The plot is above average, if a standard mythological tale.

The reason why these tv movies were successful and led to a very successful show is because it has character. They weren't merely generic mythological adventures, but they had actual character that a lot of people liked and found interesting.

The cheesy action and dialogue, but still written well enough overall, along with the decent acting that makes you more immersed and invested in the atmosphere.

It's adventurous, romantic, mythological and interesting.

Sequences that have character are those like when Hercules is eaten by the Sea Serpent and we see him go down its throat and land in its stomach, and we see the visceral fleshy insides of the monster, and the approaching jaws to digest them, wow! Then we see as Hercules climbs his way through it's body toward it's beating heart, and then chokes that beating heart with his god-like strength as Deionarra is attacked by parasites within the creature and gets dragged away as she screams. Character!