From the producer and writer of Heroes comes a modern retelling of the classic biblical story of King David. NBC’s Kings tells the story of young solider David Shepherd (Chris Egan) whose life changes after he saves a fellow soldier who’d turn out to be the king’s son. Meanwhile, King Silas Benjamin, played by Ian McShane of the critically acclaimed HBO western Deadwood, plays the entrenched monarch of present day Gilboa, whose prolonged rule is disrupted as tensions arise with neighboring nation Gath. David’s ascent to fame will reportedly be a threat to the so-far comfortable strongman.
Kings premieres with a two-hour pilot Sunday night 8pm on NBC. Everwood and Heroes writer Michael Green penned the script, while I Am Legend director Francis Lawrence directed the pilot.
Green said he envisioned the series to be faithful yet contemporary. “I want to take one of the classic stories that no one has ever retold and find a way to re-conceive it while still being faithful to the original material but at the same time exploring the themes, modernizing it in every way.”
Kings also stars Susanna Thompson as Queen Rose Benjamin and Allison Miller as the king’s daughter who falls for David. Macaulay Culkin will reportedly appear in a multi-episode arc as King Silas’ exiled nephew, while Miguel Ferrer and Leslie Bibb from Crossing Jordan, and Michael Stahl-David from The Black Donnellys also bagged multi-episode arcs.
If critics who were given the first four episodes are to be believed, Kings “looks and feels unlike anything on television right now,” with the pilot being described as “bold, bizarre, fun.” McShane, in particular, received raves for his portrayal of the king, comparing it with his Deadwood role as Al Swearengen, for which he won a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Television Drama, on top of Emmy and SAG nominations. Los Angeles Times summed it up as “ambitious.”
Catch Kings this Sunday at 8pm on NBC.
– Glenn Diaz, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: NBC, Los Angeles Times
(Image courtesy of NBC)
Staff Writer, BuddyTV
