The Setup
Kings is inspired by the story of David and Goliath and is set in what would be present-day if New York City was run by a monarchy. While not exactly called New York, the mythical Gilboa has the same look and feel.
The series will have its 2-hour premiere on Sunday, March 15th at 8pm on NBC and Citytv and will later air at the same time for the rest of its 13-episode first season.
The Cast
The cast list is pretty good. We’ve got Ian McShane from Deadwood as King Benjamin Silas who has built the new capital city. Chris Egan will play David, a soldier in the King’s army who will rescue Jack, the King’s son on the battlefield. Egan is best known to Australian audiences from his time on Home and Away and later had roles in Eragon, Resident Evil: Extinction and guest starred on the fourth season of Everwood as well as the short-lived 2006 series Vanished. Jack is played by Gossip Girl’s Sebastian Stan where he played Nate’s man-crush Carter Baizen and had a past with Serena during her European excursion with Georgina. Stan is also dating GG’s Leighton Meester (Blair). I was quite impressed with Stan’s performance alongside McShane on the front steps. The facial Rose is played by Susanna Thompson who appeared as the Borg Queen on Star Trek: Voyager. Allison Miller plays Michelle, the Princess who catches David’s eye. Also coming up for multimple story arcs are Leslie Bibb from Popular and Maculay Culkin as the King’s exiled nephew.
The Good
The acting is top-notch as the cast have really good chemistry with each other. The characters are also well-written and complex. Dramas usually work best when character-driven storylines outweigh the plot. Expect a few shocks, especially when it comes to the personal lives of both Silas and Jack.
The Bad
There will be confusion over the location and setting. Don’t expect any explanations on how the world which Kings is set in to be detailed in the pilot. The best bet would be to just keep an open mind. Not everything has to be based in present reality, right?
The Verdict
Kings is a good fresh show. We haven’t really seen anything like this before. The dramatic element is what will set it apart from other mythology-heavy shows like Lost and Heroes. Yes, I know those shows are considered dramas, but I’m hoping that Kings doesn’t get lost in prolonging plots like the others did. The relationships between the characters are relatable. They do not need to be monarchs…deep down, it could be any family whether their empire is a country or business.
