Ancient Greek god Zeus was the ruler of all gods on Mount Olympus in Greek mythology. Now, Jeff Goldblum makes for a fantastic Zeus living in modern-day Greece in KAOS.
The Netflix comedy-drama, or dark comedy, if you prefer, is full of ancient Greek heroes and legends with which most viewers are familiar. It takes place in the real world but one where gods are real. They live in a luxurious house in today’s Greece, and Zeus and Hera have all the human characteristics assigned to them by the ancient Greeks.
The creator of the series is British writer Charlie Covell, who made the Greek gods of KAOS pop-culture icons living off human worship and sacrifice, among other things.
The difference in KAOS is that Zeus is in crisis, fearing that his reign over humans is coming to an end, and he wants to punish them and rule over them forever.
In the instantly popular series, Jeff Goldblum as Zeus has all the characteristics ancient Greeks assigned to the king of gods. In all his might, Zeus is arrogant, whimsical, capricious, cunning, all-powerful, and a compulsive womanizer. Goldblum is a great actor and is easily able to take on those traits.
The Jeff Goldblum Zeus and Stephen Dillane Prometheus
The tragic figure of Prometheus is the narrator. Stephen Dillane in the role remains chained to his rock and tortured by an eagle that munches on his liver.
Prometheus, the son of a Titan, was harshly punished by Zeus because of his love for humankind. Prometheus is regarded as the patron of humankind, or he who granted them the precious gifts of fire, technology, and craft.
In the Netflix series, Prometheus plays a pivotal role, setting in motion several events that generate chaos in the clash between the Olympian god and man. There are three humans who defy the gods, and it is their destiny to destroy Zeus and his family once and for all.
There are several references to Greek tragedies and the Trojan War as well as a group known as the Trojans who defy Zeus. This is all the more reason for Zeus to punish humans, and what better way to depopulate the Earth than the big Trojan War that lasted 10 years and killed dozens of thousands?
There are other familiar Greek mythology characters and stories, all cleverly interwoven in the script: Orpheus and Eurydice, Ariadne and the Minotaur, all with a modern twist.
Then there is the cast that makes KAOS even more compelling: David Thewlis as the awe-inspiring Hades, Nabhaan Rizwan as the flamboyant Dionysus, Janet McTeer as spurned wife Hera, and Eddie Izzard as one of the Fates.
