Last night was the premiere of NBC’s much-hyped new series, Kings. Though the series has an impressive cast and big production values, few viewers tuned in to watch. Based on the initial ratings, will interested viewers get a chance to see the whole season?
Kings is a modern retelling of the classic David and Goliath story. It’s set in a modern world that closely resembles our own, except for the fact that what looks like the United States is ruled by a king. Kings is billed as 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.
It stars Ian McShane, Christopher Egan, Susanna Thompson, Michael Patrick Crane, Allison Miller, Sebastian Stan, Eamonn Walker, Dylan Baker, Wes Studi, Joel Garland, Jason Antoon, Sarita Choudhury, and Macaulay Culkin.
The two-hour premiere got off to a rocky start last night, to put it mildly. The first half hour attracted a poor 6.5 million viewers and a 1.6/5 rating/share in the 18-49 demographic. By the time the last half hour had aired, only 5.5 million were still watching with a 1.7/4.
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Those numbers placed the debut firmly in fourth place among the big networks. It performed significantly worse than Celebrity Apprentice had the week before and proved to be the network’s second worst premiere of the season, behind last week’s Chopping Block.
NBC has committed to 11 more hours of the series which are set to begin airing next Sunday night. With a complicated premise and a little-watched premiere, it’s hard to imagine a scenario in which even fewer people will tune in next week. With so few viewers, NBC will have little choice but to make a change in their schedule. What’s likely to happen?
In the past, NBC probably would have simply pulled the show from the schedule and opted to leave a bunch of unaired installments sitting on the shelf. In these tough economic times however, that’s not a very viable option. As was the case with Crusoe, they’ll likely move the remaining episodes to Saturday nights to burn them off.
No matter what they decide to do with the existing episodes, unless viewership radically improves, it’s impossible to imagine that the series would be renewed for a second season. Long live the king? It appears, not so much.
Image courtesy NBC.
Just rewatched the entire show in 2019, this show was good and had potential, idk wtf NBC was thinking when it cancelled it after a few episodes, everyone in television knows that a series needs time to gain momentum, it doesn’t just form out of thin air like they would like. I’d like to see a season 2 with a time jump that can explain away the characters that need to disappear and would allow the story to play out.
I have never seen such remarkable play in my whole life , it really get interesting from the second episode .. Iam so sad to know that there is no second season .. I have to watch the whole first season again .
It is really a shame that this was cancelled. The displays a message that is particularly important at present. In a time where people have all but forgotten about GOD and of Faith, this show truly espouses what faith is and why it is essential for success in life. NBC needs to gain some FAITH and realize that “Bottom Dollar” is only important in this life not in the next! “Earth is a Task Garden, Heaven is the Playground.”, G.K. Chesterton. NBC really outta learn this lesson and soon lest they find permanence in their lack luster network.
I did not know this show was ever on TV. Maybe at the time this show was brought to national TV maybe it was not the right time. If this show is brought back and advertised as much as the walking dead or Sons of Anarchy. I guarantee it would take off and have a better audience. Its a very good show and great plot. It needs to be brought back.
This is a great show! I would like to see a season two! very inspirational!
I LOVED this show KINGS!! NBC Let them down!! Instead they run reality “JUNK”. This show had a GREAT cast! GREAT STORY!! Had a real chance of of going along way! PLEASE bring this back!!
I came across this show after recently watching the movie, Letters to Juliet, where I fell in love with actor, Chris Egan. I searched his filmography and found Kings as one of the tv shows he starred in. I found the season on Hulu and became ADDICTED. I watched the whole season in one day, even though it was a school night. The show was absolutely phenomonal! I loved the story line, the plot, the characters, the romance between Shepard and the princess, basically everything. I’m not in any way familiar with the story of David an Goliag, but the… Read more »
Its despicable how the networks shut this truly groundbreaking series down..if anything, it gives true insight and detaches itself completely from the mundane slobbery of shows we see today on television. They need to bring this show back, or another network needs to pick it up…especially today, people really need to watch this show not just for the great dialogue, special effects, and character development…but its about understanding whats really going on in the world around us.
I love this show it is by far one of the greatest shows to come out in the last couple of years. I bought the whole series which just leaves you hanging at the end i want to know what else happens in the end.
I just discovered this show on Hulu and must say it wakes me up from the regurgitated tv drivel! I stopped really watching real tv almost three years ago now, and really didn’t miss it. However, I think this show, IF they continue it, would be worth going back for. I believe I saw maybe one advertisement for it before it came out, but that was it; so honestly, I think it was NBC’s fault for not putting the ‘umph’ marketing and correct timing behind it to make it a really great turn-out. Try again with season 2 please! And… Read more »
Kings is nothing short of brilliant! All the entertainment you could ask for but yet inspiring. I have never seen anything like it and am waiting patiently for it to be continued although my patience is running thin.
Kings…. What a great show! Give it time
the only thing nbc did wrong was air it at a time when reality tv was a big thing. Timing is everything. that show could have went the distance.