Michael A. Appel 
Netflix goes medieval on the typical zombie apocalypse drama with Kingdom, a Korean TV series that looks like a promising frenzy.
Netflix set to dive into zombie apocalypse arena in 2019 with Korean drama Kingdom, which, if the first trailer is any indication, might actually be one of the spookiest additions to the genre in a long time. The streaming giant has been offering international dramas for some time, giving North American audiences the chance to experience German hits. Dark and Babylon Berlin. The company also brought the Norwegian drama of the end of the world The Rain last year, as well as the tragedy of the Brazilian political scandal The mechanism.
But as Netflix has clearly learned, working with the genre is the best way to get people’s attention. Dark, for example, made for a surprisingly effective twist on the usual time travel formula, while Rain brought a YA angle to the apocalypse. So it would appear that the streamer has drawings on Kingdom being an international genre hit, because it will not only draw insatiable zombie fans, but it will do so in a medieval setting, effectively turning the series into a genre mashup – the living dead wreaking havoc in lavish costume drama .
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This is actually the second trailer that Netflix has released for Kingdom, and it offers better insight into the overall plot of the series, as well as some of the scariest elements that will guide its story. Check out the trailer and a quick recap below:
“In a kingdom conquered by corruption and famine, a mysterious rumor of the king’s death spreads, like a strange plague that renders the infected immune to death and starved for flesh. The crown prince, victim of a conspiracy, sets out on a journey to uncover the evil plan and save his people.
To see things, Kingdom doesn’t go for the same gritty realism that has marked the genre’s staples, like the George Romero original Night of the Living Dead or AMC The walking dead (and, to some extent, it’s a fallout, Fear the living dead). Instead, he seems ready to delve into typical traps of the time, with a hint of whimsy, just to make things interesting. The result looks like a sleek new series that will be heavy with horror and action.
While the primary cast is unfamiliar to most American audiences, Kingdom features frequent collaborator of the Wachowski siblings, Doona Bae (Sens8). If Bae, plus zombies, plus awesome period decor isn’t enough to get people watching, then nothing is.
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Kingdom premieres Friday, January 25 on Netflix.
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