The Parents Television Council announced Tuesday it has alerted the nation’s top 200 advertisers about the anticipated violent and sexual content on the ABC Old Testament drama “Of Kings and Prophets.”
“We are urging each potential sponsor of ‘Of Kings and Prophets’ to carefully weigh whether an ‘extraordinarily violent’ and ‘sexual’ broadcast TV show that has been compared to an explicit premium cable TV show is truly a good fit for their corporate image,” Parents Television Council President Tim Winter said.
“TV shows that are filled with sex and violence will only remain on the public airwaves as long as advertisers are willing to sponsor them. We urge companies to use caution when considering whether or not to advertise on this show, especially if the show’s content is comparable to HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones.”
The Parents Television Council describes itself as a nonpartisan education organization advocating responsible entertainment.
ABC did not respond to multiple requests for comment, but the issue of the violence and sexual content of the series was raised during its session at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour in January.
“Of Kings and Prophets,” is scheduled to premiere next Tuesday. It is based on the Old Testament book 1 Samuel about King Saul’s struggles to unify the Twelve Tribes of Israel, the resentful prophet Samuel and the young shepherd David.
Executive producer Chris Brancato called 1 Samuel “extraordinarily violent” and sexual, but said his series “does not truck in gratuitous sex nor gratuitous violence.”
“In the writers’ room nor on the set in Cape Town, South Africa, there’s no discussion about trying to add more sex or violence for the simple sake of doing so,” Brancato said.
“We’re trying to tell the story that you will read in 1 Samuel.”
Brancato dubbed his series “a nondragon version of ‘Game of Thrones,”‘ referring to the HBO fantasy drama which has drawn criticism for its violence.
“We’ve sought to make the show modern, have a modern pulse, to feel like you’re embedded in this actual world of the forming of this fledging nation…. and to give it scope and scale,” Brancato said.
