# Kings (2009)

> A young shepherd rises against a modern-day king in a contemporary kingdom retelling the story of David and Goliath.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/6838

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 13
- Episode runtime: 60 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama
- Created by: Michael Green
- Network: NBC
- Cast: Ian McShane, Christopher Egan, Susanna Thompson, Allison Miller, Eamonn Walker, Sebastian Stan, Dylan Baker, John Rothman
- TMDB rating: 8.1/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1137462/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: epic, melodramatic, intense, romantic, sweeping

## What critics say

Audiences rated this single-season modern royal drama positively, admiring its ambitious David and Goliath retelling and its power-struggle intrigue.

## Synopsis

Kings (2009) is an American network drama created by Michael Green for NBC, a single-season limited run of thirteen one-hour episodes. Ian McShane plays King Silas Benjamin, the ruler of a modern-day kingdom, while Christopher Egan stars as David Shepherd, a young hero who rises from humble origins to challenge royal power. Susanna Thompson plays Queen Rose Benjamin and Sebastian Stan plays Jack Benjamin, whose rivalries and loyalties drive the family drama at the court's center. Eamonn Walker and Dylan Baker add further political pressure as courtiers and schemers. Set in a contemporary fictional monarchy, the series is a contemporary retelling of the David and Goliath story, built on the engine of a young outsider pitted against an entrenched dynasty. Each episode weaves together greed, war, secret alliances, and forbidden romance, so that palace politics and public loyalty keep tightening around the central conflict. The tone is sweeping and melodramatic, with an epic scale and an operatic appetite for betrayal. Fans of Succession, Empire, and the biblical epic The Bible will find resonance in its blend of dynastic ambition and mythic framing.

## Shows like Kings

- [Camelot (2011)](https://ember.film/tv/31253)
- [World Without End (2012)](https://ember.film/tv/36868)
- [Last Resort (2012)](https://ember.film/tv/40568)
- [Damnation (2017)](https://ember.film/tv/62794)
- [Outcast (2016)](https://ember.film/tv/56980)
- [The Abandons (2025)](https://ember.film/tv/142393)
- [Tut (2015)](https://ember.film/tv/55944)
- [House of David (2025)](https://ember.film/tv/155499)
- [King David (2012)](https://ember.film/tv/39299)
- [Damien (2016)](https://ember.film/tv/17590)

---

Site overview: https://ember.film/llms.txt