"KINGS"

[click here to download] 

by M.I. Walshon

and

Terence J. Gerchberg

“KINGS” is an hour long dramatic series inspired by true stories from the gambling tables. The focus lies with their grand triumphs, crushing losses, sinful vices, and especially the seedy underbelly of the gambling world normally obscured to the naked eye by the glittering façades of such places as Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Atlantis, etc.

The show depicts the Jekyll and Hyde lifestyle of four gambling buddies: SPADES, DIAMONDS, HEARTS, and CLUBS (names below) as they spend their weekends gambling in casinos and underground games around the world. During the week, these four men are upstanding members of the community, holding high positions in their respective fields, known in relatively small circles. But they become infamous once the weekend comes, known as high rolling whales wherever the action takes them. Week to week we will see how they juxtapose their double lives. These KINGS are living every man’s fantasy and every woman’s nightmare. As the series progresses, the gambling establishments throw increasingly extravagant opportunities (exclusive tournaments, shopping sprees, enormous credit lines, huge private suites, etc) at the players’ feet to lure them to their casinos with hope that the KINGS’ luck will run out on their watch. The situations and locations for the show are almost limitless, not to mention the opportunities to show realistic drama, romance, and comedy.

Three of the main characters went to college together at NYU, and the last joins the group in the pilot episode. Fueled by greed, envy, pride, hope, faith, and a myriad of other emotions, these four horsemen ride through the valley of sin and corruption constructed by the gambling industry. Through these characters we will explore the morally ambiguous society in which they have chosen to immerse themselves, and the duality of dream world and reality created by their compulsive behavior. How do you hold onto your values when you’re expected to leave home without them?

Since the creation of the deck, ties between playing cards and the bible have proliferated in many an urban myth. Each man is the embodiment of a king face card. Furthermore, their personalities each correspond with the characteristics of the four horsemen of the apocalypse.

The main characters are named as follows:

In perfect harmony with HBO style character driven drama, “KINGS” is set to compete with favorites such as “Sex and the city,” “The Sopranos,” and the BBC’s “Manchild.” With complex contemporary characters in the midst of realistic and controversial issues, audiences will behold a darker side of human existence not limited to any one ethnic group. These four kings can have it all -- women, money, power  -- but lest they forget, in the end, the house always wins.