Of Kings and Prophets
| Of Kings and Prophets | |
|---|---|
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| Genre | Biblical Drama |
| Based on | Bible, Books of Samuel |
| Developed by |
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| Starring | |
| Composer(s) |
Trevor Morris Mark Kilian |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 9 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
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| Producer(s) |
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| Location(s) | Cape Town, South Africa |
| Cinematography |
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| Editor(s) | Adam Bluming Tim Mirkovich |
| Running time | 42 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
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| Distributor | Disney-ABC Domestic Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Picture format | 720p (16:9 HDTV) |
| Original release | March 8 – March 15, 2016 |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Of Kings and Prophets is an American television drama based on the Biblical Books of Samuel that premiered on ABC. The series follows an ensemble of characters including Saul and David, the successive Kings of Israel, their families, and their political rivals. Of Kings and Prophets is set in the Kingdom of Israel, but filmed in Cape Town, South Africa.
The series was originally scheduled to premiere in late 2015. However, due to creative changes, it was moved to mid-season in the 2015–16 television season, and premiered on March 8, 2016. Due to low ratings, ABC canceled the series after airing two episodes. The fate of the remaining episodes airing in the U.S. is as of yet undetermined. All nine episodes aired in New Zealand in March–May 2016.
Writers Adam Cooper and Bill Collage said at the Television Critics Association press tour that they hope to push the envelope "as far as we can" in regards to the amount of sex and violence featured on the series. Showrunner Chris Brancato later clarified "This story is an Old Testament [one that’s] violent [and] sex-drenched. It’s one of the world’s first soap operas. ... You will watch a show that is tasteful but that also tells the story you can read if you want to pick up the Bible." Then-ABC president Paul Lee (who was removed from the network before the show premiered) described the pilot episode simply as "muscular".
Cooper suggested that if need be, some of the more graphic scenes on the series may be edited for public broadcast, and release the originally intended scenes for online viewing.
The show has received below average reviews from critics, with many critics negatively comparing it to Game of Thrones. On Metacritic, the first season of Of Kings and Prophets received a score of 47/100 based on 16 media reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 35% approval rating based on 18 media reviews with its critical consensus: "Of Kings and Prophets tries to add a Game of Thrones-inspired spin to the Old Testament, but ends up an aimless muddle."
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Wikipedia