Critic Reviews

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.

Kingdom feels genuine, and it’s earned that attribute from turning minor moments into major ones.

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.

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.

So we have solid setups here for tales of love, redemption, friendship and the same championship dreams that made Rocky an American icon.

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.

If Kingdom were only about mixed martial arts, it would be boring and one-dimensional. But Belasco does a superb job of creating credible, compelling characters for his talented cast to run with. Grillo, Tucker and Sanchez deliver beautifully detailed performances.

Kingdom follows in the tradition of great fight films like “Raging Bull,” “Somebody Up There Likes Me” and “Rocky.” Three seasons aren’t enough, but at least Kingdom isn’t going down without a fight.

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.

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.