Last week, ABC cancelled Of Kings and Prophets after just two airings. Viewers who were enjoying the biblical drama are understandably upset that the network won’t be airing the remaining episodes. However, not everyone is sorry to see the TV series go.
Parents Television Council (PTC), a “non-partisan education organization advocating responsible entertainment”, had been pushing for the series to be cancelled even before it premiered. The group criticized the show for its sexual and violent content. In a statement, PTC president Tim Winter said the series “demonstrates a disconnect” between the entertainment industry and family audiences:
The real question here is, why wouldn’t ABC and the show’s producers want to reach the largest audience possible by making a series based on the Bible able to be viewed by families? Instead it appears that their primary objective was to be edgy and explicit, rather than to entertain with a biblical story. And in so doing, they’re carving away a large percentage of their potential market. This further demonstrates a disconnect between what the entertainment industry wants to produce and what family audiences want to consume.
Now that the series has been cancelled, due to low ratings, the PTC is claiming victory. From the organization’s website:
“The only reason networks cancel a show without burning off the remaining episodes is that there is no advertiser support. The dollars simply aren’t there, and it is more economical for them to air something else entirely – despite the fact that they’ve paid for those unaired episodes. And based on the conversations we’ve had over the past few days with several of the most premiere sponsors in the country – during which we questioned their underwriting such over-the-top graphic violence in Of Kings and Prophets, it was clear that advertiser support for the show was quickly evaporating. While we applaud ABC’s cancellation of the show, we can’t help but wonder why they would choose to air it in the first place,” said Parents Television Council President Tim Winter
What do you think? Do you think that Of Kings and Prophets should have been cancelled? Do you think PTC’s actions had any effect or was this just another case of a show being cancelled becasue not enough people watched?
I thought the show was fantastic and quite thought provoking. I hope it finds another home where I can see the rest of it.
That ABC cancelled it, that is really sad. That the PTC jubilates? That is also sad. And NO, the Bible is not some “once upon a time” story with happy endings. It is bloody, it has sex (all colors), it has betrayal. This is the bible, not some children story.
We pamper and protect our kids, forgetting that in our time nobody cared about all this “politically corectness”.
Seriously! Abc at last did a show that rivals what you see on HBO or starz and after 2 episodes that’s it!?! At 10pm on a Tuesday night kids should be sleeping! I know mine is! Very disappointed and will be boycotting abc from now on!
Me and my fiancé are SO disappointed that Of Kings & Prophets is cancelled. As avid fans of The Bible, it was great seeing David and Saul’s story come to life in a different and perhaps more realustic way. Even for non-Bible lovers, the storyline was intriguing and truly piqued ones interest. This is a real shame.
Unbelievable, finally a show I feel was worth watching cancelled due to a handful of folks did not agree with its content. Come on give me a break if it bothers you so much Plz use that Lil thing called a remote. Hey I guess I need to to e it downn some so I guess I’ll watch viking,soa,or even scandal #whenhypocritesgetaconscience
This is a late show, I mean very late, the walking dead is on earlier than this, THIS SHOULD BE AN INDICATOR THAN THIS IS NOT A KIDS SHOW! How dare anyone outside the production tell them who they have to target, “but the children *whine*”. Screw you, any parent that let’s their kids stay up until 11 o’clock at night or later (because if you didn’t know, the show was from 10 to 11 at night), so they can watch television needs to focus more on their children and less and what’s on television at 10 O’CLOCK AT NIGHT.… Read more »
I thumbs upped your post, but ‘Lucifer’ isn’t what you think it is.
Indeed, it has degraded to a formulaic ‘fish out of water’ “buddy” cop show,
on par with NCIS [whatever] or ‘Blue Bloods” with just a touch of quirkiness
to keep me coming back.
Lacks the cool factor of “Supernatural” where the brothers dispatch ‘real’ evil
or the creativity of Supernatural’s comedy flip side “Reaper” {which was cut down when it was just hitting its’ stride.
Well this is sad that Kings and Prophets is canceled. I have to watch TLC chanel tonight
First of all I find it simply appalling that you would think that a biblical show would be worse than any other shows that are being shown on tv. You have Empire, Scandel, How to get away with murder and at least two of those shows are on when children would most likely still be up . What us believers have to realize is the devil and his advocates have more to do with this than we realize. When you say it is okay to show gay people kissing and showing a bit to much affection than I would want… Read more »
The show wasnt bad have they looked at the cartoons they play on cartoon network? ?? There are worse tv shows on even the sitcoms that are on early arent appropriate for kids and kids should be in bed before the time it comes on
It was pulled too soon. I was looking forward to next show. I assume PTC is okay with all the other sexual and violent content that’s display a great deal of most TV. It’s ok to air shows that display homosexuality scene which is total against biblical principles. As I recall it did say viewer advise of the content.
This show actually made me read my Bible more. I wanted to see how it compares to the written word. I think you missed the mark in cancelling this show. Not every story in the Bible is meant for children to listen to. They showed how people of that time interacted and raw emotions. I’m a church goer and the only thing that bothered me was the anti Israel feel of the storyline.
For once we had a good Biblical Based Show and it got cancelled… this is a shame!!!! ABC should offer the rest of the episodes online .
Why would they cancel the show! To my mind it was the best new show going! I don’t understand why it had such a small following. Man I am so very disappointed I was really looking forward to seeing David and Goliath go toe to toe. Speechless it’s just gone and that’s not fair because I can’t do anything about.
Unbelievable! This was the only series I was interested in watching, it was along the lines of Passion of the Christ. Saul had concubines, David was a warrior, this wasn’t a Saturday afternoon show for the kiddies! It was on at 9pm, people’s brats should be in bed! Have you seen the trash on soap operas everyday of the week, in the middle of the afternoon! I hope the PTC does not consider this any type of victory, with all the adult content all over the tv,they pick the only bible some people will ever see,that shows men of God… Read more »
i enjoyed the show. i really wanted to see David slay Goliath. of course leave it up to some organization to ruin a good show. it had low ratings due to being biblical based, which is garbage. the show was just starting to be good. i hope netflix picks up the pieces where abc couldn’t seem to deliver.