The series is a prequel to the 1997 Disney film, following Hercules as a teenager training to be a hero before the events of the movie, and notably contradicts several plot points from the film, such as when Hades learns Hercules is alive.

The show was produced by Tad Stones, who had previously produced and directed the animated series Aladdin.

The idea for the series reportedly started as a joke, when film directors John Musker and Ron Clements told Stones, "Hey, Tad, we're doing a pilot for a series," while the movie was still in production.

The producers deliberately chose to ignore strict continuity with the film in order to better capture its irreverent humor, with Stones stating that this approach resulted in a series that could stand on its own.

Most of the film's voice cast reprised their roles, but Philoctetes (Phil) was voiced by Robert Costanzo instead of Danny DeVito, making Phil one of the few characters whose original actor did not return.

Because James Woods returned to voice Hades along with most of the film cast, over 150 celebrities ended up guest-starring on the series, many playing self-referential or self-lampooning roles.

Talk show host Merv Griffin voiced a griffin who hosts a talk show, game show host Wink Martindale played a riddle-loving sphinx, and Mike Connors (star of Mannix) voiced an Athenian policeman named Chipacles, a nod to the show CHiPs.

Cassandra and Icarus, two of Hercules's main friends in the series, are original characters created for the show and were not featured in the 1997 film.

Four episodes of the series were re-edited into the direct-to-video film Hercules: Zero to Hero in 1999, using the episode "Hercules and the Yearbook" as a framing narrative and altering some dialogue between Hercules and Meg to fit the format.