3. The character of Duncan MacLeod was ranked #11 on TV Guide's list of 25 Greatest Sci-Fi Legends (August 2004).
This is a special 30th Anniversary Top List for 30 facts about the legendary immortal Duncan Macleod & Highlander: The Series.
15. Adrian Paul loved doing flashback scenes where he was given the opportunity to wear period clothing. He always wanted to do an episode set entirely in the past, but the opportunity seldom materialized other than "The Stone Of Scone" and "Unusual Suspects" produced in order to showcase Fitzcairn who was by then only available for flashback stories.
16. Indiscretions was only the second time
(the first being"Two of Hearts") Duncan
MacLeod did not appear in an episode.
This episode ignited fan hopes that any
spin-off would feature Methos and Joe.
17. "Forgive Us Our Trespasses" was the
first episode in which MacLeod and Methos
appeared together after the events of "Comes a Horseman" and "Revelations 6:8", Adrian Paul and Peter Wingfield felt it was still too soon for the pair to be comfortable together, Duncan could never forget that Methos was a
part of the Horsemen and it would probably
always be between them to some extent.
So Adrian and Peter altered the dialogue and
body language enough to show more
uneasiness between the pair than the writers
originally intended.
18. When Duncan is in the United States he
resides in the fictional city of Seacouver in
Washington state based loosely on the real-life cities of Seattle, Washington, and Vancouver, British Columbia in Canada.
19. In the 400+ years Duncan has been seen wielding 10 different types of swords and a Sioux spear. Japanese dragon-head katana (current weapon), Scottish basket hilt claymore, Custom broadsword, Twin wakizashi, Boarding sabre, Blue/gold braid katana,
Sioux spear, El Cid colada, Charles III sword, Scottish claymore, Spanish sword rapier, and main gauche.
20. An international hit, the series was nominated three times for a Gemini Award, and once for a Saturn Award in 1998.
21. Duncan debuted in Dynamite's Highlander series in issue #5 and appeared all the way to issue #12. In the fifth issue, he comforts Connor after Brenda Wyatt is injured in a car accident on New Year's Eve in 1986. In another story, collected as Highlander: Dark Quickening, Duncan helps Connor deal with the aftereffects of absorbing Kurgan's Quickening. In another story, collected as Highlander: Armageddon, Duncan is captured by a renegade Watcher group called the Eye and forced to compete in a fight club against other immortal warriors.
22. The Gathering, Band Of Brothers, Legacy,
The Samurai, Homeland, Methuselah's Gift,
The End Of Innocence, Comes A Horseman,
Revelation 6:8, Forgive Us Our Trespasses,
and Indiscretions are hailed as the best
episodes of the series.
23. Ritchie was intended to become immortal
from the pilot episode.
24. Richie started the series as a regular
character but transitioned to a recurring character
as the series progressed. Several things
contributed to the decision to kill Richie;
According to David Abromowitz, one of the
issues that contributed to the decision were the
need to cut expenses, and the production team preferred Methos to Richie as a recurring character. Stan Kirsch discussed the idea of killing Richie, saying he might as well go out with a bang since season 6 wasn't assured at the time, and the arc could have been the series finale. Additionally, some people attached to the show said they felt Richie's story had gone as far as it could be given the series' focus on Duncan, and finally, Stan was the youngest cast member and unlike his character continued to age, approaching 30 while playing a character made immortal at 19.
25. Tessa's favorite drink was cassis and soda.
26. Methos claims to have known Helen of Troy, Socrates, Julius Caesar, Jesus, and Cleopatra, that he rode with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, as well as claiming to have once shared 'the stage' with both Caesar and the Rolling Stones.
27. Methos is the world's oldest alcohol enthusiast, having a penchant for trying out new beers, while not ever remembering a hangover.
28. The origin of the name Methos is debated. While the name might have been inspired by the word "Mythos" for Myth, in-universe, it has been suggested that the name is a Hellenization of the Egyptian mt'hs or mat'has, the literal translation of the hieroglyphics from "An Evening at Joe's", or maybe a variation of the Carthaginian-Berber (North African) name Mathos.
29. Amanda's first beheading was Hengist the
Saxon in 853.
30. According to Watcher's record, Jacob Kell
was one of the most powerful Immortals alive,
with over six hundred kills to his name.
4. The season-one episode "Free Fall"was the first episode to be filmed, while
Indiscretions was the last episode of the series to be filmed.
5. Duncan's antique store and apartment for the first season was intended to be an
old world in a new world environment rich & textured.
6. "Homeland", "Methuselah's Gift", "Revelation 6:8" and "The Modern Prometheus" were directed by Adrian Paul.
7. Tessa Noël was born on August 24, 1958, in Lille, France.
8. Rae Dawn Chong and Lexa Doig both
auditioned for the role of Anne Lindsey.
9. The producers wanted to make a spin-off
series featuring Immortal Matthew McCormick,
the FBI agent who hunts serial killers. The
concept would have had him traveling the US
and England investigating crimes, while also
dispensing Immortal justice. Kim Johnston-Ulrich, who played Ceirdwyn, and Nicholas Lea, who played Cory Raines, would have had recurring roles in the series.
10. Werner Stocker (Darius) was unable to shoot the last episode of season one due to illness. That episode, which opened with the character's murder, was edited together with existing footage from earlier episodes for the first scene. Stocker had died by the time the episode was aired on TV.
11. The spin-off series Highlander: The Raven was originally going to focus on Immortal Alex Raven from "Sins of the Father".
12. Methos was originally going to be killed off during the series finale of season three, but the popularity of the character prompted the writers and producers to make him a recurring character.
13. The character of Marcus Constantine, from "Pharaoh's Daughter", was originally envisioned as someone who could replace Darius as an elder to Duncan's younger Immortal; but the role ultimately fell to Methos in season three. The character later appeared in the novel Highlander: Zealot by Donna Lettow.
14. The pilot episode "The Gathering" is Christopher Lambert's first and only appearance in an American series. He was reportedly paid $500,000 for 3 days of shooting.
30th Anniversary Special:
30 Facts About Highlander: The Series
1. Adrian Paul won the role against "400" hopefuls. Originally, the actor was a tough sell to the investors because he was an unknown.
But some of the producers felt that he
would appeal to both male and female
fans of the franchise, Paul was said to
remind them of a young Sean Connery.
Adrian Paul, for his part, said that he was
drawn to the series because it had so
many layers: history, romance, adventure,
and spirituality.
2. The series was named one of the most violent TV shows in the early 90s by the
Center for Media and Public Affairs.
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