Jeff Goldblum has always been god-like, but in Netflix’s KAOS, he’s a literal god: Zeus, specifically.
The show is headed by End of the F***ing World creator Charlie Covell, and seeks to bring a childhood fascination with the gods to the forefront.
“The thing I’d always wanted to do was a modern retelling of the myths,” Covell said. “The stories were always about timeless things like love, and power, and death, and dysfunctional families. It was always kind of funny in my head.”
In KAOS, Zeus has ruled the world for millennia, and brings the kind of irreverent glee to his rulership that we expect Goldblum to nail. However, there are rebellions afoot: humanity is less-than-pleased with the current situation, with Zeus and the gods below him (Hera, Hades, Poseidon, and so on) acting as a supercharged one per cent.
“It’s so brutal,” Ozark’s Janet McTeer, who plays Hera, said of the show. “They’ll do anything for their own pleasure. They don’t care what it costs people or the earth.”
If a show about all-powerful people controlling the world feels a bit too depressing, worry not — the show is a comedy. Just a dark one.
RELATED: Netflix also unveiled what’s happening with One Piece Season 2.
What’s KAOS About?
“Honour Me. That’s a command, not a request.” It’s clear Goldblum’s Zeus isn’t taking any shit, and that’s rubbing some people the wrong way.
According to Netflix, the chief god’s once-friend-now-prisoner Prometheus is at the helm of a coup aimed at bringing the big man down, which just so happens to line up to Zeus developing his first wrinkles. As a god comes to terms with his own mortality, he’ll have to face uprisings from the masses that have worshipped him for literal ages.
Jeff Goldblum said Zeus is a complicated, charismatic and cruel god in KAOS, and that with the first real signs of his own age he starts to develop trust issues: seeing enemies that desire his throne around every corner.
“It’s a magic carpet to disaster,” Goldblum said. “Nature is a chicken that’s coming home to roost (and) the longer that (thought process) goes on, the worse it is.”
It isn’t just Greek gods that are getting the Netflix treatment, with ancient Greek heroes also being depicted in the show. Orpheus, for example, is the world’s most talented and accomplished musician, but appears closer to a modern-age pop star, such as Harry Styles, rather than a Lute-playing bard.
Confirmed Cast and Roles
Cast members for KAOS bring updated versions of mythological heroes and gods to life, and just in case you aren’t up to date with your ancient Greek myths, we’ll give a little explainer for each role.
- Jeff Goldblum as Zeus
- Ruler of Mount Olympus, king of the dods, and all around adulterer.
- Janet McTeer as Hera
- Fertility god and queen of the gods. Often jealous and frustrated with her husband.
- Stephen Dillane as Prometheus
- In myth, he was a Titan, a god of fire, and the creator of mankind. Prometheus was punished for sharing fire with humans, and sentenced to an eternal punishment having his liver consumed by an eagle every day.
- Killian Scott as Orpheus
- A legendary musician and poet who, in myth, attempted to retrieve his wife, Eurydice, from the Underworld.
- Aurora Perrineau as Riddy
- A human, probably related to Eurydice, nymph and wife of Orpheus.
- Leila Farzad as Ari
- A human, probably related to Aristaeus, a renowned inventor and cultural icon.
- Misia Butler as Caneus
- A human, probably related to Caeneus, a Greek warrior hero, born a woman and turned into a man by Poseidon.
- Nabhaan Rizwan as Dionysus
- The god of wine, madness, and ecstasy. Zeus’ son.
- David Thewlis as Hades
- God of the underworld, Zeus’ brother.
- Cliff Curtis as Poseidon
- God of the seas, Zeus’ brother.
Where Can I Watch KAOS?
KAOS is available exclusively on Netflix, and you can watch it here.
