March 15, 2009

Wes Studi in Kings

Roscoe Pond reports that Wes Studi appeared in the pilot episode of Kings (airdate: 3/15/09). Kings is "a modern-day soap about a hero who rises to become the King of his nation, based on the biblical story of King David."

According to USA Today:That's particularly true at NBC, where the artistic ambitions of late have been far less than royal. Kings doesn't quite work and probably won't last, but it's not recycled trash like Knight Rider and Kath & Kim, or cheap flotsam like Crusoe. Kings may have manifold flaws, but being run-of-the-mill is not among them.

Created by Heroes writer Michael Green, Kings takes the biblical story of David and King Saul and puts it through a Shakespearean/sci-fi/soap-opera wringer. Much is lost in the multiple washes, but something is gained as well, most notably the sense that you're watching something that isn't like everything else you're watching.

There is some humor (most provided by a Rosencrantz and Guildenstern type pair of guards) and much Dynasty-style wrangling for power. Among the wranglers are a devious prince with a secret (Sebastian Stan), a beautiful princess with a secret vow (Allison Miller), a duplicitous brother-in-law (Dylan Baker), and two more biblically influenced characters: the prophet Samuels (Eamonn Walker) and General Abner (Wes Studi).Comment:  IMDB.com doesn't even list Studi as a cast member. This could be a mistake or a sign that his role is minor.

For more on the subject, see TV Shows Featuring Indians.

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3 comments:

  1. Anonymous12:50 AM

    Kings looks like a typical glorification of monarchy; the idiotic system which claims that putting a sheltered inbred idiot in power and sucking up to him is a good idea, in other words it sounds like an anglophile's wet dream. Not to mention let's not forget all the misery and genocide monarchy has caused, glorifying that strikes me as being extremely callous and insensitive (sort of like movies that glorify the US government while leaving out the suffering of Natives).

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  2. Rob9:07 AM

    Maybe the people will eventually overthrow the "King David" character and set up a democracy in his place. But if the series is faithful to the Biblical story, probably not.

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  3. Anonymous9:29 PM

    I doubt it, plus not only is this a glorification of monarchy, it also feels like pro-Israel propaganda.

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