This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations .(December 2012) |
Sheena | |
---|---|
Genre | |
Created by | Douglas Schwartz Steven L. Sears |
Starring | Gena Lee Nolin John Allen Nelson |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 2 |
No. of episodes | 35 |
Production | |
Running time | 60 minutes |
Production companies | Douglas Schwartz/Steven L. Sears Productions Columbia TriStar Television Distribution (2000-2001) (seasons 1-2) Columbia TriStar Domestic Television (2001-2002) (season 2) |
Original release | |
Network | Syndicated |
Release | October 7, 2000 – February 23, 2002 |
Sheena is an American action-adventure television series which was produced for first-run syndication from 2000 to 2002.
Based upon W. Morgan Thomas's comic book character Sheena, Queen of the Jungle, which previously spawned a 1950s TV series of the same title; this turn-of-the-millennium version updated its title character to the 21st century. There were two seasons, containing 22 and 13 episodes. It starred Gena Lee Nolin and John Allen Nelson, and was developed for television by Douglas Schwartz and Steven L. Sears. In this version, Sheena was given the mystical ability to transform into almost any jungle animal; she also spoke whole sentences (akin to Ron Ely's Tarzan), unlike Irish McCalla's interpretation of the character. Several episodes from the first season are available to view for free in Minisode format on Crackle, as well as on Hulu and Tubi.
Sheena's parents were archaeologists who died in the jungle when she was about six years old, orphaning their daughter Cheryl Hamilton (as explained in the episode "Stranded in the Jungle"; otherwise, Sheena remembers nothing of her parents, or of her pre-Africa childhood). She was taken in by Kali, a local Shamaness of a tribe who brought her up and called her Sheena. The girl grew into a strong, beautiful woman and, five years ago, was taught how to change her shape. She can morph into most creatures of the jungle, thus acquiring their abilities, up to and including flight. She also befriended animals such as zebra Marika, elephant Chango and monkey Tiki. Moreover, she became a mythical creature called "The Darak'na" who relies on people's fear of the unknown. For this, she covers herself in a dark liquid mud which allows her to be largely unseen in the low light of the jungle. With above-average strength, agility and speed—and armed with a pair of bone-clawed gloves—she is a formidable one-woman fighting force. She does kill sometimes.
In the first episode, she meets Matt Cutter (John Allen Nelson) who runs a safari business by air, water and land. In his youth, Cutter had a promising career as a football player till a knee injury ruined it (he has no apparent injury now). He joined the CIA, being code-named "Jericho" and fought as a mercenary. He was a first class sniper but an accident meant he killed an innocent person which caused him to abandon his old life for the life he now leads.
On their first meeting, Sheena is not sure what side Cutter is on, as she is a protector of the jungle and Cutter seems willing to do anything for money. He is unknowingly helping criminals. Over the course of the first few episodes, Cutter became more responsible, and less booze- and money-oriented. Sometimes there is chemistry between Sheena and Cutter, hinting at a development of their relationship, and at other times, the plotline appears to show a platonic friendship. This is notable in an episode where she meets an old "Agency" friend of Cutter's and a deeper level intimacy is suggested than in any of the scenes with Cutter.
Mendelsohn is a run-down buddy of Cutter's who services his plane and does odd jobs for him. The three come up against the local petty tyrant, would-be dictators, small armies, a police officer who cannot wholly be trusted, evil tribesmen, evil foreigners, people from their past, assorted traps, etc.
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | "Sheena" | Jon Cassar | Steven L. Sears & Douglas Schwartz | October 7, 2000 | |
Matt Cutter is in for a life changing experience when he meets Sheena. | ||||||
2 | 2 | "Fallout" | Jon Cassar | Bill Taub | October 14, 2000 | |
An American satellite crashes near by and the information is sought after by the Russians and the troops of the corrupt president N'Gama. | ||||||
3 | 3 | "Revenge of the Jirds" | Scott Paulin | Babs Greyhosky | October 21, 2000 | |
Sheena and Cutter try to find out who's smuggling mouse-like creatures called jirds into the country. | ||||||
4 | 4 | "A Rite of Passage" | Walter Von Huene | Babs Greyhosky | October 28, 2000 | |
An ugly secret from Kali's past reemerges on Sheena's birthday. | ||||||
5 | 5 | "Tourist Trap" | Scott Paulin | Keith Thompson | November 4, 2000 | |
Terrorists steal a dangerous virus and hold Cutter's tourist group hostage. | ||||||
6 | 6 | "Buried Secrets" | Corey Eubanks | Steven L. Sears & Babs Greyhosky | November 11, 2000 | |
Sheena and Cutter are trapped in a cave while investigating an area from Sheena's childhood. And they aren't alone... | ||||||
7 | 7 | "The Lost Boy" | Nelson McCormick | Tony Blake & Paul Jackson | November 18, 2000 | |
A runaway military school student leads a tribe against N'Gama's troops. | ||||||
8 | 8 | "Wild Thing" | Corey Eubanks | Steven L. Sears | November 25, 2000 | |
Cutter and Kali must rescue a half transformed Sheena before a hunter (Henry Polic II) does. | ||||||
9 | 9 | "Doing as the Romans" | Jon Cassar | Craig Volk | January 13, 2001 | |
Sheena and Cutter go undercover to rescue a woman from becoming one of N'Gama's wives. | ||||||
10 | 10 | "The Children of the LaMistas" | Scott Paulin | Tony Blake & Paul Jackson | January 20, 2001 | |
An old enemy from the past leads Sheena and Cutter to a gene splicing nightmare.... | ||||||
11 | 11 | "Prey" | Scott Paulin | Jeff Valming | January 27, 2001 | |
Sheena and Cutter try to stop a group of hunters who target endangered species, but find themselves as prey. | ||||||
12 | 12 | "Divas of the Jungle" | Scott Paulin | Story by : Kevin Beggs & Jonathan Latt Teleplay by : Jonathan Latt | February 3, 2001 | |
Cutter is hired to guide a photographer and models through the jungle. But the photographer isn't what he seems... | ||||||
13 | 13 | "Forbidden Fruit" | Gary Jones | Babs Greyhosky | February 10, 2001 | |
Sheena and Cutter turn on each other after eating a mysterious fruit. | ||||||
14 | 14 | "The Fool Monty" | Gary Jones | Bill Taub | February 17, 2001 | |
A documentary maker ends up causing a tribal war while searching for the Darak'na. | ||||||
15 | 15 | "Sanctuary" | Chuck Bowman | Tony Blake & Paul Jackson | February 24, 2001 | |
Sheena and Cutter try to help refugees reach a sanctuary, only to get involved with a fight against the warlord's soldiers. | ||||||
16 | 16 | "Jewel" | Chuck Bowman | Story by : Steven L. Sears & Jon Valenti Teleplay by : Steven L. Sears | April 14, 2001 | |
Sheena and a reluctant Cutter search for a tribe's pilfered jewel. | ||||||
17 | 17 | "Friendly Fire" | Terry Inghram | Babs Greyhosky | April 21, 2001 | |
Tuli, an old friend of Sheena's, find a plant which may cure radiation poisoning, but is injured by a rival. | ||||||
18 | 18 | "Between a Rock and a Hard Place" | Terry Inghram | Babs Greyhosky | April 28, 2001 | |
A corrupt tribe leader wants to own a sacred rock. | ||||||
19 | 19 | "Tyler Returns" | Carl Weathers | Bill Taub | May 5, 2001 | |
An old CIA pal of Cutter's (Peter Onorati) shows up to lead a mission to kill a terrorist responsible for the death of a friend of Sheena's. Or is he there for that? | ||||||
20 | 20 | "Unsafe Passage" | Carl Weathers | Steve L. Sears | May 12, 2001 | |
Sheena must save Kali from being sold into slavery. | ||||||
21 | 21 | "Marabunta" | Christian I. Nyby II | Deborah Schwartz | May 19, 2001 | |
Sheena and Cutter are trapped by killer ants. | ||||||
22 | 22 | "Cult of One" | Nelson McCormick | Bill Taub | May 26, 2001 | |
Sheena must prove the true evil of a supposedly benevolent cult leader. |
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
23 | 1 | "Rendezvous" | Chuck Bowman | Tony Blake & Paul Jackson | October 6, 2001 | |
Sheena finds herself falling for an Interpol agent she's helping. | ||||||
24 | 2 | "The Feral King" | Carl Weathers | Story by : Christopher Mack Teleplay by : Melissa Good | October 13, 2001 | |
Sheena must help a young woman find a feral young man, who in reality is the heir to a fortune, as a way of repaying her debt to his father, before hunters paid by the young man's evil uncle and the father's partner kill him. | ||||||
25 | 3 | "Mind Games" | Walter Von Huene | Tony Blake & Paul Jackson | October 20, 2001 | |
An old enemy of Kali seeks to control Sheena. | ||||||
26 | 4 | "Collateral Damage" | Chuck Bowman | Rick Husky | October 27, 2001 | |
Sheena and Cutter meet a CIA sniper being targeted for assassination by rogue operatives. | ||||||
27 | 5 | "Meltdown in Maltaka" | Jon Cassar | Gene Miller & Karen Kavner | November 3, 2001 | |
Sheena, Cutter and Mendelsohn help a female boxer with her dreams. | ||||||
28 | 6 | "The Treasure of Sienna Mende" | Goran Gajic | Harry Dunn | November 10, 2001 | |
Sheena and Cutter search for a treasure that could help a tribe afford irrigation supplies. But a treasure hunter has her eyes on the treasure as well. | ||||||
29 | 7 | "The Darkness" | Terry Ingram | Steven L. Sears | November 17, 2001 | |
Is a mystic beast responsible for several deaths? | ||||||
30 | 8 | "Still Hostage After All These Years" | Walter Von Huene | Babs Greyhosky | November 24, 2001 | |
Cutter's ex-wife is called in to negotiate a hostage situation. | ||||||
31 | 9 | "Return of the Native" | Goran Gajic | Babs Greyhosky | January 26, 2002 | |
A former love of Sheena's returns to change Maltaka's education system. | ||||||
32 | 10 | "The Maltaka Files" | Terry Ingram | Story by : Harold Apter Teleplay by : Tony Blake & Paul Jackson | February 2, 2002 | |
Sheena and Cutter expose the truth behind sightings of UFOs, with help from Kali and Mendelsohn. | ||||||
33 | 11 | "Stranded in the Jungle" | Carl Weathers | Carla Wagner | February 9, 2002 | |
A group of explorers compete in a jungle trek challenge for five million US$, unaware that civil war has erupted in the area. One of the participants holds clues to Sheena's past. | ||||||
34 | 12 | "Coming to Africa" | Terry Ingram | Robin Jill Burger | February 16, 2002 | |
A princess who was sent to the US as a child returns for an arranged intertribal marriage with a life-view which both villages find hard to comprehend, whilst sibling rivalry simmers. | ||||||
35 | 13 | "The World According to Mendehlson" | Jon Cassar | Tom Blomquist | February 23, 2002 | |
Mendehlson is mistaken for a tribal deity when their king is poisoned, leading to the trio helping save the tribe's sacred statues. |
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released both seasons on DVD in Region 1 in 2012. Season 1 was released on June 5, 2012, [3] while season 2 was released on July 3, 2012. [4] These are Manufacture-on-Demand (MOD) releases.
On August 15, 2017, Mill Creek Entertainment re-released the complete series on DVD in Region 1 in a 6-disc set entitled Sheena - Queen of the Jungle Collection: The Movie & TV Series. [5]
Virginia Cathryn "Gena" Rowlands was an American actress, whose career in film, stage, and television spanned nearly seven decades. She was a four-time Emmy Award and two-time Golden Globe winner, was twice nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress.
Baywatch is an American drama television series about lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, and Hawaii, starring David Hasselhoff. It was created by Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz, and Gregory J. Bonann, who produced the show throughout its 11-season run. The series focuses on both professional and personal challenges faced by the characters, portrayed by a large rotating ensemble cast that includes Pamela Anderson, Alexandra Paul, Gregory Alan Williams, Jeremy Jackson, Parker Stevenson, David Chokachi, Billy Warlock, Erika Eleniak, David Charvet, Yasmine Bleeth, and Nicole Eggert.
Good Times is an American television sitcom that aired for six seasons on CBS, from February 8, 1974, to August 1, 1979. Created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans and developed by executive producer Norman Lear, it was television's first African American two-parent family sitcom. It is a spin-off of Maude, itself a spin-off of All in the Family.
Gena Lee Nolin is an American actress. She is known for her television appearances on The Price Is Right and Baywatch in the 1990s. During the early 2000s she played the lead role in Sheena.
Sheena, Queen of the Jungle, is a fictional American comic book jungle girl heroine, originally published primarily by Fiction House during the Golden Age of Comic Books. She was the first female comic book character with her own title, with her 1941 premiere issue preceding Wonder Woman #1.
Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding is a 2003 American made-for-television action comedy film directed by Douglas Schwartz. The film reunited the original cast members of the television series Baywatch. The story revolves around an old nemesis who threatens Mitch's wedding day as his friends and fellow lifeguards reunite. The film premiered on February 28, 2003 on Fox.
Diagnosis: Murder is an American mystery medical crime drama television series starring Dick Van Dyke as Dr. Mark Sloan, a medical doctor who solves crimes with the help of his son Steve, a homicide detective played by Van Dyke's real-life son Barry. The series began as a spin-off of Jake and the Fatman, became a series of three television films, and then a weekly television series that premiered on CBS on October 29, 1993. Joyce Burditt, who created the show, wrote the Jake and the Fatman episode.
Planet of Evil is the second serial of the 13th season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 27 September to 18 October 1975.
The Face of Evil is the fourth serial of the 14th season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 1 to 22 January 1977. This serial marked the debut of Louise Jameson as companion Leela. It was also the first of three stories written for the series by Chris Boucher and the first of five directed by Pennant Roberts.
Sheena, also known as Sheena: Queen of the Jungle, is a 1984 superhero film based on a comic-book character that first appeared in the late 1930s, Sheena, Queen of the Jungle.
The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin is a children's animated television series based on Teddy Ruxpin, an electronic children's toy created by Ken Forsse and distributed by toy manufacturer Worlds of Wonder (WoW9. Produced in 1986–1987 for television syndication by DIC Enterprises with Atkinson Film-Arts, the series employed many of the same voice actors used in the book-and-tape series that was made for the eponymous animatronic toy. While some of the stories used in the TV series were adapted from the books, many were original and greatly expanded upon the world established there. The series differed from traditional children's animation at the time in that most of its 65 episodes were serialized rather than in traditional episodic form.
The Lost World is a syndicated television series loosely based on the 1912 novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Lost World. The show premiered in the United States in the fall of 1999. It ran for three seasons, the final two of which aired in syndication in the United States, before it was cancelled in 2002 after funding for a fourth season fell through. The final episode ended with an unresolved cliffhanger. All three seasons were released in DVD box sets in 2004.
Father Dowling Mysteries, known as Father Dowling Investigates in the United Kingdom, is an American mystery television series first aired from January 20, 1989, to May 2, 1991. The series was preceded by the 1987 television movie Fatal Confession. NBC aired the first season, while ABC broadcast two additional seasons.
She-Wolf of London is a television series produced by the Finnegan/Pinchuk Company, HTV and MCA Television Entertainment that aired in first-run syndication in the United States from October 1990 to April 1991. The first 14 episodes were filmed in England and aired under the She-Wolf title, and a second season of six episodes was filmed in Los Angeles and aired under the title Love and Curses, with a drastically reduced cast.
John Allen Nelson is an American actor and screenwriter. He is best known for his roles on television as Warren Lockridge on Santa Barbara, John D. Cort on Baywatch, Walt Cummings in 24 and Silas Bunch in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. He is also known for starring in the cult classic science fiction comedy horror film Killer Klowns from Outer Space.
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea is a 1964–1968 American science fiction television series based on the 1961 film of the same name. Both were created by Irwin Allen, which enabled the film's sets, costumes, props, special effects models, and sometimes footage, to be used in the production of the television series. Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea was the first of Irwin Allen's four science fiction television series, and the longest-running. The show's theme was underwater adventure.
A jungle girl is an archetype or stock character, often used in popular fiction, of a female adventurer, superhero or even a damsel in distress living in a jungle or rainforest setting. A prehistoric depiction is a cave girl.
George of the Jungle is an animated television series. It is a reboot of Jay Ward and Bill Scott’s 1967 American animated television series of the same name, which in turn is a spoof of the fictional character Tarzan, created by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Using Flash animation, it is produced in Canada, airing there on Teletoon. The remake mostly stays true to the original production, with a few key differences existing between the two. One episode of the show typically consists of two 11-minute segments. This is unlike the original cartoon, which featured other stories such as Tom Slick and Super Chicken.
The first series of the British science fiction programme Primeval began on 10 February 2007 and concluded on 17 March 2007 after airing six episodes. Primeval follows a team of scientists tasked with investigating the appearance of temporal anomalies across the United Kingdom through which prehistoric and futuristic creatures enter the present. The first series stars Douglas Henshall, James Murray, Andrew-Lee Potts, Lucy Brown, Hannah Spearritt, Juliet Aubrey, Ben Miller and Mark Wakeling.
Sheena, Queen of the Jungle is a syndicated American television adventure series that was broadcast in 1956-1957. The title character was "the female counterpart of Tarzan."