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After a relatively spartan summer of releases Kaos has arrived on Netflix; it’s a glossy, starry adaptation of various Greek myths created by The End of the F***king World’s Charlie Covell, and it’s absolutely wonderful. Weaving together multiple classic stories, set in a modern day “Krete”, Kaos is just the right balance of intrigue and mystery, comedy, violence, politics and emotional weight, unfolding over eight episodes of just under an hour each. It’s surely one of the best shows this year so far.
Does this mean we legitimately get to call ourselves “Den of Greek” for a spell? This is more than just a silly bit of wordplay: Kaos is a series that will directly appeal to Greek myth nerds, ripe for picking apart, analyzing and celebrating just as we would a Star Wars, Star Trek or comic book movie or show. Not as slavish or slow burn as The Rings of Power, not as nihilistic as The Boys, Kaos is packed with heart and art, skillfully intertwining a massive ensemble cast in a world which is familiar but fantastical, set between Gods and mortals, the living and the dead. This is high fantasy, but to be clear, it is absolutely not aimed at young adults (as some similarly themed shows such as Percy Jackson have been). It’s closer, perhaps to something like American gods (complete with the sex and violence) but this is way more fun.
At the top of the pile is Zeus (Jeff Goldblum), the king of the Gods. He’s a tyrant and Goldblum wears his paranoia, egotism and despotism with panache and humor. Zeus is offended when a faction of his subjects sabotage a monument to him, and is hell bent on revenge on the humans. Meanwhile his wife (and also sister) Hera (Janet McTeer) is fed up with Zeus’ philandering, his son Dionysus (Nabhaan Rizwan) is tired of being overlooked and his lothario brother Poseidon (Cliff Curtis) is too busy hanging out and eating lobster to pay proper attention to the conflict going on between the Greeks and the Trojans. And then there are the prophecies that bind the humans and haunt Zeus to distraction. It’s a melting pot from the off that will build to a bloody crescendo. “Zeus is starting a war, he’s shooting the ball boys and I had to make my own coffee,” says Hera, sensing impending doom. Kaos deals with life and death – or indeed afterlife and death – but always with a lightness of touch. For a story of gods and monsters Covell’s writing is incredibly down to earth and her characters sympathetic and recognisable, whether they are Olympian deities, underworld office drones or Trojan freedom fighters.
Greek mythology is such rich material to draw from, and part of what makes Kaos so impressive is how it manages to condense, update, but remain faithful to the stories it focuses on. Some of the main threads include the stories of Orpheus (Killian Scott) and his attempt to rescue Euridice (Aurora Perrineau) from the realm of the underworld and Hades (David Thewlis); President Minos and his daughter Ariadne (Leila Farzad) and the labyrinth, Prometheus (Steven Dillane) strapped half naked to a rock is our narrator and a whole host of favorites pop up from Medusa to Charon, the Fates to the Furies and many more. It’s a box of delights but if you think you know where each thread is leading you can think again. This is inspired by, not slavish to, the original stories and the points at which the tales diverge and form an alternate mythology as just as thrilling as the times you can spot an easter egg. Plenty of classic stories happen off screen and before the action of Kaos, too – this is a fully completed world we join in the middle of the story, and it comes with flashbacks and rug-pulls.
The big name cast is excellent – Goldblum, Thewlis, Billy Piper as Cassandra – but many of the lesser known players really shine too. Rizwan’s Dionysus is sexy, reckless and funny, Perrineau’s “Riddy” is determined, self possessed and smart and Misia Butler as Caeneus (from a slightly less well known myth) is a sweet, soulful animal lover who might just break your heart.
Taking place across multiple locations from impossibly lush Olympus, the temple of Hera where the tongueless priestesses the Tactia reside, Daedalus’ workshop hinting at his terrible backstory, to the monochrome monotony of the underworld, this is a gorgeous and sprawling universe. Add in a soundtrack that blends opera, rock, pop and classics – a brutal gladiatorial fight to the death to the tune of “Pack up your Troubles In Your Old Kit Bag”, or Zeus watching footage of the destruction of the planet to “Oh What a Beautiful Morning” are just a couple of cheeky examples – and you have a show that looks and sounds slick and expensive, is massive and profound but also funny and heart felt. There’s scope here for season two, too – these Greeks bearing gifts we would welcome. Kaos really does reign.
Kaos is available to stream now on Netflix.
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