Kingdom Hospital

Name: Kingdom Hospital
Genre: Drama, Horror
Released: March 3, 2004
Rating: 47
Cast: Jennifer Cunningham, Jack Coleman, Ed Begley Jr., Bruce Davison, Meagen Fay

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Mixed or average reviews based on 23 Critic Reviews

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Series Details & Credits

ABC | Release Date: March 3, 2004

Starring: Jennifer Cunningham, Jack Coleman, Ed Begley Jr., Bruce Davison, Meagen Fay, Diane Ladd, Allison Hossack, Sherry Miller, Del Pentecost, Suki Kaiser, Andrew McCarthy, Jamie Harrold, William Wise, Kett Turton, Julian Richings, Jodelle Ferland, Lena Georgas, Brandon Bauer

Summary: Using the Danish miniseries "Riget" (a.k.a. "The Kingdom") as a point of inspiration, master of horror Stephen King gives Kingdom Hospital a unique and menacing American touch. Kingdom is a hospital whose bizarre population includes a brilliant surgeon who lives in the basement, a nearly blind security guard and a nurse who regularly faintsUsing the Danish miniseries "Riget" (a.k.a. "The Kingdom") as a point of inspiration, master of horror Stephen King gives Kingdom Hospital a unique and menacing American touch. Kingdom is a hospital whose bizarre population includes a brilliant surgeon who lives in the basement, a nearly blind security guard and a nurse who regularly faints at the sight of blood. But when patients and staff hear the voice of a girl crying through the halls and a patient destined for life as a paraplegic miraculously recovers, they are dismissive of any suggestion of mysticism or unseen powers at their own peril.

Andrew McCarthy (plays Dr. Hook, a surgeon who lives in the hospital basement. Oscar nominee Diane Ladd (Alice) is Mrs. Druse, a hypochondriac whose psychic abilities lead her to the hospital. Fellow Oscar nominee Bruce Davison (The Practice & X-Men) will play Dr. Stegman, an arrogant, but inept physician.

The series is set up to play out like a book. The episode you watch picks up right where the last episode left off. Not in the sense of 24 that goes hour by hour, but more to the form of chapter by chapter. King himself was quoted as saying "Remember that Kingdom Hospital is a "novelization for television". Like a novel, it will pay back dividends but you will have to give it a little bit of time." King himself describes the show as a mix of ER and The Shining.

Main Theme
"Worry About You" by Ivy

Bye, Bye, Baby
Don't Be Long
I Worry About You
While You're Gone
I think of you in my dreams
You never know, just what you mean, to me
To me
Doo ba badda Doo ba badda
I think of you night and day
I never know just what you meant, to say
To say
Doo ba badda Doo ba badda
ABC Broadcast History:

March 3, 2004 - March 31, 2004 --- Wednesday 10:00 PM
April 8, 2004 - July 15, 2004 --- Thursday 9:00 PM… Expand

Creator: Lars von Trier and Niels Vorsel

Genre(s): Drama, Horror

Recent Episodes

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S1:E13. Finale
Air Date: July 15, 2004
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S1:E12. Shoulda' Stood in Bed
Air Date: July 8, 2004
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S1:E11. Seizure Day
Air Date: July 1, 2004

See all Seasons and Episodes

Metascore

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Critic Reviews

Matt Zoller Seitz

Apr 14, 2021

Season 1 Review: To find a network drama that bears sustained comparison to ABC's Kingdom Hospital, you'd have to go all the way back to 1990, when the same network premiered David Lynch's "Twin Peaks." Alternately random and brilliant, the 15-hour, limited-run series "Kingdom Hospital" has a similarly indescribable vibe. Set in a huge Maine hospital, it plays like a cross of "M*A*S*H," "Six Feet Under" and "The Shining." King, his talented ensemble cast and his capable director, Craig R. Baxley, have created one of the creepiest locales in TV history. But they don't limit themselves to mere spookiness. They go wherever they please, and their brazen confidence demands that we follow along. [3 March 2004, p.39]

Linda Stasi

Apr 13, 2021

Season 1 Review: With a nice array of kooks, mad men, beasts and ghosts, we get the usual trail mix of King characters. Best of all, in a TV series we escape King’s biggest flaw – his refusal to self edit. Every movie turns into a miniseries when an hour would do just fine. Read full review

John Doyle

Apr 13, 2021

Season 1 Review: For ABC, Kingdom Hospital is a high-stakes experiment. It is meant to run for 13 episodes, just like an HBO series. It won't be back next season. You're meant to watch it now and admire its daring and imagination. There is much to admire but a lot of padding, too. Read full review

Alessandra Stanley

Apr 13, 2021

Season 1 Review: Its plot unfolds disjointedly and without enough suspense. And that leaves viewers with plenty of time to decide that life is too short to heed the interior monologues of four-footed creatures, even if they are hallucinations. Read full review

David Zurawik

Apr 14, 2021

Season 1 Review: Beyond Rickman, however, the series offers little more than a stale buffet of recycled King ghouls and refried hospital types from every dark medical drama that ever aired from M*A*S*H to ER. Chief among these characters is Dr. Hook (Andrew McCarthy), the cynical, anti-authority neurosurgeon who operates on Rickman. Call him Hawkeye. Tonight's two-hour pilot works to a limited extent only because of the Rickman story line. The big question is where can the miniseries go during the next 10 weeks? [3 March 2004]

David Bianculli

Apr 14, 2021

Season 1 Review: By the time the first episode of Kingdom Hospital is over, viewers are likely already to have checked out. [2 March 2004, p.79]

Matthew Gilbert

Apr 13, 2021

Season 1 Review: A spiritless ghost story whose EKG is flat from the get-go. Read full review

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Seasons & Episodes

47

Series Overview
Season 1

47
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: March 3, 2004
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  S1:E13. Finale
  Air Date: July 15, 2004
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  S1:E12. Shoulda' Stood in Bed
  Air Date: July 8, 2004
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  S1:E11. Seizure Day
  Air Date: July 1, 2004
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  S1:E10. On the Third Day
  Air Date: June 24, 2004
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  S1:E9. Butterfingers
  Air Date: April 29, 2004
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  S1:E8. Heartless
  Air Date: April 22, 2004
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  S1:E7. Black Noise
  Air Date: April 15, 2004
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  S1:E6. The Young and the Headless
  Air Date: April 8, 2004
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  S1:E5. Hook's Kingdom
  Air Date: March 31, 2004
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  S1:E4. West Side of Midnight
  Air Date: March 24, 2004
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  S1:E3. Goodbye Kiss
  Air Date: March 17, 2004
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  S1:E2. Death's Kingdom
  Air Date: March 10, 2004
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  S1:E1. Thy Kingdom Come
  Air Date: March 3, 2004