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One of the best things about attending the San Diego Comic-Con is discovering new films and TV shows you didn't know existed.  I knew very little about the upcoming NBC series Kings before arriving at the convention today, but now it's one of my most anticipated shows.  NBC has been known to fill their schedule with less than inspiring reality fare, but Kings looks to be an attempt to launch an ambitious, big budget drama series.  The show explores the timeless struggle between David and Goliath, but it dares to move the action into a modern metropolis.

To get the Comic-Con crowd excited for Kings, NBC had Greg Grunberg (Heroes) moderate the panel, which featured appearances from star Sebastian Stan (Gossip Girl) and director Francis Lawrence (I Am Legend).



The 20 minutes shown from the Kings pilot setup the unique world of the series.  King Silas, played by McShane, runs the land of Shiloh, which is one of those futuristic-looking cities that may or may not be completely corrupt.  A boy named David (Chris Egan) lives outside of the metropolis in a happy household, but is soon sent to war to defend his nation.  In the midst of battle, David comes up against the Goliaths -- a group of massive tanks that destroy anything in their path.  Of course David manages to destroy a Goliath or two, and in the process rescues the king's missing son.  Afterwards, he's brought into the king's inner circle, which kicks off a forbidden love story and a series of political machinations.

McShane was supposed to attend the panel, but unfortunately got held up in traffic and couldn't make the 10am start time.  Even without the great actor's presence, moderator Greg Grunberg managed to keep things wonderfully entertaining.  Whether swooning over the way McShane has "the map of the world in the creases of his face" or joking that he only has to call best friend J.J. Abrams to land a job, Grunberg kept the audience laughing during the Q&A session.  He was also the show's biggest supporter, admitting that he had seen the pilot numerous times and thought it was one of the best things he's ever seen on television.

Creator Michael Green, who worked as a co-executive producer on Heroes, was happy to report that the network was extremely supportive when he pitched the modern day David versus Goliath idea.  Director Francis Lawrence, who shot the $11 million pilot episode, was so shocked by NBC's enthusiasm that he had to have a meeting with the network to ensure they actually understood the show.  Green revealed that he has the first season of the series planned out, but is hoping Kings will run for 100 episodes or more.

Despite the great footage and the amusing Q&A session, it was McShane's scenery-chomping performance as King Silas that was the buzz of the panel.  Actor Chris Egan, who plays David, said that the actor is a puppy on set, while Sebastian Stan compared him to greats like Peter O'Toole and Richard Burton.  While it was disappointing that McShane couldn't make it, at least Grunberg promised that "when he gets down here, he's gonna get an ass-whipping."

Kings is set to debut on NBC in February of 2009.


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- Don Williams, BuddyTV Staff Writer
(Video courtesy of NBC)