TV: NBC’s Kings Premiere
Kings premiered on NBC last Sunday. I wanted to check it out because once Battlestar Galactica goes off the air (this Friday *sniff*), I won’t have a theoretical political world in which to play.
Fortunately, the soap opera elements are not as prominent as I feared they were going to be. And the monarchical power plays are more interesting than I was expecting.
It really is like taking the kings of old and placing them in modern times. The clergy is a power faction as are the governmental ministers. But in addition, we also have bankers and financiers in the mix.
The modern press is an intriguing application. Through them, popular opinion and mass communication are important elements and allow the people to become yet another player.
Ian McShane is as impressive as ever. For fans of Deadwood, there are readily apparent parallels in plot that made me so wistful for that show.