Netflix’s Darkly Comedic Reimagining of Greek Mythology

The complex ancient stories of Greek mythology — often rigid and unapproachable to modern readers — are meant to explain the varied conditions of humanity. In the new Netflix show, “Kaos,” which revolves around the fall of the Greek gods, creator Charlie Covell paints a portrait of immortals who give in to their base desires, insecurities and obsessions. Though the eight-episode series illustrates the dangers of power and greed, it falters due to bulky storylines and wearisome characters.

“Kaos” begins with Prometheus (Stephen Dillane) eagerly awaiting the downfall of the increasingly cruel Zeus’ (Jeff Goldblum). Bound to a rock and forced to endure his liver being poked out by an eagle daily, Prometheus reveals he and Zeus were once good friends. Their friendship soured after he dared to stand up to the King of the gods. Now, as he hangs from a boulder, Prometheus explains that the ousting of the most notorious Greek god will involve a prophecy and several unsuspecting humans.

The audience first meets Goldblum’s Zeus in the gardens of his palatial estate on Mount Olympus. Donning a white short set with rhinestone-encrusted lightning bolts, he gleefully watches the Olympia Day celebration in the city of Krete (broadcast live on his television) with his conniving sister/wife Hera (Janet McTeer) and his daft son Dionysus (Nabhaan Rizwan). Zeus is initially pleased with the celebration, but that changes when the statue honoring the gods is unveiled, covered entirely in feces. The pointed offense sends the sky and thunder god into a tailspin. The disrespect, and a new wrinkle on his forehead, prompt Zeus to recall his own prophecy, which states, “A line appears, the order weans, the family falls, and chaos regins.” This foretelling is a fate that Zeus is desperate to circumvent. 

On Earth, three people are bound to Zeus’ prophecy. Eurydice, a.k.a. Riddy (Aurora Perrineau), is trying to get up the nerve to leave her rock-star husband, Orpheus (Killian Scott). Meanwhile, Ari (Leila Farzad), whose father is the president of Krete, is starting to see some major cracks in his way of leading, and in society’s worship of the gods. Finally, in the Underworld — led by Zeus’ brother, Hades (David Thewlis) and his wife Persephone (Rakie Ayola) — Caneus (Misia Butler), who has been deceased for a decade, is forced to dwell between the living and the dead. However, a chance meeting with a stranger changes the trajectory of his afterlife. 

“Kaos” has a similar tone to Netflix’s horror series “The Fall of the House of Usher.” Unfortunately, this dramedy struggles to remain captivating throughout. Though all of the gods, including Zeus’ yacht-living younger brother, Poseidon (Cliff Curtis), are intriguing on the surface, as the narrative moves forward, viewers discover there isn’t anything interesting about any of them. They are selfish, evil and solely focused on their own desires. 

Moreover, while a garish, self-serving Zeus is amusing, even Goldblum, a master of wit and absurdities, can’t make the character compelling enough for the audience to care about his ruin or reign. McTeer, Rizwan and Curtis are all strong, but the characters themselves lack complexity and imagination. Instead, these gods are just versions of wealthy, revolting people we’ve seen depicted on-screen (and in real life) repeatedly. 

The episodes are mostly overlong, meandering and contrived, but Episode 6 has some interesting themes. As Caneus, Ari and Rinny uncover their prophecies and connections to the gods, childhood flashbacks illustrate the dangers of mindlessly following rituals without genuine faith or context. Moreover, “Kaos’” portrayal of the Underworld and humans traveling from Earth through the frame toward renewal is visually stunning to watch, and a testament to Dick Lunn’s spectacular production design. 

Ultimately, “Kaos” fails to delight because the narrative buckles under the weight of its own ambition. Several storylines stand alone before ramming into each other near the season’s anticlimatic end. The gods rarely even used their powers in any gasp-worthy or thrilling ways. More than anything, viewers are left to wonder why their petty squabbles should be of any concern to us, especially when there’s already so much to confront on Earth. 

“Kaos” premieres on Netflix Aug. 29.