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[[File:kings-king-silas-david1_4369.jpg|frame]]
Debuting on the [[Genius Bonus|15th of March]], 2009, [[NBC]]'s ''Kings'' is like some bizarre tonal clash of ''[[Gossip Girl]]'' and ''[[Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series)|Battlestar Galactica]]''. It tells the biblical story of King David, but set in another world not unlike the [[Present Day
Canceled due to extraordinary poor ratings (no episode ever placed higher than 4th regardless of which night it aired) and a extraordinary high budget (estimated at $4 million per ''episode'' with the pilot coming in at a staggering $10 million), although [[Word of God|the series creator]] [https://web.archive.org/web/20090731103905/http://www.courthistorian.com/2009/07/the-new-king-part-2.php disputes the second part].
On a side note: the story of David and Saul comes from biblical book of ''1 Samuel'', not ''Kings''.
{{tropelist}}
* [[All There in the Manual]]: Quite a lot of [[Character Development]] for some of the less prominent characters ended up being deleted for time constraints, but their scenes are included on the DVD.
* [[Almighty Mom]]: Jessie Shepherd. Told off ''the king'' and lived to tell the tale.
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** To a degree, Silas himself.
* [[Alternate Universe]] : Either that, or a particularly enigmatic [[Alternate History]]. It avoids being a [[Never Was This Universe]] thanks to several references clearly linked to our real historical Earth (Franz Liszt apparently existed as a music composer in the show's setting as well, etc.). And there's even a theory that... Well, take a look at the WMG section.
* [[Ambiguously Jewish]]: Everybody, sort of. The specifics of religious life in the kingdom aren't addressed, although the line in the episode "Prosperity" wherein Rev. Samuels says to Capt. Shepherd "dreams are a sixtieth part prophecy" is a direct quotation from the Talmud, specifically [http://www.yutorah.org/daf.cfm/6004/Berachot/57/b Berachot 57b].
* [[Anachronism Stew]]: Given that the real King David is estimated to have lived in the 11th century BCE, only to be expected with a modern retelling--but a particularly intriguing and possibly deliberate one occurs in the fifth episode (sixth, if you count the two-hour pilot as two). Jack references "cutting babies in half" as a somewhat cynical reference to supposed Solomonic wisdom. The Biblical King Solomon, however, was David's ''son''.
** More typical anachronisms include:
*** [[Hollywood Tactics|21st century]] soldiers with modern gear and modern tanks fighting via [[World War
*** The whole "autocratic hereditary king in modern times" shtick. [[Lampshaded]] in the finale. "Kings ? A monarchy, in this day and age ?"
* [[Animal Motifs]]: Gilboa's heraldric butterfly, [[Chekhov's Gun|Chekhov's pigeons]], the sacrificial deer... the list goes on.
* [[Ascended to A Higher Plane of Existence]]: {{spoiler|Rev. Samuels}} after his murder.
* [[Awesome Moment of Crowning]]: Silas ''loves'' to tell that story about the butterflies landing on his head in a perfect circle. Then, at the end of the pilot, {{spoiler|the butterflies throw him over for David.}}
** Subverted in the last episode when {{spoiler|Jack's near crowning is a spartan affair, with him fantasizing about the exuberant crowds he wishes were there, and an ersatz crown.}}
* [[Bastard Understudy]]: Andrew Cross. He's a fast learner.
* [[Battle Butler]]: Thomasina.
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* [[Blood Knight]]: Abner, to a tee. {{spoiler|Live by the sword, die by the sword, I guess.}}
* [[Bodyguard Crush]]: Jack has an affair with his bodyguard Stu.
* [[Bomb
* [[Broken Pedestal]]: How David's attitude toward Silas is quickly heading.
* [[Chekhov's Gun]]: Comedy B-plot pigeons.
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* [[The Chessmaster]]: Rose.
* [[The Chosen One]]: David, obviously.
* [[
* [[Corrupt Corporate Executive]]: William Cross; he's willing to prolong the war to keep his company profiting.
* [[Culture Chop Suey]] / [[Setting Update]] : Gilboa is basically biblical Judea with an outer layer of 21st century North America. The kingdom's main adversary, Gath, is [[Fantasy Counterpart Culture|a stand-in for the Phillistine tribes]], but with 20th century [[Commie Land]] attributes and a bit of [[Ruritania]] thrown in for good measure.
* [[David Versus Goliath]]: Oh, you have three guesses and the first two don't count.
* [[Deadly Decadent Court]]: Assassinations, machinations and politics, oh my.
* [[Deal
* [[Depraved Homosexual]]: Subverted with Jack. He's both gay and a pretty bad guy, but the one thing has nothing to do with the other, and most of his [[Pet the Dog]] moments come when he starts to come to grips with his sexuality.
* [[Deus Ex Machina]]: Some of David's escapes are a little too lucky to be anything else...but then, this being the story it is, that's only to be expected.
** Deconstructed when David is charged with treason, as he constantly being in the right place at the right time looks awfully suspicious to the court.
* [[Disappeared Dad]]: David's father was killed in combat, {{spoiler|apparently on Silas's orders}}.
** {{spoiler|Or possibly, Rose's.}}
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* [[Double Standard]]: Brought up in-universe. When racy photos of Michelle are about to leak, the Queen notes that people will attempt to shame her, while others will congratulate David.
* [[The Dragon]]: General Linus Abner, played by Wes Studi. King Silas has him arrange the deaths of anyone who annoys him. Including David in the second episode.
** Although a lampshade is hung on the fact that Thomasina, the king's loyal and incredibly powerful personal secretary, is actually his dragon as well.
* [[Dropped a Bridge
* [[Evil Chancellor]]: Inverted: Perry is the ''good'' chancellor to an evil king.
* [[Evil Mentor]]: Abbadon, to Silas.
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* [[Gender Flip]]: Jessie Shepherd takes her name from the biblical David's ''father'', Jesse.
* [[General Ripper]]: Abner, who constantly argues in favor of escalation against Gath in any situation and {{spoiler|begins secretly arming terrorists to attack them after Silas signs a peace treaty}}.
* [[Gilded Cage]]: {{spoiler|Jack is confined to his well-appointed bedroom after his unsuccessful coup}}, in stark contrast to the dungeon Abbadon inhabits.
* [[The Good Chancellor]]: Perry
* [[Good Is Not Nice]]: Silas firmly believes this. God, however, has other ideas.
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* [[Puss in Boots]]: Andrew Cross. {{spoiler|He studies his father's doings, then throws him under the bus in order to ingratiate himself to Silas and Rose.}}
* [[Rags to Royalty]]: Silas, who started as a foot soldier. {{spoiler|And presumably David, some time in the future.}}
* [[Rebellious Princess]]: Michelle. Although she keeps her rebellion within the system.
* [[Redemption Equals Death]]: {{spoiler|Reverend Samuels.}}
* [[Retired Monster]]: Vesper Abbadon.
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* [[Sadistic Choice]]: {{spoiler|Katrina Ghent}} forces Rose to choose whether Jack or Michelle is publicly humiliated in "Pilgrimage".
* [[Screw Destiny]]: Silas tries this to save his own ass, then [[Deus Ex Machina|God]] shows up and explicitly tells him [[You Can't Fight Fate|he can't fight fate]].
* [[Screwed
* [[Secret Other Family]]: Silas' wife and son in the countryside.
* [[Secret Relationship]]: Michelle and David, Jack and Joseph.
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* [[The Sociopath]]: Andrew Cross. After he {{spoiler|arranges for pictures humiliating to Michelle to be publicly aired}} in order to hurt Silas, he describes what he did as "I broke his favorite thing," indicating that he sees her as an object, rather than a person.
* [[Stealth Pun]]: [[Don't Explain the Joke|Yes, they are monarch butterflies.]]
* [[
* [[Tank Goodness]] : Gath's [[Meaningful Name|Goliath]] tanks ([[Awesome Yet Practical|though, yeah, they're clearly Russian T-55s in all but name]]). David becomes a celebrated war hero after rescuing the crown prince and [[What Do You Mean Its Not Symbolic|taking down one of the tanks single-handedly]].
** [[Don't Explain the Joke|Makes you wonder whether the rocket launcher he used was named]] [[Fun
* [[Those Two Guys]]: The palace guards.
* [[Too Dumb to Live]]: Though informed somewhat by {{spoiler|the revelation that she has vowed to do God's work regardless of the cost to herself}}, Princess Michelle falls into this trope with such stunning regularity that it's amazing she survives a season. One episode she's {{spoiler|deliberately exposing herself to an incurable plague}}, the next she can't come up with any potential downside to {{spoiler|David to have naked pictures of her}}.
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* [[Utopia Justifies the Means]]: Belial practically uses these exact words when questioned by Jack on his plan to bring down both Gath and Gilboa, ushering in a new order.
* [[Villainous Breakdown]]: William Cross has a bit of one after {{spoiler|it turns out Silas is alive}}. And Silas has the full monty when {{spoiler|God tells him that David is now his favorite}}, and a less extreme but more public one when {{spoiler|Jack turns against him and accuses him of orchestrating the [[Kangaroo Court]] against David}}.
* [[War for Fun
* [[What You Are in
* [[Why Are You Not My Son?]]: Oh, ''guess''.
* [[Wicked Cultured]]: Abbadon has fallen pretty far, but he can still tell a fine wine's maker and vintage from a single sip.
* [[Writer Revolt]]: The series' creator, Michael Green, was asked specifically not to use the phrase "King David," [[Fridge Logic|as that might let viewers in on the fact that the story is religious]]. Instead, he included the phrase "David Shepherd, Son of Jesse, son of Judah." Hmmm...technically correct.
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