Ah, shooting in New York. As a writer/producer, it's living the dream. This city rocks. Eating at great restaurants, meeting fascinating people from different professions and all walks of life, dating women who aren't after me to get them an acting role?... I LOVE it here.
My last several TV shows were all shot in LA. I love LA too, mostly cuz you don't have to wear thermal underwear on location. But that aside, you can't beat the visual scale and grandeur of New York. Sure, I've written "globe-trotting" TV dramas where spies travel to exotic locales, but it's usually cheated with back-lots, green screens and visual effects.
KINGS has some VFX, as we change the skyline and backdrop of New York to create the Kingdom of Gilboa and its capital, Shiloh. But location VFX only gets you so far before it looks cheesy. New York has so much to shoot, so many breathtaking locations, that it lends KINGS a majesty that would be impossible to reproduce on the left coast. (Kudos to the hard work of our Production Designer Kalina Ivanov, Location Manager Paul Kramer and their crews, who slave long hours to find and prepare those great locations that bring pain-in-the-butt writers' visions to life.)
Heck, in my episode alone ("Insurrection") we shot scenes that would have been budget-bustingly impossible on any other TV show I've ever worked on: Ian McShane fly fishing in a river, with the leaves changing around him as a dam gushes water over his shoulder? Thanks to our talented and adventurous crew, who waded out with equipment to get the perfect camera position, and Ian, who braved frigid temperatures and slippery rocks to perform the scene so convincingly, it looks like a scene out of "A River Runs Through It."
Then there's the scene with two brothers strolling through a corn-field that's ready to harvest. (We actually found a corn field that was ready to harvest... in October!) A riot scene with hundreds of extras battling police set against a bustling shipyard. A scene at a working TV studio overlooking a busy midtown avenue, another in a spectacular modern church. And countless other scenes filmed against the backdrop of grand marble corridors and halls of some of New York's landmark buildings.
Yeah, KINGS ain't your standard "talking-heads-in-a-hospital-corridor/law-office/cop-precinct" TV fare.
To be honest, when my friend (and "JACK & BOBBY" co-writer) Michael Green told me two and a half years ago that he wanted to create a show of this scale, a show that would tell the sweeping epic story of King David's rise, I had my doubts that any TV executives would have the guts to do it. When Michael added that he wanted a battle scene in the pilot, with tanks, I laughed. And when he said he wanted to write a drama that wouldn't "talk down" to audiences in the way that most TV shows do, but would instead respect the audience's intelligence? That's when I started to worry that Michael was on crack.
But boy am I glad now that I signed on for this adventure. We took a chance, we kept the faith and thanks to the hard work of an army of talented people, and the
support of some unusually courageous television executives, KINGS is on the air.
As I write this, we have yet to air the pilot. If you're reading this, hopefully you're watching. But do me a favor, wouldya? Ask your friends to watch too? Cuz I LOVE shooting in New York.
Erik Oleson is a Supervising Producer/Writer on "Kings."
31 Comments
The camera work is great I thought it was a combination of New York and London because you were able to find the areas in the city with a lot of vegetation, which can be difficult in Manhattan sometimes. Every Episode looks like mini movie.
Congrats, last episode was great. It'a shame how bad NBC has treated the series. I hope it can save it, or move to another network... And so you'll be able to stay in NY. ;-D
Insurrection was a very great show. It has slowly filtered through my brain that this Court Historian site is not directly connected with NBC. When the KINGS airs, there is usually a trailing announcement to "learn more about KINGS, go to NBC.com". But at NBC.com they have their own forum. Also Court Historian does not have a link from there. It didn't even show up on a search.
Some other poster to this site pointed out the NBC forum.
I don't know why NBC would not be giving this show high publicity. It is certainly the most original for a long time. It is reminiscent of the Golden Age (was that 5 or 10 years ago) when there were well produced mini-series, police shows with depth like Hill Street Blues and lots of stuff i have forgotten.
I am glad the series is already taped.
Concerning the "move to another network", a listing that another person posted (under your forum tab; the one i had to register
for) a schedule that shows the Sci Fi channel airing episodes prior to the Sunday NBC airing.
I'm going to save this, because sometimes when i try to Leave a Comment i get a message that "you are forbidden..."
I still have "you are forbidden problem"...
Hi Rei: Try again in a day or so. Don't give up. I have found this site very convoluted and difficult. It really needs an introductory page. Are you by any chance using Safari 4 Beta on a Macintosh.
Regards
I just caught this show for the first time on SciFi while flipping channels. This has got to be one of the best shows I've seen.
Keep up the good work!
I saw the commercial for this show and immediately knew that I wanted to watch it. When I saw the first few episodes, I wasn't disappointed.
I'm looking forward to seeing the story unfold. Haven't watched a new show in awhile.
On a side note: I really enjoyed "Jack & Bobby" as well. I was sad when it wasn't continued.
This is a show I found on the SciFi channel. This could have been a huge hit for NBC if they just spent the time marketing it. Its' visuals, acting, and storyline are superb, but that doesn't matter if NBC isn't selling it. After reading a few articles about its' uncertain future I become concerned-NBC has a chance to step away from all of those cookie-cutter Teen Drama and CSI wanna be shows. This is a truly original story that expounds on the history of the first King David and has an explosive cast. I found this show last night and now my entire family is watching episodes online.
Please, please, a thousand times please, save this show from being canceled.
You gave Joey three seasons.
You have allowed Heroes to go multiple seasons while the fans complain about it going downhill.
I found this show on XBOX Live, and had no idea what it was, but downloaded it because it was in HD, and was free. Two hours later, I was moved to tears at how beautiful the show was. And I am not at ALL a religious person. The show brought a devout atheist to actually seek out biblical texts.
To cancel this while you keep uninspired shows like Apprentice going full sail, is a shame.
I hope someone at the network will reconsider axing this and see the correlation between low rated new shows and not marketing said new shows.
Just a quick note of appreciation for an intelligent, well-acted, well-written, unpredictable show. My wife and I are both fascinated by it and have been telling our friends to watch.
We can only hope that the network will ignore the numbers and preserve this hour of quality in an increasingly vapid programming landscape.
This is one of the most dynamicly written TV series I have seen in a long time. The character development is so well crafted that there is a continued interest to fully understand what will be within this series. Thank god SciFi channel knows how to be an effective network to build its shows… but then I found out it’s an NBC show that they ineffectively marketed. How odd for NBC not to market what could be one of the greatest series on television. I like a majority of NBC shows but I find it frustrating how they gave this one the “kiss of Death” by putting it on Saturday nights. I just discovered this series and now I’m worried they will kill it.
This is certainly a visually stunning show!
Does anyone recognize this storyline? Open your Bibles and look at the story of King Saul (Silas) and David, etc. It is not exactly like it, but pretty close. Very interesting, but not original!
Hi all: Yesterday evening I see what some of you mean by NBC not giving the show proper promotion. On the evening news (in Phoenix, AZ) there was plenty of preview promotion on Apprentice 2 with Donald Trump (which i despise) but not a word about KINGS.
Glad to here from you REI that you found it on the SCI FI channel. I haven't located it in the TV listings yet.
Regards
p.s. Tried to post yesterday and got that:
“Forbidden
You don't have permission to access /system/mt-comments.cgi on this server.”
I wish the web master would fix these intermittent denials. I have noticed others sometimes encounter this.
Appareantly, there will be no more reruns on SCI-FI. I hust checked all April Tv Listing... :-(
it's very disappointing to know that NBC isn't being optimistic for the KINGS series. The writing and actors are awesome and true to the art.
Outstanding series, each episode really makes you think, so unlike the Pablum served up today with all those cloned reality shows designed for people with short attention spans. I would like to see this series sweep the Emmys. Bravo to the writers, actors, and executive staff for putting together such a gripping program.
This is one of the best shows out there, intelligent and compelling. Keep it up and please, NBC, give this show a chance and don't give up on it yet!
Amazing show!
hi, just want to say i'm really enjoying the show but i'm wondering if anyone could tell me where abouts the fly fishing scene was filmed?
that location is just butiful and looks a nice place to visit
Best television series in a long time i look forward to watching tv agian! your a great writer and i will track down your other works as i am sure i will enjoy them. I cant decide if i would like being king or not!?! Until now i was sure i did. Thanks
Having been a great fan of Ian McShane's work over the years I was thrilled to see a new vehicle for his acting prowess after Deadwood. Much to my surprise another favorite actor of mine, Eamonn Walker from Oz, also showed up in the cast. Much to my delight several other favorite actors of mine have also made appearances in the show.
At a time when I feel TV is mostly trash, full of mindless and infantile reality shows, I eagerly awaited the debut of this show and was more than pleased when I realized how superb it is. It is intelligent in its writing and eloquent in its filming. The characters are well developed and carried very well by each of the actors chosen to play their part. If given a chance I believe this series will equal the success of shows like ER, Law and Order series and CSI dramas.
It's a known fact that high-brow dramas often have a hard time gaining an audience foothold but I believe with the right guidance and positioning this show will flourish. I for one will be an avid follower of the series. Keep up the good work and the best of luck.
I LIKE this show. Although I think Michelle is a bit insipid, I really enjoy the storylines and trying to connect it (vaguely)to what I know of the King David accounts.
Now that I know where it is shot, I am going to be on the lookout for familiar places from my years in NYC.
I love the concept, and while I feel I am missing a lot of the story and motivations, knowing the story you are cribbing from, helps to fill it in (although sometimes it is REALLY a stretch.) I wish they would do more of this with biblical stories. The themes or plots or whatever are done all the time, but a real nod to the Bible is unusual. I was thinking it was all a bit soap opera-ish a few times, but really, the universal themes of the Bible are in every story to some extent, soap operas in particular:)
Carry on! I am enjoying the show.
This show is awesome, best television series in a long time. When will the next episode air? I've been waiting and watching for it, but can't find any information anywhere.
I'm really getting into this show. I thought it would be predictable the moment Samuel touched David's head in the pilot, but you've expanded on the premise.
I have been wondering how you'd handle the Bethseba-Uriah angle; the Sabbath Queen takes the story down an entirely different road. I learned a great deal from the camera work in that episode.
The show is far above the usual crap on TV; unfortunately that places it in great danger. Think of what happened to Studio 60. I hope it lasts long enough to put out a Season 3 (or 4) DVD.
I'm impressed with the locations--especially that stunning modern church. What church is that, exactly? I assume it's in L.A.?
Kings is some superb story-telling and so wonderfully filmed. This is what network television should be. This is something fresh and bold, to eclipse the other network’s dreck. We have enough me-too cop, lawyer, hospital doctor, sit-com, scripted reality shows.
With writing and producing like Kings and some optimizing of the time-slot, the NBC network can banish the Sabbath Queen and take another breath.
Besides tuning in...What can fans do to demand another season? I am simply mesmerized and need another season to look forward to. I am not a religious person but the symbolism in the show has become significant in my personal life.
This show is creative and puts a modern spin on one of the best stories in the history of man I hope somewhere somehow their will be a season 2 but NBC is controlled by the uncreative scientist at GE and they are all about the money (which doesn't make sense because the marketing was bad)...so I just thank the entire crew and producers and directors for showing people that great series exist apart from the HBO machine.
I just saw the most recent episode; haven't missed one yet. It was brilliant! Loved how the camera panned down to what seemed to be an ark of the covenant like relic, as David held the charter in his hands. This show needs to be on another channel such as Sci-Fi, FX, USA, or even Bravo. Any of those would treat this potentially great show with more care and respect. Keep up the great work. Can't wait for the dvd of season one.
As a New Yorker, I can sometimes feel frustrated (ok, MADDENED) by the crew trucks and trailers clogging the streets and taking up precious parking space in the middle of the city.
Since becoming a fan of Kings, though, I find myself gidy (yeah, gidy) at the sight of some of the locales you use for exterior shots (like Altar Mansion). You've taken some of my favorite scenic locales and turned them into mythic settings. You've infused these places with a story so grand, one cannot help but be swept up in it's scope. Kudos to you and your crew. If I ever see your crew filming, not only will I NOT begrudge you the parking space, I may stand, enduring the heat and the cold with your crew to watch the magic take place. I hope your show has a future in NYC and on NBC.
What happened as /after the end scene [of what chapter?] where Jack Benjamin - aired JUST as the hiatus --
he was leaving to go inside with his cheauffer for gay sex?