season 3 | 22 | October 1, 1994 | June 3, 1995 |
| Season 4 | 20 | October 1, 1995 | September 28, 1996 |
| Season 5 | 20 | September 23, 1996 | May 24, 1997 |
| Season 6 | 13 | October 4, 1997 | May 16, 1998 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Highlander: Reunion 10 years after Highlander: the Series left off, Methos, Amanda and Joe are doing some catching up. |
April 28, 2003 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
The Gathering Duncan McLeod is roused from his peaceful existence with the love of this life, Tessa Noel, when he is challenged to Immortal combat by Slan Quince, an Evil Immortal. An old friend and Clansman, Connor MacLeod, comes to try and convince Duncan to once more join the fray in the battle of Good versus Evil. This episode also introduces Richie Ryan, a kid from the streets whom Duncan befriends after catching him breaking into his antique store. |
October 3, 1992 |
| 2 |
Family Tree Richie falls for a con man's ploy when he attempts to find out more about his parents, whom he has never known. The con uses Richie for a place to crash and anything else he can get out of him by pretending to be his father. MacLeod also relives his past in the memories of first becoming immortal and being cast out of his clan by his father. |
October 10, 1992 |
| 3 |
Road Not Taken A deadly herbal drug takes the life of Richie's friend, and MacLeod suspects the source of the drug is another Immortal, Kiem Sun, who has long sought to perfect such a drug and remove its lethal side effects for the betterment of mankind. But a disciple of Kiem Sun's is using the drug for his own gain, and MacLeod and his old friend must track him down. When it becomes clear that Kiem Sun plans to continue his experiments, MacLeod destroys the remaining sample of the drug. |
October 17, 1992 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
The Watchers Determined to investigate the death of his old friend Darius, MacLeod follows a lead back to his old stomping grounds in the Pacific Northwest. He meets Joe Dawson, a bookstore owner with a secret; he soon learns that Dawson is a high-ranking member of an ancient secret organization known as The Watchers, who observe and record the lives of the Immortals, passing their archives down from generation to generation. Unbeknownst to Dawson, his brother-in-law, James Horton (the man who killed Darius), has been recruiting Watchers to kill Immortals. We are left with the knowledge that other renegade Watchers may be waiting to try for MacLeod's head. |
October 2, 1993 |
| 2 |
Studies in Light A fellow Immortal, Greg Powers, invites MacLeod to his photography showing. At the gallery, MacLeod becomes deeply disturbed by the violent images of his friend's work, but what becomes more disturbing than the fact that Greg's personality has been replaced by that of a hardened cynic. As he reviews Greg's work, he comes across a photograph taken of himself 50 years ago which triggers a flashback of a time he spent with a young photographer, Linda Plager. In a chance meeting, the now 73 year old Linda recognizes Duncan as her old mentor and lover of 50 years ago, which thoroughly convinces her nurse that she's senile. Upon learning that Linda is dying, MacLeod longs to tell her the truth. Meanwhile, Greg seduces Richie into his destructive lifestyle and coaxes Richie into a dangerous motorcycle stunt. After a confrontation with Macleod, Greg snaps...frustrated by his inability to feel any real emotion because of the insulation from death his immortality gives him, he attacks Richie, an |
October 9, 1993 |
| 3 |
Turnabout Thirty years ago, evil Immortal Quenten Barnes was executed in the electric chair, and promised he'd be back. Escaping the tomb that he has been captive to for the last several decades, Barnes begins hunting down the people involved in his execution. Joe Dawson learns that he has returned and tries to get MacLeod involved in Barnes' apprehension. Mac declines to get involved unless Barnes gets in his way, but when his old friend Michael Moore comes to town, a flashback shows us that Barnes killed Michael's wife and has a long-standing grudge against Michael. Now Mac is involved. He convinces Dawson to share the Watchers' surveillance file on Barnes with him. However, the file isn't much help. As the prosecutor and priest who were at Barnes' execution are killed off one by one, it becomes clear that Barnes will come after Michael next. The story ends with an interesting twist as MacLeod must make a decision that will affect the ""lives"" of two different personalities. |
October 16, 1993 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
The Samurai After Midori Koto sees her husband, rich industrialist Michael Kent, murder her lover, she kills Kent and runs to MacLeod for protection. She reminds MacLeod of a vow of protection his ""ancestor"" (actually MacLeod himself) made to her family over 200 years before. Flashbacks tell the story of MacLeod coming to the aid of the samurai Hideo Koto after MacLeod is shipwrecked in Japan. Hideo befriends MacLeod -- even though the penalty for helping a ""barbarian"" in isolationist Japan is death. When Hideo is forced to commit ritual hari kari by his feudal overlord for that crime, MacLeod serves as his second. He vows to Hideo he will always protect the Koto family and is bequeathed the dragon head katana sword he uses to this day. Back in the present, MacLeod discovers that Kent is an Immortal and he's still alive. In order not to further dishonor her family's name, Midori returns to Kent. Kent challenges MacLeod, who fulfills his vow to the Koto family and frees Midori from her loveless mar |
October 1, 1994 |
| 2 |
Line of Fire Donna, a girl Richie dated briefly several years ago, returns with her 18-month-old son -- who she claims is Richie's! While MacLeod reminds him that it's impossible, that Immortals are unable to have children, Richie sees this as an opportunity to have the family he never had and never will be able to again. When Kern, an evil Immortal, rides into town, MacLeod is reminded of his own foster son, Kahani. Kahani and his Sioux Indian mother, Little Deer, were massacred over a hundred years ago by U.S. soldiers led by Kern, then a mercenary scout. MacLeod is eager to even the score. When Donna finds Richie's sword and demands to know what it's for, Richie is at a loss to tell her. MacLeod advises Richie that it would be safer and kinder to Donna and the baby to leave them. When his new-found family is threatened by Kern, Richie realizes MacLeod is right. While MacLeod rids the world of the evil Kern, Richie lets go of the only family he'll ever have. |
October 8, 1994 |
| 3 |
The Revolutionary The people of a tiny Balkan nation are rising up in arms against an oppressive dictator. The freedom fighters are led by Paul Karros, a vibrant, charismatic leader. Karros is an Immortal who once served as a slave under Roman oppression and fought his way to freedom with Spartacus. Since that time, whenever the common people have been fighting against oppression, Karros has been at their side. Karros and his assistant, Mara, have come to the U.S. to drum up support for their cause. MacLeod and Karros fought together in the Mexican Revolution and Karros tries to convince MacLeod to fight with him in this just cause. MacLeod turns him down, but Charlie is tempted both by the cause and by Mara. When Father Stefan, a local liaison, is critically wounded in an assassination attempt, MacLeod realizes that Karros is determined to fight the war at any cost -- even at the cost of sabotaging peace negotiations by killing those who trust him. When Mara discovers the truth, she threatens to expose |
October 15, 1994 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Homeland McLoud bought a Celtic bracelet once given to the love of his mortal life and after her tragic death he buried it with her. He returns to Glen Finnin to return the bracelet to her grave and learns of several gruesome ritualistic killings based around the one immortal who killed Mac's father. Naturally Mac must get to the bottom of the killings and keep his head in the process. |
October 1, 1995 |
| 2 |
Brothers in Arms Friends become enemies and the past is revealed when Immortal Andrew Cord in gunned down and MacLeod discovers the sniper is Charlie DeSalvo, his good friend who used to run the dojo. Charlie, who left MacLeod to fight the good fight in the Balkans with his love, Maria, is after Cord, who murdered her. Dawson knows Cord as the man who saved his life in Vietnam after a mine explosion took his legs and he begs MacLeod not to fight him. MacLeod agrees -- until Cord turns the tables and sets his sights on Charlie. |
October 8, 1995 |
| 3 |
The Innocent In an episode filled with danger and compassion, Richie encounters Mikey, a huge Immortal of limited mental development and a fascination with trains. Richie takes Mikey home to MacLeod, who advises him that taking care of Mikey could be trouble. MacLeod remembers coming to the aid of a young Indian in trouble, when his help got the man killed. While MacLeod faces Tyler King, and Immortal who's coming after Mikey, Richie must find the maturity to take responsibility for Mikey's situation. |
October 15, 1995 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
One Minute to Midnight Immortals and Watchers are poised at the brink of war. On the orders of the Watcher Tribunal, every Watcher in Europe is hunting for MacLeod, to bring him in dead or alive. MacLeod discovers that the real killer is Jacob Galati, a Gypsy MacLeod once traveled with, who has vowed to destroy all the mortals who wear the Watcher tattoo, convinced they are all out to destroy Immortals. |
September 23, 1996 |
| 2 |
Prophecy When MacLeod was but a wee lad in the village of Glenfinnan, he thought Cassandra, the Witch of Donan Woods, was only a myth, a fairy tale concocted by crafty old men to frighten unwary children-- until the night she found him alone in Donan Woods. Now, four hundred years later, Cassandra comes to MacLeod again, this time to tell him of his role in an ancient prophecy -- that only Duncan MacLeod can challenge and defeat the voice of darkness. |
October 5, 1996 |
| 3 |
The End of Innocence The last time Richie Ryan saw Duncan MacLeod, MacLeod was about to take his head. He was stopped by Dawson's bullet, but Richie's world was shattered. Now Richie's back -- kicking butt and taking heads. One of those heads belonged to Carter Wellan, and now Wellan's good friend Haresh Clay is out to avange his comrade. MacLeod has his own long-time grudge against Clay, who humiliated and destroyed one of MacLeod's finest teachers. MacLeod must try to rebuild Richie's trust while they vie to be the one to face Clay in combat. |
October 12, 1996 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Avatar (2) Once every thousand years, the Zoroastrian demon Ahriman returns to wreak havoc on the earth. He has already brought destruction to Duncan MacLeod's world, having caused Richie's death at Duncan's hand. But now MacLeod returns to Paris to take up his mantle as Champion and vows to destroy Ahriman. Sophie Baines knows how to defeat the demon, but is she MacLeod's ally, or another pawn in Ahriman's game? |
October 4, 1997 |
| 2 |
Armageddon (3) With the help of Father Beaufort and Joe Dawson, MacLeod finally begins to find a crack in Ahriman's armor. But he soon learns, along with Dawson, that anyone who helps the Champion becomes fair game for the demon. Joe is torn by guilt as Watchers -- friends -- are murdered by Ahriman, while Father Beaufort has his own inner demons to contend with. Not even Holy Ground is sanctuary, as MacLeod wrestles with Ahriman in the final battle... Armageddon. |
October 11, 1997 |
| 3 |
Sins of the Father Now that his grandson, Carl, manages the bank, George Thomas can relax with his old friend, Duncan MacLeod. But the good life is cut short when George's car explodes in a ball of flames -- leaving MacLeod to find George's killer. The trail leads to Alex Raven, a beautiful Immortal with a taste for danger and a fifty-year-old promise to fulfill... no matter what the cost. |
October 18, 1997 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | Syndication |
|---|---|
| First aired | October 3, 1992 |
| Last aired | May 16, 1998 |
| Status | ended |