Autolycus: Gadzooks, if I were a woman I'd kiss myself.
Autolycus: I hate to break it to you, big guy, you've got harpies.
Ares: I can't believe you have these mortals convinced that you're this "Kevin Sorbo" character.
Hercules: Some people just aren't ready for the truth.
Loki: Rage makes a poor tactician.
Iolaus: The truth hurts doesn't it.
Autolycus: Yeah, so does my fist.
Autolycus: Ah, my fame spread like wildfire.
Iolaus: No, more like a bad rash.
Answer: Most shows do flashbacks to show how things begin or what circumstances brought them to their current predicament. The modern episodes was to show how their legacies live on. Hercules changing his name to Kevin Sorbo and starring in a series about himself or Xena, her soul being reborn to continue her fight against evil.