What’s Worth Watching: ‘Olympus’ Proves That Greece is the Word

Olympus Season 1
Robert Akester/Reunion Pictures Inc./SYFY
Olympus Season 1

Olympus, “Temple of Gaia” (Thursday, April 2, 10/9c, Syfy)

If you’ve been holding out for a hero, Olympus has one for you. Literally. The leading man of this pricey-looking new Greek mythology series is named Hero (Tom York), and it’s up to the young man to crack the mysteries of the Oracle, tangle with some familiar faces (hello, Medusa!) and basically clash with as many titans as possible. All in the name of becoming an immortal. It’s like Game of Thrones with a tighter budget and less nudity—basic cable, after all—and there is a certain admirable charm to the show’s attempts to toss history, fantasy, political intrigue and sex into one sword-wielding soap without bringing up too many bad memories of the cheesiness that was The Adventures of Hercules and Xena the Warrior Princess.