Kings | |
---|---|
Genre |
Serial drama Speculative fiction |
Created by | Michael Green |
Starring |
Ian McShane Christopher Egan Susanna Thompson Allison Miller Eamonn Walker Sebastian Stan Dylan Baker Wes Studi |
Composer(s) | Trevor Morris |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language(s) | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 13 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producer(s) |
Michael Green Francis Lawrence Erwin Stoff |
Producer(s) | Erik Oleson (supervisor/consulting) Barry M. Berg (producer) Margot Lulick (producer) Kate Gordon (associate producer) Dara Schnapper (associate producer) John A. Smith (associate producer) |
Camera setup | Single-camera |
Running time | 45–48 minutes |
Production company(s) | J.A. Green Construction Corp. 3 Arts Entertainment Universal Media Studios |
Release | |
Original network | NBC |
Original release | March 15 – July 25, 2009 |
External links | |
Website |
Kings is an American television drama series which aired on NBC. The series' narrative is loosely based on the biblical story of King David, but set in a kingdom that culturally and technologically resembles the present-day United States.
Advance showings received mostly positive critical reviews. The Sunday March 15, 2009 premiere placed fourth in network television ratings for that evening. After four episodes aired, NBC moved it to a Saturday slot, but only showed one more episode before pulling the series until summer. The remaining seven episodes were aired on Saturdays in June and July; however, Kings was canceled after failing to find a sufficient audience.
Kings is set in the fictional Kingdom of Gilboa, a modern absolute monarchy. Gilboa is ruled by King Silas Benjamin, who originally formed the united kingdom two decades before from the three warring countries of Gilboa, Carmel, and Selah. He believes that he has been divinely anointed king, and he often cites the day when a swarm of monarch butterflies once landed on his head in the form of "a living crown" which called upon him to form the Monarchy and Kingdom.
All is not well for Silas: his policies and actions are being manipulated by his queen's brother, William Cross, who holds substantial control over the royal treasury and also appears to be the major stakeholder as CEO/Chairman of Crossgen (which appears to have a large stake in the economy of Gilboa); his heir, Prince Jack, is a closeted homosexual, which could undermine the royal family; and Silas himself has a secret mistress as well as a young son with her.
Events of the series are set into motion when young David Shepherd, a Gilboan soldier in a war against the Republic of Gath, single-handedly rescues a captive soldier from behind enemy lines and destroys a "Goliath-Class" tank with a shoulder fired missile launcher. The captive soldier is Prince Jack, and David not only becomes an instant star in the national media, but he also earns the gratitude of King Silas, much to the chagrin of the prince.