Hello and welcome back to Show Down, the column where I break down a show and walk you through whether I think it will get canceled or if we have hope for another season. This week, we will be discussing a new show that came out last week: “House of David.”
Per usual, we will be going through the premise, cast, promotion, fan reaction and — if available — streaming date to determine if the show will be renewed for a second season or canceled after season one.
Let’s get into the premise! “House of David” is a show on Amazon Prime Video that follows the biblical story of a young shepherd named David (played by Michael Iskandar) is chosen by the prophet Samuel (Stephen Lang) to replace King Saul (Ali Suliman) who is becoming more and more unstable.
I looked into the story to see how accurate the plot is to the biblical story and found that so far, it is quite similar. Of course, directors took creative liberty with the story, but according to a New York Times article by Annie Aguiar covering shows based off scriptures, “For ‘House of David,’ pastors, historians and biblical and rabbinical scholars were consulted for accuracy. But centuries-old sources translated from Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic do not necessarily make for snappy dialogue.”
The article adds that script writers often “connect the dots” and take creative liberties to make a story flow or a plotline unfold.
In terms of casting, David is played by newcomer Iskander, who was previously on Broadway for his role in the musical “Kimberly Akimbo.” He credited the role with giving him a new perspective on scripture and the people within it.
In an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network, Iskander explained his perspective.
“Now, I view it from a point of view as just human beings,” Iskander said. “And so, I put the context of that time and of these people into the story … it just puts a whole different perspective on the Bible, and I think it makes it that much more interesting to read and to discover,” he added.
The rest of the main cast is composed of Suliman as King Saul and Ayelet Zurer as Queen Ahinoam. The directors of the show, Jon Erwin and Jon Gunn, seemed to have put in the work to ensure this was a respectful and accurate adaptation of a biblical story.
When it comes to promotion, the cast have promoted it on their Instagram accounts, trailers have been posted and I have seen promotional banners while scrolling through Amazon prime. I was able to find positive reviews for the show and comments on the social media accounts of cast members, who are posting consistently about the episodes coming out each week.
I would however argue that there is an audience for faith-based shows. “The Chosen,” which follows the story of Jesus Christ, is set through the eyes of people that knew him, and according to the official website, “the seven-season show shares an authentic and intimate look at Jesus’ revolutionary life and teachings.”
The show has received positive reactions regarding the acting, directing and storytelling, but it got its fair share of criticism from people upset at the creative liberties taken by the creators.
It did have many views, however, and averaged 520,000 viewers on The CW. When it comes to viewership on “House of David,” there is not much data available yet but from what I could find, it did quite well. With over 100 reviews, it has an 89% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes’ Popcornmeter, and a Variety interviewer said that it seems to “take its appeal for granted: the show is based on one of the most famous stories ever told, and therefore has no need to explain what’s going on or why we should care. In reality, the opposite is true.”
Overall, I think that based on reactions I have seen online, the show has a fair shot of continuation if the story does not wrap up in season one. I think it has generated a buzz around faith-based television and people are curious to see if it’s worth watching a show that is a direct biblical adaptation. I, for one, found the first episode I have seen interesting, but I can see why not everyone is a fan. I think this might not be a show down just yet.
David has one of the most intresting stories in the Bible a story that even Hollywood could appreciate so I hope the series is continued!!
I hope this show continues its well written and one of my favorite stories.
I loved House of David and hope it continues. It has helped me relate to Biblical content better. Please continue this series.