[TV] Kings - March 15

[Emperor]

http://www.nbc.com/Kings/index.shtml

 

 

Think of the USA being ruled by a King.  That is what I am taking from it... of course this TV country is not the USA.

 

This is the show I am most excited about in the near future.

 

"Kings" is an inspiring exploration of the timeless David vs. Goliath struggle. The show is set in a modern metropolis under siege where the fighting has gone on for too long and cost far too many lives.

 

When David Shepherd (Christopher Egan), a brave young soldier, rescues the king's (Ian McShane) son from enemy territory, he sets events in motion that will finally bring peace. Suddenly, David is thrust into the limelight, earning the affections of women -- including the king's daughter.

 

When he's promoted to captain, he becomes the reluctant poster boy for hope. But for David, the line between his allies and enemies will blur as the power players in the kingdom go to great lengths to see him fall. Sebastian Stan also stars. Michael Green (NBC's "Heroes") and Francis Lawrence are executive producers.

[Dunbar]

This sounds pretty interesting, actually

[Emperor]

Ian McShane as the king too.  Come on, he was awesome in deadwood and I can easily see him as the King of the US (or fake Western country that looks really similiar to the USA)

[Emperor]

bumping to remind people to watch on Sunday.

[mcs0083]

I already have the timer on my DVR set ^^

[Joram]

7 minute preview available on iTunes for free.

Looks very cool.

[mcs0083]

Already seen it

I find the concept genius

[Liathiana]

It does look good! ;D

[mcs0083]

I actually thought a few years back what the Us would be like under a monarchy. Didn't think to pitch it as an idea for a TV show though. :-\

[SinisterDeath]

I actually thought a few years back what the Us would be like under a monarchy. Didn't think to pitch it as an idea for a TV show though. :-\

 

Its not the us though, its a fictional country in a fictional land. :P

(Plus they mention its only existed for half a century?)

[mcs0083]

Yeah

I know that now because I just got done watching it. It was great in my book. :)

[Muirenn]

Saw it tonight.  The biblical parallels were a bit overwhelming.  If it ends up as just a modern retelling of 1 & 2 Samuel I'm going to get bored really fast.  I'll probably give it another week to diverge from the biblical story. :P

[SinisterDeath]

Saw it tonight.  The biblical parallels were a bit overwhelming.  If it ends up as just a modern retelling of 1 & 2 Samuel I'm going to get bored really fast.  I'll probably give it another week to diverge from the biblical story. :P

 

Well just do what I did, tune out any biblical refrences there may have been and hope that the story at large isn't some kinda bible propaganda. :P (You konw, like how 4400 was AWESOME then it started going religious on us... Just like the Deadzone. >_< )

[Muirenn]

And...not going to happen.  Looked up the series on Wikipedia.  Apparently it is in fact a modern retelling of the story of David.  Doubt I'll keep watching, since I already know how the story goes. :P

 

Disappointing, really, I was looking forward to a 'what if America were ruled by Kings' type of thing.  But my spider sense started tingling when they referred to the tanks as 'Goliaths'.  Bleh. :P

 

My prediction is that it will be cancelled pretty quickly.

[mcs0083]

I don't think so. I think that it will continue to be watched by many open minded people who don't really mind the references to the bible. Though I don't mind it because it has something to do with my faith, I have a lot of friends last night who watch it that do not share that faith.

[Emperor]

I know how the story ends and I don't care.  I am not religious... I am about as close as Aeithist as you can get, but this show is good.  The characters look as if they are going to be rich and fun to watch grow.  I like the politics that are going on.  I like the present day creation of characters from the Old Testimant.  I mean.... David Sheppard... Gath (home of Goliath from the Bible), Gilboa, and many more.  I love the representation of Samuel as the Reverand.  This is going to be a great show I think.  My only complaint is that Ian Mcshane as Saul is not destined to be on the show for long. 

[mcs0083]

I dunno. I really like his addition to the show. I would like to think that he sticks around for as long as the biblical Saul did. And yeah this i a differant show and all, but he was awesome in Deadwood.

[Emperor]

Every time I saw the preview leading up to it I would say to the wife "We should be watching Deadwood".  She didn't get the connection and finally asked me "Why do you keep bringing up Deadwood".

 

I watch the Tudors and I know how that is going to end.  I watch movies where I have read the book and know how that will mostly go.  This is same deal.  We get to see a modern day representation of an old story.  It would be one thing if this series was set back in biblical times... that might lose me.  But this is a modern day interpretation.  Now if the show starts preaching at me I will drop it. 

[SinisterDeath]

Every time I saw the preview leading up to it I would say to the wife "We should be watching Deadwood".  She didn't get the connection and finally asked me "Why do you keep bringing up Deadwood".

 

I watch the Tudors and I know how that is going to end.  I watch movies where I have read the book and know how that will mostly go.  This is same deal.  We get to see a modern day representation of an old story.  It would be one thing if this series was set back in biblical times... that might lose me.  But this is a modern day interpretation.  Now if the show starts preaching at me I will drop it. 

 

Ditto.

[Muirenn]

It's my religion too, which is probably a large part of why it bugs me.  And beyond that, I just didn't care for the characters.  Personal taste, I suppose. ~shrugs~

[mcs0083]

Yeah. I don't let it bother me.  :-\

[Emperor]

I also like they made Jack (Jonathan) a gay character.  I thought this a great interpretation of the bible myself.  There are many that think David and Jonathan had a homosexual relationship since David said at J's death that they had a love above any he had known with a woman.  Of course that could just be they had a strong Bromance.. but enjoy that interpretation in the show. 

 

Muir - which characters do you not like? David has some growing to do for me but for a pilot I thought he was fine.  Again loved the Reverand as Samuel and McShane as Silas (Saul).  It also helps the writers wrote the part of Silas for McShane from his role on Deadwood.

 

I don't want this thread to turn into a religious debate btw... but I do like the discussion thus far on the show.

[Emperor]

http://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/7210/tv-review-ambitious-kings-with-ian-mcshane-unlike-anything-else-on-network-tv

 

CHICAGO – You won’t see many shows much more ambitious than NBC’s “Kings”. The multi-character drama borrows from the story of King David to create a tapestry piece about power, corruption, and war. It’s dense, layered, complex storytelling that you rarely see on network television. In other words, I don’t think it’s going to be on very long.

 

 

Television Rating: 3.5/5.0

“We give up what we want when we want power.” - King Silas Benjamin (Ian McShane, “Deadwood”)

 

In the two-hour premiere of “Kings,” directed by “I Am Legend“‘s Francis Lawrence (as are all of the first four hours) and created by “Heroes”’ Michael Green, we meet the popular King of Gilboa, Silas Benjamin, played with driven perfection by the great Ian McShane. His people have recently emerged stronger from a horrible war and the King lives with his Queen Rose (Susanna Thompson of “Once and Again”), outspoken Daughter Michelle (Allison Miller), and son Jack (Sebastian Stan).

 

 

 

Ian McShane and Chris Egan in Kings.

Photo credit: NBC/Eric Leibowitz

 

 

 

After an intriguing introduction that nearly prophesies what’s going to happen (“Kings” is rich with prophecy and symbolism), the show jumps forward a few years and the kingdom has been pushed into yet another war with the neighboring nation of Gath.

 

 

Chris Egan in Kings.

Photo credit: NBC/Andrew Eccles

A commoner that we met in the introduction watching the King on TV soon becomes a part of his circle. David Shepherd (Chris Egan of “Eragon,” a dead-ringer for Matt Damon), a wide-eyed, earnest soul is fighting on the front with his brother. When the King’s son is kidnapped by the opposition, David leads a charge to save him, even facing down a Goliath tank. (Get it?!?! A soldier named David against a Goliath tank.)

 

When David’s bravery is revealed, he becomes an icon and is invited to the king’s castle to be honored. It’s there that “Kings’ really kicks in as our hero falls for the lovely Princess and watches as the peace with Gath that he has put his life in jeopardy to achieve falls apart. There are people in the king’s inner circle who don’t want peace.

 

The ‘A plot’ of a corrupt king and the young man looking to stop the war is merely one part of “Kings”. Silas is also torn in two by his militaristic brother-in-law (Dylan Baker) and his religious advisor (Eamonn Walker of “Oz”). His son Jack hides a secret of which his father doesn’t approve. And the great Brian Cox and Miguel Ferrer pop up in episode three. And that’s just the beginning but I wouldn’t want to spoil the revelations of future weeks.

 

Will you make it that far to discover them for yourself? “Kings” reminded me of a recent show that had a huge following and dealt with issues of corruption and warfare - “Jericho”. Not a bad critical comparison, but fans of “Jericho” know what happened to that show. “Kings” features the kind of storytelling that requires patience and commitment, two things less common in the era of “Deal or No Deal”.

 

 

Ian McShane and Susanna Thompson in Kings.

Photo credit: NBC/Eric Leibowitz

On Sunday nights, do people want escapism like “Desperate Housewives” and “Family Guy,” or two hours of Shakespearian drama? Clearly, HBO has thrived on Sunday nights with rich, layered storytelling, but I have a tough believing that people are going to turn to NBC looking for the same thing. This is the same network that recently announced they were handing over five hours of primetime to a talk show host. They’re not exactly the first place you think of for something like “Kings”.

 

Why bring popular response to a review? Because network TV has something called the axe of cancellation. As ambitious and well-made as it is, “Kings” is the kind of show that I’m hesitant to get into or recommend because we’ve all been burned by devoting time to something that a network cancels before a satisfying conclusion can be reached. Unlike HBO, where at least one season is guaranteed, the likelihood of cancellation should play into network TV reviews. Why praise something that’s not going to be on by the time you read the review?

 

What’s truly tragic about the way I think people are likely to respond to “Kings” is that it gets better week-to-week. I’ve seen the first three episodes - four hours of the show - and it takes that long for the show to really cohere into something interesting. The first two hours drag a bit and feel overblown, but by the end of the fourth episode I was totally hooked on “Kings”. Let’s hope the show stays on the air that long.

[Emperor]

B+ from E!

 

Kings is a big, ambitious, imaginative fantasy soap opera with a grand, prickly performance by its star, Deadwood's Ian McShane. In an alternate world, McShane is Silas Benjamin, king of Gilboa, a nation that strongly resembles contemporary America; he strides around in immaculate business suits plotting 
victory against an invading force from the neighboring country of Gath. We meet a farm boy-turned-soldier, David Shepherd (Eragon's Chris Egan), whose bravery in battle — he rescues a prisoner who turns out to be King Silas' cocky, secret-keeping son Jack (Sebastian Stan) — gains him notice from the king and his court. Shepherd, as nearly everyone calls David, is brought into the kingdom as a useful public relations symbol: He represents the pure common man, something in short supply among Silas' crew, which includes 
the king's ratty chief-of-finance brother-in-law (Revolutionary Road's Dylan Baker) and his disapproving, mysterious religious adviser (Oz's Eamonn Walker).

 

Some aspects of Kings are predictable. With a young blond stud like Shepherd, there's gotta be a beautiful king's daughter (Allison Miller) he can fall for. And since the king is a randy egomaniac, his wife is a control-freak ice queen (Once and Again's Susanna Thompson).

 

Kings is about intrigue, loyalty, warcraft, and betrayal. To prevent this stuff from becoming merely stuffy requires a certain kind of storytelling skill, and the mind 
behind Kings knows from big-scale fantasy drama. Creator Michael Green has co-written a script for a Green Lantern movie, and worked on Heroes and Smallville.

 

There's no ostentatiously melodramatic strain showing, no labored attempt to invest the show with 
 Big Ideas or Grand Theories. But what Kings has going for it most of all are its actors. McShane fine-tunes his Al Swearengen persona from Deadwood into a more posh but no less amoral man; no one on TV is more cavalierly cruel while remaining charismatic. As the young lovers, Egan and Miller are simultaneously pretty and blank enough to allow any young viewer to identify with them.

 

For a series like this to work — and I hope it does — it needs both a mass audience 
(ratings) and a cult following (rabid watchers who'll key in to the show's mythology of Gilboa and Gath's history of hostility). Kings asks — well, McShane's Silas commands — you to enter its world; so far, that universe is pleasingly treacherous, though not 
wholly formed, a work in progress that's worth seeing through to completion. B+

[Majsju]

It does look more interesting than when I first heard of it, and I think this might be the series I will replace BSG with.