kings_qa_panel

“Kings”, the latest drama series from NBC and one of the executive producers of “Heroes”, Michael Green, is a modern day retelling of David & King Saul while set in an a parallel world which closely resembles Manhattan but with its own fantasy world twist. Two weeks ago I had the opportunity to sit in for a screening of “Kings” and be one of a dozen bloggers to pose questions to the series creator, Green, along with five of the stars: Dylan Baker, Susanna Thompson, Eamonn Walker, and Allison Miller.

I had planned to present my review of the pilot this week and a review of the Q&A panel next week, but due to certain timelines I’ve swapped the two. So this week you’ll be treated to the extensive question and answer session which intros with yours truly representing Hollywood Hills for the very first question of the panel. Sweet.

You can watch the entire Q&A video above, but I’ve also pulled out a few highlights:

  • I asked series creator Michael Green if he had a complete story-arc in mind or if he’d just be flying by the seat of his pants as the series developed: “Both. I approached this season with a second season in mind… You allow for evolution as the season progresses… This season was written with a very specific season finale in mind… If we’re lucky enough to have a second season I know what I’d like to do.”
  • One blogger asked, “how do you get viewers to buy into this world you’re building that doesn’t exist?” Green: “We are hoping that it’s part of the experience, that if you know the city or know that Lisk was a real person, you get to play the ‘Where’s Waldo?” of where does this world fit in the larger world. It’s one of the things that gradually unfolds as opposed to just coming out and blurting all the exposition. My comparison is, ‘where is Springfield?’”
  • In a discussion on what the series creators have been able to get away with, Green was asked about censorship and replied, “Strangely enough, they’ve [NBC] not yet asked us to censor the Bible… They tried, but then I’ve showed them what chapter it was from and they were like, “oh, well I guess that’s okay.”
  • One blogger asks about the “sizzle reel” we watched (I’m trying to track that down for you) which featured a lot of big surprises and will undoubtedly pull in a lot of viewers. It’s worth noting two of the biggies: Brian Cox and Macaulay Culkin!
  • Funniest comment of the panel came from Dylan Baker when asked about his character’s obvious allusions to a Halliburton exec (think Dick Cheney) – “I’m hoping to bring a bit of Dick back into our lives” as he noted the absence of the VP in the new administration.
  • Second funniest comment – “I’m not gonna lie. The first place I went was Wikipedia,” said Allison Miller when asked about her character research.

“Kings” series description from NBC:


“From executive producer Michael Green (NBC’s “Heroes”) comes a riveting new drama about a modern day monarchy. “Kings” is a contemporary re-telling of the timeless tale of David and Goliath. This series is an epic story of greed and power, war and romance, forbidden loves and secret alliances — and a young hero who rises to power in a modern-day kingdom. King Silas Benjamin (Ian McShane, “Deadwood”) is the well-entrenched king of Gilboa, whose flag bears a divine butterfly symbol. Gilboa has its capital in Shiloh, a clean new city that is unspoiled by time or litter. Silas must deal with the tensions rising between Gilboa and neighboring nation Gath. When several prisoners of war are taken, a young soldier, David Shepard (Chris Egan, “Eragon”), defies orders and crosses enemy lines to save them. Unknown to David, the soldier he saves is Jack Benjamin (Sebastian Stan, “The Covenant”), the son of the king. From that day forth, David’s life will never be the same.

Susanna Thompson (“Once & Again”) plays Queen Rose Benjamin, a distant, yet supportive wife. Allison Miller (“Lucy’s Piano”) stars as King Silas’ beautiful, intelligent and outspoken daughter, Michelle. General Linus Abner (Wes Studi, “Comanche Moon,” “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee”), Reverend Ephram Samuels (Eamonn Walker, “Oz”) and William Cross, Silas’ brother-in-law (Dylan Baker, “Spiderman 2″), try to influence King Silas. From Universal Media Studios, “Kings” is executive-produced by Green, Erwin Stoff (“I Am Legend”) and Francis Lawrence (“I Am Legend”), who also directed the pilot.”

Kings premieres Sunday, March 15th at 8pm on NBC.

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