Summary
- Indiana Jones is a prolific character, and his story is told in various media outlets, including a TV series called The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.
- The TV series featured Indy's early years, meetings with historical figures, and his encounter with Dracula.
- The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles has shifted streaming services, but is still available to watch.
The Indiana Jones franchise has seen the titular hero through many thrilling adventures, often involving some paranormal elements, but one lesser-known story actually sees him fighting Dracula, and it is official canon. The franchise kicked off with the 1981 release of Raiders of the Lost Ark, in which Harrison Ford first embodied the character. The film's success spawned several sequels, with Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom in 1984 and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in 1989 being the first. It wasn't until 2008 that another film entry landed in cinemas with the mixed reception of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which saw the franchise take another long break before finally releasing a fifth film with Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny in 2023.
With the success of the Indiana Jones franchise, the character quickly found himself popping up in other media, fleshing out his story for audiences. The character has starred in novels, comics, and even video games, with the recent Indiana Jones and the Great Circle finding itself one of the best-reviewed games of 2024. Indiana Jones also found his way to TV in 1992 with a series called The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, where an up-and-coming Sean Patrick Flanery would take on the role. Thanks to the franchise's foray into TV, audiences got to see a young Indiana Jones take on Dracula.
The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles: Revisiting The Forgotten TV Series
This forgotten tv show chronicles the teenage years of Indiana Jones and expands on the hero's background.
The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles And Its Re-release Explained
The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles was created by George Lucas and ran for two seasons before coming to an end in 1993. It also boasted creative talent behind the scenes, including writer Frank Darabont, who created The Walking Dead TV series, and Jonathan Hensleigh, who penned Jumanji and Die Hard with a Vengeance. It even features episodes directed by Joe Johnston, who would go on to helm Captain America: The First Avenger, and Mike Newell, who is known for Four Weddings and a Funeral and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Following the end of The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, Lucas had the episodes re-edited into 22 feature-length adventures, each of which combined two episodes from the series. The new edits were called The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones, and they were released on VHS in 1999, with them finding their way to DVD in 2007.
The series told several stories from Indy's early childhood, seeing Corey Carrier portray the character when he was 9 and 10 years old through the first seven episodes. Flanery then took over, playing Jones from ages 16 to 21, during which time the character experienced many influential life moments, like fighting in World War I. Harrison Ford even made an appearance, telling a story as an older Indy that kicked off a flashback starting the episode. The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles also allowed Indy to meet numerous historical figures, including T.E. Lawrence, Pancho Villa, Winston Churchill, Henry Ford, Pablo Picasso, and Ernest Hemingway, with every adventure still considered official franchise canon. One of the historical figures Indiana Jones came face to face with was none other than Vlad the Impaler, aka Vlad Dracula.
Breaking Down Indy's Fight With Dracula
Indiana Jones and his meeting with Vlad the Impaler is featured in The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles season 2, episode 22, "Transylvania, January 1918." Upon re-release, it was part of The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Masks of Evil, serving as the second half of the story. It starts with Indiana Jones, who is aiding British intelligence under the false name Henri Defense in 1918 during WWI, being tasked to go to Transylvania to investigate POWs who have gone missing. Upon arrival, he is joined by a small group that accompanies him to a castle inhabited by General Targo, where impaled bodies litter the courtyard, which prompts some exposition on Vlad the Impaler. The episode plays like a haunted house horror film as they search the castle, turning up the creepy tension with disembodied voices and blood dripping from the ceiling.
Indy and his team eventually find Targo and the missing POWs, but they realize too late that they are now loyal vampire servants. Jones postulates that Targo only believes he is Vlad, but the General quickly captures them and finally sports his long fangs, proving he truly is Vlad Dracula. After escaping capture, Indy and Vlad have a final fight atop the castle, which ends with Vlad falling to his supposed death. However, knowing that likely wouldn't kill him, Indy and his sole remaining companion retrieve the body and drive a stake through his heart, causing him to ignite into flames and explode, with his visage laughing at them from the smoke.
Is Indy's bout with Vlad the Impaler available to stream?
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones re-edits are how the episodes have been presented since 1999, as even when the show is credited as The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, it is still the feature-length cuts that are shown. They have come and gone from several streaming services, having spent time on Paramount+ and Disney+. The show was available to stream on Disney+ when Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny hit theaters, but it has since left the service. Currently, the episodes are available through Amazon Prime Video for anyone with a subscription to stream. However, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles can also be purchased for viewing via Apple TV, with Prime Video also offering the option to buy the episodes rather than subscribe to their streaming service.
While The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles may continue to shift around streaming services, potentially never landing at a permanent home, the character will continue to endure. It's unlikely that Ford will play the character again, but Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has sequel potential. So, while the character may not return to the big screen anytime soon, the Indiana Jones franchise can continue to thrive in unique ways.
The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 1992 - 1993-00-00
- Network
- ABC
- Directors
- Carl Schultz, Simon Wincer, Bille August, Jim O'Brien, Joe Johnston, Michael Schultz, Mike Newell, Sydney Macartney, Terry Jones
- Writers
- Jonathan Hales, Jonathan Hensleigh, Matthew Jacobs, Frank Darabont, Gavin Scott
Cast
-
Sean Patrick FlaneryHenry "Indiana" Jones, Jr. -
Corey CarrierYoung Indiana Jones
