NBC's new show 'Kings' and its connection to the Bible explained

You might not know it from the purposefully vague advertisements NBC is airing, but its new series Kings is based on a really classic book: The Old Testament Bible’s story of David and Goliath.

For some people, that title mostly conjures images of slingshots and fallen giants. But the story of David also encompasses the origin of one of the Bible’s most respected rulers – an archetype for successful leadership with roots in Christianity, Islam and Judaism.

And now NBC is trying to make a modern-day series from its story.

To discover just how well the network of 30 Rock and My Name Is Earl handled turning the Book of Samuel into compelling television, I turned to the Rev. Len Plazewski, director of vocations for the Diocese of St. Petersburg. And after screening much of tonight’s two-hour premiere, Father Plazewski had one word for producers.

Amazing.

“It’s very faithful to the story without being slavishly tied to it,” the priest said of Kings, which features former Deadwood star Ian McShane as King Silas Benjamin and newcomer Chris Egan as David Shepherd. “They’ve put it into this context, which anyone can relate to – whether they know the story as well as I do, or if they only know David and Goliath.”

NBC’s work is ambitious and sweeping, setting the story of King David’s rise in a modern city with cell phones, big-screen TVs and names taken from the Bible stories. In this world, characters reference Hungarian composer Franz Liszt while living in a Manhattan-style city which shares the name of the ancient center of Israelite worship, Shiloh.

“If they had tried to do this with Jesus, that might touch off strong feelings,” said Plazewski, who doubted many would take offense at the show’s parallels with Bible lore. “But David has a lot of personal flaws which come out in Scripture, which make for a good story. So far, (Kings) seems a little tamer than what’s in the Bible.

With a little help from Plazewski, here’s a few things to keep in mind while watching the show’s debut tonight.

David is a chosen leader – In the Bible, David is a shepherd chosen by the prophet Samuel to succeed Saul, the first king of the united kingdom of Israel, instead of Saul’s son Jonathan. In NBC’s version, hero David Shepherd is touched by the Rev. Ephram Samuels – the same religious leader who swore in King Silas.

Family ties – The Bible describes David as having seven brothers, all fathered by Jesse of Bethlehem. Kings’ David has six brothers and his mother is Jesse. King Saul, from the Benjamite tribe in the Bible, becomes McShane’s Silas Benjamin on TV – a wily former soldier who rules with a cunning blend of Trump-ian celebrity style and Stalin-level undercover ruthlessness. And just as in the Bible, David woos the king’s daughter, named Michelle on TV.

David slays Goliath – The Bible’s Philistine champion Goliath becomes a sophisticated tank in NBC’s version, which David Shepherd takes out with a shoulder- fired rocket.

Plazewski said the TV version actually combines two stories about David, showing him saving the king’s son, Jack, from enemy nation Gath while slaying the Goliath tank, which were separate events in the Bible.

Conflict with the King – Just as in the Bible, Kings’ David eventually finds that his fame and influence over the people will lead King Silas to move against him.

In NBC’s tale, David is often saved by intuition or natural events, implying that fate is on his side, but not necessarily God. “It’s like us,” said Plazewski. “Sometimes we feel very close to the Lord. Other times, we wonder what’s going on.”

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