From 2014-2017, Frank Grillo and Nick Jonas starred in Kingdom, a Mixed Martial Arts-focused series on DirecTV. The series, created by Byron Balasco, ended after three seasons and 40 episodes, but it now has a new life on streaming platforms. The entire run of Kingdom is now available on Netflix.
One of director James Gunn’s “10 most underrated, binge-worthy shows of the 2000s,” Kingdom stars Grillo as Alvey Kulina, a former MMA fighter, gym owner and father. Jonas and Jonathan Tucker (Justified) play his sons in the series. Kingdom also stars Matt Lauria, Kiele Sanchez, Joanna Going, Paul Walter Hauser, and Mac Brandt. The series revolves around Navy Street, the gym where retired MMA fighter Kulina trains his sons and other fighters.
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I am so damn proud of everyone involved in this show. It was an extraordinary experience in tv – we were given incredible creative freedom and made a show we all felt passionately about. It’s four years since we wrapped and I miss it still. Now on NETFLIX. Enjoy ❤️ pic.twitter.com/H4y9aaCbOh
— Joanna Going (@joannagoing1) July 1, 2020
While the series previously aired on DirecTV, it did not surface on streaming platforms until 2019. Kingdom became available in September 2019 on iTunes, reaching an expanded audience. Now the series will live on Netflix and provide even more opportunities for viewers to watch the gritty drama.
“Jay Kulina is one of the greatest television characters of all time, and I’ll go to my grave thinking that,” one fan wrote on Twitter. Several others weighed in and expressed their excitement about the MMA drama becoming available on Netflix for the very first time, although others had some other requests.
As some fans wrote on social media, they want to see Netflix create a fourth season. They still have questions after watching the series finale and want to see what happened to many of the principal characters. They can imagine what happened, but they hope to see new episodes surface.
When Kingdom initially hit the Audience Network, viewers and critics praised the way Balasco addressed individual storylines. One example was Jonas’ character Nate Kulina. He portrayed a closeted gay fighter for the majority of the series, something not often discussed in other forms of media.
Additionally, Kingdom focused on the issues that Grillo and Tucker’s characters faced. Both struggled with substance abuse issues. Both drank heavily while Tucker’s character used drugs. He drew praise for addressing several heavy topics over the three seasons.
