In the late ’90s, there was a female archaeologist who kicked ass on syndicated television, but it wasn’t “Tomb Raider” icon Lara Croft. Instead, it was “Lilo & Stitch” actress Tia Carrere as Sydney Fox, the lead character of 1999’s “Relic Hunter.”
The adventure series featured Sydney as an action hero with her sidekick, Nigel Bailey (Christien Anholt), and assistant Claudia (Lindy Booth), who occasionally joined them on their globe-trotting adventures. For the final season, Booth’s character was replaced by Tanja Reichert’s Karen Petrusky.
Promoting the show, Carrere fielded plenty of questions about the obvious similarities between the premise of “Relic Hunter” and the “Tomb Raider” video game franchise.
“Lara Croft wears shorts and a muscle tee! Let’s be honest, she’s completely inappropriately dressed for what she does,” said Carrere in a chat with The Little Review. “That’s more of a fantasy … character than a real woman. She’s like a Barbie doll that moves and shoots people. Sydney Fox is real.”
Carrere noted that she modeled her performance after a different fictional archaeologist.
“I was an Indiana Jones fan like crazy,” she recalled. “I wanted to be Harrison Ford. And I’m so happy that I am now!”
The role model adventurer
“Relic Hunter” had the advantage of beating “Tomb Raider” to live-action … but it still ran into plenty of competition on syndicated TV. When “Relic Hunter” was on, the airwaves were overflowing with female-driven action shows, including “Xena: Warrior Princess,” “V.I.P.,” and “Sheena.”
“Tomb Raider” got a live-action adaptation of its own in June 2001 when the first movie starring Angelina Jolie hit theaters. Tia Carrere once again jokingly swatted away the idea that there was any competition.
“Me and Angelina … those tattoos kind of scare me,” said Carrere on The Big Breakfast. “She’s kinda tough, but I’m a lover, not a fighter.”
“Relic Hunter” is currently available to stream for free on YouTube, Tubi, The Roku Channel, and other outlets. Ironically, “Tomb Raider” is set to follow in the footsteps of “Relic Hunter” as a TV show. “Game of Thrones” star Sophie Turner will play Lara Croft on an upcoming Prime Video series.