Kings: Season 1

Typically I am not a big fan of the re-imagined story since it usually it means the writers weren’t able to come up with a completely original story. I have seen one major exception to this ploy but it is rare. Some stories are such classics that it is the responsibility of each generation to add their own twist embracing the story as its own. Look at how enduring Shakespeare’s ‘Juliet’ has managed to become. Star crossed lovers have provided the basis of stories ever since. ‘West Side Story’ was taken directly fro the Bard’s play yet no one would accuse it of lacking imagination or originality. When it comes to the all important choice of source material there is one work that has ascended above all others for thousands of years; The Bible; this is viewed as the holiest written accounts by a significant portion of the human experience. Even if you do not consider the Bible to be the direct word of God it still is undeniably one of the most significant and influential pieces of literature in history. There have been more treatments based on stories from the Bible than any other work. These are quite literally timeless morality plays that every person can relate to immediately. I have to say that I really didn’t expect to see a weekly television series based on the Bible but NBC managed to pull it off with ‘Kings’. It is a cleaver re-telling of the story of David as accounted in the books of Kings and Samuel. The brilliant writing set the stage for some of the most incredible performances ever seen on broadcast television. As such the series was doomed to join the growing ranks of brilliant but cancelled. I knew from watching the first episode that this series was far too finely crafted to last on TV. To be fair perhaps the story would have been better suited to a limited miniseries especially since the original story is completely told in the Bible.

It has to be a considerable and arduous task to attempt to re-write the Bible. After all not only do many people know the stories but they are considered scared by a large number of people. These members of the audience traditionally not shy about complaining about anything they perceive as incorrect. Taking on this difficult job for this series was Michael Green. He has been a successful screenwriter for years noted for his contributions to series like ‘Heroes’ and ‘Smallville. To go from writing about people with amazing powers to a gripping political drama like this just demonstrates his flexibility. Here is not only modernizes the Biblical story of David but allows it to unfold in an alternate universe where a modern country similar to the United States remained an absolute monarchy. This was in itself one of the most innovative and distinctive plot devices to appear on TV literally in decades. It is strange to see the country I grew up in under the total rule of a single man called our King.

What made this series work so remarkably well is the way it brought the story into this new millennium. When the peaceful young man, David (Christopher Egan) faces it huge foe goliath is not depicted as a giant warrior but an unstoppable tank. He winds up saving the life of the King’s son but is brought to public notoriety because of a cell phone photo that captured the incident. It was little touches such as this showing the power of single image especial since now almost everyone can be a photo journalist. Of course even powerful moments like this cannot carry a story; for that the produces turned to an amazingly talented cast. The role of King Silas Benjamin is played by a man with a controlling voice trained for such stately roles; Ian McShane. Some may remember him as the man in charge in the brilliant but cancelled HBO series ‘Deadwood’. He brings a royal continence to the part that leaps off the screen making you believe that one man could still rule in modern times as a king of an industrial world power. The producers also provided the audience with many sub plots that help bridge the Common Era to the distant past. One such theme is the King’s daughter Michelle (Allison Miller) as she petitions her father for public health care. She is one of the few people in court who can openly approach the mighty king in such a fashion. As much as the political drama is capable of holding the audience the flavorful dish offered by this series was seasoned with a couple of almost soap opera touches. The King publicly loves his family but does have a mistress Helen Pardis (Sarita Choudhury) who bore the monarch an illegitimate son. This series just about had it all from the intrigue of a monarch’s court to the machinations of political power in a modern country. The acting was mesmerizing keeping me enthralled for the entire albeit too brief run.

Unfortunately the reality of television is business and the all important ratings did not meet the network’s criteria to continue. Some blame should be given to the marketing department. The promotional spots used for the series relied heavily on the modern monarchy. This gave the impression that the series was some sort of fantasy. This undercut the forceful drama that was the true brilliance of the series. The one good thing from this undeserved cancellation is that NBC’s parent company of Universal has released the series on DVD. Personally I looked forward to this set since the series aired just as I had a stroke and had to stay in a hospital with only a handful of TV stations. I got to see the first two episodes but had to wait for this DVD to be able to fully appreciate this impressive series. Just do yourself s favor. If you enjoy quality television get this and be prepared to be entertained.

Posted 03/08/2010