Ever feel like the BBC’s Atlantis was basically a fever dream? One minute we’re watching a guy named Jason stumble out of a high-tech submarine in cargo shorts, and the next, he’s fist-fighting the Minotaur. It was supposed to be the "next Merlin." It had the Saturday night slot, the Morocco sun, and a trio of leads that felt like the start of something huge.
Then, it just... stopped.
Cancelled after two seasons. Left on a cliffhanger that still stings if you think about it too long. But honestly, the Atlantis TV show cast didn't just vanish into the Aegean Sea. If anything, the actors who played our favorite trio of Greek "misfits" have popped up in some of the biggest franchises on the planet since the city sank.
The Trio: Where are Jason, Hercules, and Pythagoras now?
The heart of the show was the weird, semi-historical bromance between Jason, Hercules, and Pythagoras. It’s hard to imagine a more mismatched group, but it worked.
Jack Donnelly (Jason)
Jack Donnelly was the face of the show. He was the "fish out of water" hero who somehow became the best fighter in the Bronze Age overnight. After the show was axed in 2015, Jack didn't go the standard "gritty drama" route. Instead, he’s been living a life that sounds like a Hollywood script.
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He married actress Malin Akerman in 2018 (a wedding in Tulum, very on-brand for a guy who played a sun-drenched hero). Career-wise, he’s stayed busy with projects like the Hallmark movie A Royal Winter and the indie horror-comedy Slayers in 2022. He's also popped up in Death in Paradise, which is basically the retirement home for every great British actor.
Mark Addy (Hercules)
Look, Mark Addy was already a legend. People forget he was Robert Baratheon in Game of Thrones right before he took on the role of a slightly-less-mythical, very-much-in-debt Hercules. He brought all the comedy to the show.
Since Atlantis, he’s reminded everyone that he has some serious range. He did The Salisbury Poisonings and more recently appeared in the TV series Sherwood (2024). He even reprised his iconic role in the Full Monty TV series on Disney+. The man doesn't stop.
Robert Emms (Pythagoras)
If you think Robert Emms looked familiar while watching Andor or Chernobyl, you're right. He was the brains of the operation in Atlantis, playing a version of Pythagoras who was obsessed with triangles and stayed remarkably clean for someone living in ancient times.
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Emms has probably had the most "prestige TV" run of the bunch. He was Leonid Toptunov in HBO's Chernobyl—the guy in the control room when everything goes wrong. More recently, he’s been Supervisor Lonni Jung in Andor. From a lost city to a galaxy far, far away? Not a bad career trajectory.
The Villains and Royals: Pasiphae and Ariadne
The political drama in Atlantis was surprisingly dark. Sarah Parish and Aiysha Hart carried the weight of the palace intrigue.
- Sarah Parish (Pasiphae): She was terrifying. Honestly, Pasiphae was one of the best TV villains of the 2010s. Since the show ended, Parish has been everywhere. You’ve likely seen her in Broadchurch, Bancroft, or the Netflix hit Stay Close. She also joined the cast of Industry on HBO. She specializes in playing women who could ruin your life with a look.
- Aiysha Hart (Ariadne): The tragic Princess Ariadne. After the show, Aiysha Hart moved on to some massive projects. She was a series regular in A Discovery of Witches and played DS Miriam Bracknell in Line of Duty.
The Surprise Guest Stars You Forgot Were There
Watching Atlantis back in 2026 feels like a game of "Spot the Future Star." Because the show was filmed in the UK and Morocco, it drew from a deep pool of British talent.
- Anya Taylor-Joy: Before The Queen’s Gambit or Dune: Part Two, she was Cassandra in Season 2. She played an oracle with prophetic visions. It was one of her first major roles.
- John Hannah: He played Aeson, Jason’s father. Having a Mummy veteran on set added some serious gravitas to the second season.
- Robert Lindsay: He showed up as Daedalus. Yes, the Daedalus.
- Clive Standen: Before he was a lead in Vikings, he was Telemon in Atlantis.
Why the Atlantis TV show cast worked (and why it failed)
The chemistry was never the problem. The Atlantis TV show cast was actually incredibly tight-knit. They had to be. The shooting schedule was brutal, split between huge hangars in Chepstow, Wales (where they built the city) and the actual deserts of Morocco.
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The issue was the writing and the budget. The show tried to be two things at once: a goofy Saturday night romp for kids and a dark, Game of Thrones-lite drama for adults. By the time Season 2 rolled around, it got much darker. Characters were dying, betrayals were everywhere, and the tone shifted.
But it was expensive. Really expensive. When the ratings didn't justify the cost of flying an entire crew to North Africa, the BBC pulled the plug. It’s a shame, because the cast was just starting to hit their stride.
Actionable Insights for Fans
If you're looking to catch up with the cast today, here’s how to do it without spending hours on IMDb:
- For the Sci-Fi fix: Watch Robert Emms in Andor on Disney+. It’s arguably the best Star Wars content in years, and his role is pivotal.
- For the Drama fix: Check out Sarah Parish in Industry. It’s a complete 180 from her role as a sorceress queen, but she’s just as commanding.
- For the Nostalgia fix: Atlantis is often available on streaming platforms like Tubi or Prime Video (depending on your region). It’s worth a rewatch just to see Anya Taylor-Joy’s early performance.
The city might have stayed sunk, but the actors definitely didn't. They’re basically the backbone of modern British television at this point. If you see a familiar face in a new Netflix thriller, there’s a 50% chance they once wore a toga on the BBC.
To dig deeper into the production side, you can explore the archives of Urban Myth Films, the production company founded by the creators of Merlin and Atlantis, which went on to produce the War of the Worlds series.