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 was enjoying this Game of Thrones biblical epic. I was looking forward to the next episode. Perhaps it was a better fit for HBO or other Cable networks. I don’t know what the Sunday School council objects to, really. I remember the books of Samuel and Kings in the bible as being the most lurid stuff I was ever allowed to read as a child! The series was interesting to me, and I hope to see the rest of it sometime!
I think it is a good show , most bible stories are not kid friendly.
I am very disappointed that ABC canceled “Of Kings and Prophets”. I enjoyed the show a lot (and yes I am a Born Again Christian). I saw this as a great way to get people who would not normally tune into a “Christian” show to watch. We had several tv’s in my house tuned into it. Shame on ABC for cancelling and shame on PTC for being so short sighted and advocating for it’s cancellation.
This show wasn’t intended for children, hence the late time slot and warnings. Do they not realize the amount of violence and sex in the bible?! Seeing this beautiful show getting cancelled brought me to tears. All the violence, all the sex was done tastefully. Unlike my favorite show game of thrones, which could greatly benefit from cutting down the pornographic scenes. This was a complete overreaction by these people and I hope they’re happy with themselves. If another network doesn’t pick this show up then I’ve lost my faith in humanity haha. I for one want this show back… Read more »
Wow.
This series was great…I can’t just believe that one group may think they have the right to decide for others…..
Certainly a Shame, values and intelligence are motivated within a family values not cancelling the free expression of others.
I completely agree!
ABC are better off just calling it day if they just want to stick to showing programmes no ones interested in. As for Low ratings, try and promote these programmes a bit better and the ratings might increase. Look how well Vikings is doing (I think)?
They canceled to soon.
I personally monitored everything my children watched. PTC should be ashamed for taking on the mantle of what’s should be on tv when a child should be in the bed at 9 or 10 at night and a child’s parent should be monitoring their TV not an organization
So agree! This has been my argument for years regarding organization censorship! The people in these organizations should spend their time monitoring their children instead of what I’m watching on television. This show was very well done in depicting the scenarios of the Bible and I’m am disgusted with ABC’s decision to cancel. This is why I have almost entirely stopped watching network television
Someone else needs to pick this up! It was amazing
What a shame. A great show that helped give me visual reference to the Bible. The old testament is the most violent book in the human race it aught to pull great ratings as a TV show.
People are too sensitive. It was a television show! It does not have to accurately represent the bible because it is a show! no it should not have been cancelled. Sheep have a hard time seeing their prophets- heroes and fairytale deities in a human light. “Too sexual” really? Bc women had so many rights then? Sooooooo lame!
And to all the people that say that this was an evil mockery of the Bible have you read the Old Testament the only thing that I disagreed with with the show is that they didn’t show the reason why God commanded that they all be killed that’s the only thing other than that this Show was very biblical
In fact the producers at ABC should be prosecuted for having miners do that what is this world coming to you have minors looking up p*** on TV and this is a family show those kids are all under 18 why isn’t anybody saying anything about this
I think ABC is a joke they say they canceled it because of sexual content and violence but they contradict themselves when they have a show like the O’Neills where they have young kids looking up gay p*** and that’s okay this is a joke if you want to Boycott of show you should boycott the O’Neills because this is the worst show that I’ve seen ever this is not a family show and it’s ridiculous that our society has come to this
Truth. Stay up Brian!
Hey PTC are your kids up watching TV at that time? Do any of you even have kids? I do and I decide what they watch. It’s called Parental Control. There’s only one decision to be made I my home and it’s by the the Parents.
I am very disappointed. I was looking forward to watching the series. Not all shows are completely accurate with the bible but I find the visual makes my reading of the bible come to life. I’m hoping another station will pick it up and show the remaining episodes. I would buy it on DVD. Shame on ABC if they cancelled it because of this one group.
I was really disappointed Of Kings and Prophets was cancelled after only two episodes. Sure, there were some liberties taken with the content, but for the most part, it was pretty accurate. The OT is full of pretty gruesome and barbaric stuff, but if people watched who were interested in learning more about the Bible, then ABC let them down. There are shows on every night full of sex, drugs, violence, murder, etc., and I don’t see those shows being pulled. Why, because they pull in the big advertising bucks! I’m just sad to see a show I looked forward… Read more »