Kings

I just watched the episode of Kings for which I did some background work (the seventh episode, "The Sabbath Queen." I know the question that just popped into your mind was, "Can I see you? Are you visible?" And the answer is, "No." But that doesn't mean you shouldn't watch the show. I started watching the show looking for the scenes I was a part of, but I kept watching the show because it's an excellent show.

The language is heightened. It lands strangely on the ear at first. Fortunately for us, and for the show, they hired actors with classical training, so the words, as formal as they are, still sound natural in their mouths. Ian McShane, in particular, is a great king. He swings from gracious sovereign to doting father with the most subtle shift in tone, and it's a pleasure to watch.

Some surprises: the two young leads, David (Chris Egan) and Michelle (Allison Miller) look so much larger on screen than they are in person. I'm tall, yes, but they're both significantly shorter and thinner than they look on screen. Allison Miller, in particular, was definitely ranging on toothpick size in person, but looks healthy and apple-cheeked on screen. Does this give credence to the "camera adds 10 pounds" adage? Maybe. How unfortunate for those of us who enjoy carbohydrates: we'll be put in the "chubby best friend to the lead" category in SitcomLand, even though we may get called skinny chicks in real life.

Also, they shot all the "blackout" scenes in Episode 7 during the day. They filtered the video so that it appears to be the dead of night. I knew about it while we were shooting, but it looks spectacular on screen. I'm glad to know that our suffering (the scene was supposed to be early fall, thus we couldn't wear heavy coats and froze our butts off in the barely-reaching-40-degree early November weather) was not in vain.

Overall, I highly recommend watching the show on Hulu while it's still available. I'm not sure NBC will keep it on the roster (they seem determined to kill it by moving it to Sunday nights). My suggestion is for the producers to take it to cable. HBO and Showtime seem to be more interested in shows that don't feature people falling down. I hope it sticks around, and I hope you'll watch.