- Network: Sky Sports , DirecTV , Audience Network , Audience
- Series Premiere Date: Oct 8, 2014
Critic Reviews
- Critic score
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Without surging too deep into soapy territory, Kingdom grinds out excellent family drama via lived-in characters and escalating stakes. The cast's chemistry is phenomenal, with Jonas as the standout.
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Featuring a strong cast, a unique setting, and an alternately energetic and reflective tone, the series has a lot going for it and could easily grow into a surprise hit for DirecTV.
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So we have solid setups here for tales of love, redemption, friendship and the same championship dreams that made Rocky an American icon.
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This is an incredibly violent and an incredibly powerful show about men who find it difficult to talk to one another but have no problem raising their voices--and their fists.
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It's not a great show, but it's a solid one that, like the various fighters in Alvey's stable, has the potential to knock you out if it can put everything together.
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It's almost as if, like its testosterone-fueled fighters, the show loses its mind every once in a while and just has to punch something, and punch it and punch it and punch it. Between these attacks, however, it relaxes into well-written scenes in which the wounded characters express ideas and feelings other than rage.
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A grueling but intriguing new double-fisted drama set in the world of mixed martial arts.
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The premiere feels a little overly long--it clocks in at 53 minutes--but it capably creates the show’s insular world of blood, sweat and cheers, ending in an inevitable fight that features Nate as Ryan and Jay offer encouragement from the sidelines.
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After an exceedingly violent first episode, it eases up a notch, and the show is better for it.
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It’s to the credit of all concerned, frankly, that Kingdom is more compelling than it sounds, conjuring a gritty atmosphere (you can practically smell the gym through the TV) around its fractured family ties, along with familiar questions regarding redemption and second chances.
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Creator Byron Balasco’s sense of pacing seems off, as if he’s trying to figure out the direction as he goes along. The dialogue, too, runs in laps. If I had to listen to Grillo bark, “Relax!” one more time, I might punch my own TV. But with actors such as Lauria and Jonas driving the drama, Kingdom may yet rise.
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Most of all, DirecTV seems to have a serious case of “Ray Donovan” envy. But the series remains watchable because of otherwise competent scripts, convincing verisimilitude in character and setting, a lot of throbbing, rippling, sweaty eye candy, crackling action scenes and frequently strong, nuanced performances.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 39 out of 46
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Mixed: 3 out of 46
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Negative: 4 out of 46
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Jan 4, 2015
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Dec 20, 2014
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Oct 30, 2014