If there was a silver-lining to last night’s curious decision by HBO to withhold new episodes of TRUE BLOOD and HUNG from the schedule in lieu of the July 4 holiday weekend, it was that it gave this TV Addict some much needed time to catch up on four episodes of KINGS.
And catch up we did. Which is why we find ourselves taking a page from King Silas Benjamin (A man, who we’re fairly certain has yet to let an episode go by without some kind of pronouncement, press conference or proclamation) this morning by making an announcement of our very own: If you’re not watching KINGS — and judging form the show’s abysmal ratings, that’s 98% of you reading this — you’re missing out on the most intriguing, complex, and scandalous series of the summer.
Not only is Ian McShane’s morally ambiguous portrayal of King Silas Benjamin absolutely captivating (and, we should probably mention to all those Academy members who still have yet to send in their ballot, most certainly Emmy-worthy). Like all the greats, he has an uncanny ability to raise the game of everyone around him. Resulting in some fantastic performances from the younger denizens of the fictional city of Shiloh, including: Our would-be-hero (and if we had to guess, soon-to-be-future king) David Shepard (Christopher Egan) and his royal offspring Prince Jack (Sebastian Stan) and Princess Michelle (Allison Miller), whose lives seem to get increasingly more complex (Sex scandals! Forbidden romances! Sham marriages!) as the series wears on. Thanks in no small part to their duplicitous Uncle William Cross (Dylan Baker), recently returned from exile nephew Andrew (Macaulay Culkin) and Queen Rose (Susanna Thompson) whose very own personal mantra for solving problems these days seems to be, “Off with their head!” (Or quiet assassination, which while less glamorous, certainly gets results.)
So if you’re tired of reruns and reality TV, why not give royalty a try? (With a side of murder, betrayal and romance). There are only three episodes to go, but you can catch up for free online at NBC or iTunes. 