Kaos (TV series)

Kaos
Promotional release poster
Genre	Comedy-drama Dark comedy Fantasy
Created by	Charlie Covell
Based on	Greek and Roman mythology
Directed by	Georgi Banks-Davies Runyararo Mapfumo
Starring	Jeff Goldblum Janet McTeer Cliff Curtis David Thewlis Killian Scott Stephen Dillane Aurora Perrineau Misia Butler Leila Farzad Nabhaan Rizwan Rakie Ayola Stanley Townsend Billie Piper
Music by	Isabella Summers
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	8
Production
Executive producers	Charlie Covell Chris Fry Georgi Banks-Davies Jane Featherstone John Woodward Nina Lederman Tanya Seghatchian
Producers	Harry Munday Katie Carpenter Michael Eagle-Hodgson
Production locations	United Kingdom Spain
Running time	46–56 minutes
Production companies	Anthem Productions Limited Sister
Original release
Network	Netflix
Release	August 29, 2024 (2024-08-29)

Kaos (stylised as KAOS) is a British mythological black comedy television series created by Charlie Covell for Netflix. It revolves around three humans as they discover their connection to each other and to a long-standing ancient prophecy while they deal with corrupt and arrogant gods of Greek and Roman mythology. The series was released on Netflix on 29 August 2024.

Premise

The all-powerful yet insecure god Zeus starts to fear his end of reign once he notices a wrinkle on his forehead, possibly indicating the end of the world. He becomes paranoid and vengeful towards his devotees. Meanwhile, three humans start to discover their connections with each other and grand conspiracies involving the Greek gods.

Cast

• Jeff Goldblum as Zeus
• Janet McTeer as Hera
• Aurora Perrineau as Eurydice "Riddy"
• Cliff Curtis as Poseidon
• David Thewlis as Hades
• Rakie Ayola as Persephone
• Killian Scott as Orpheus
• Leila Farzad as Ariadne "Ari"
• Nabhaan Rizwan as Dionysus
• Debi Mazar as Medusa
• Stephen Dillane as Prometheus
• Misia Butler as Caeneus (né Caenis)
• Mat Fraser as Daedalus
• Stanley Townsend as Minos
• Billie Piper as Cassandra
• Fates
  • Suzy Eddie Izzard as Lachy (Lachesis)
  • Ché as Clotho
  • Sam Buttery as Atropos
• Furies
  • Cathy Tyson as Alecto
  • Donna Banya as Tisi (Tisiphone)
  • Natalie Klamar as Meg (Megaera)
• Fady Elsayed as Glaucus/Minotaur
• Tomi Egbowon-Ogunjobi as Dea Tacita
• Gilian Cally as Hecuba
• Shila Ommi as Pas (Pasiphae)
• Amanda Douge as Andromache
• Daniel Lawrence Taylor as Theseus
• Ramon Tikaram as Charon
• Joe McGann as Polyphemus
• Rosie Cavaliero as Prue
• Daniel Monks as Astyanax

Episodes

No.	Episode	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
1	Episode 1	Georgi Banks Davies	Charlie Covell	August 29, 2024 (2024-08-29)
The narrator, Prometheus, speaks of a prophecy that will depose Zeus, who rules over a modern world. Eurydice "Riddy" meets a mysterious woman at the store who tells her it is time to leave her partner, the musician Orpheus, with whom she has fallen out of love. Zeus's son Dionysus desires more responsibility but is rebuffed by both Zeus and Zeus's sister-wife Hera; Dionysus spitefully steals Zeus's watch. Zeus, already upset over an Olympia Day monument desecrated by Trojans, frets over a vertical wrinkle in his forehead and summons Prometheus to assure him that a prophecy fortelling his reign's end will not come to pass. Riddy visits her mother, a Tacita, who shares Zeus's prophecy with her. Riddy is hit by a box truck and killed. A heartbroken Orpheus tries to commit suicide, but Dionysus interrupts to tell him of a way he can be reunited with her. The prophecy, for both Riddy and Zeus although Prometheus says that no two should ever be the same (supposedly), is "A line appears, the order wanes, the family falls, and Kaos reigns".
2	Episode 2	Georgi Banks Davies	Charlie Covell	August 29, 2024 (2024-08-29)
Eurydice's journey through the Underworld is interrupted after it is revealed Orpheus took the coin intended to pay her passage. Meanwhile Caeneus, an Underworld handler and another of the three mortals identified by Prometheus as critical to the prophecy, is unwillingly promoted to a diver who helps souls through the Lethe. To Hera's disgust, Zeus has been impregnating mortal women in attempt to sire a child he can have a good relationship with. After realizing the mortals are content, he decides to terrorize them against Prometheus' advice. Eurydice is told she needs to work for the Underworld for 200 years. Dionysus takes Orpheus to "The Cave", where mortals can win passage through the Underworld if they impress the judges. One of them, Lachesis, disqualifies Orpheus because he took Riddy's coin, but is convinced to allow them through the Underworld in exchange for Zeus' watch.
3	Episode 3	Georgi Banks Davies	Charlie Covell	August 29, 2024 (2024-08-29)
Ariadne assists her father President Minos of Krete in investigating the desecration of the monument, which was, without their knowledge, done with their employee Theseus' help. Hecuba and Andromache, former members of Troy's royal family, are interrogated by Minos over the Trojan 7. Minos threatens to send the six members in custody to the Minotaur if the leader does not surrender. Zeus complains about the situation to Poseidon, who appears directly to Minos and implores him to get revenge. Theseus takes Ariadne to a gladiator fight, where she admits she has received the same prophecy Zeus and Riddy were given. Theseus brings Ariadne to his lover Astyanax, the seventh Trojan, who intends to turn himself in, and asks for her to save his life. Minos pardons the 7 at Ariadne's request, but a displeased Poseidon threatens Minos. A raid is carried out on the Trojans and the 7 killed and displayed on the monument. The Furies visit a heartbroken Ariadne to discuss her brother.
4	Episode 4	Runyararo Mapfumo	Charlie Covell	August 29, 2024 (2024-08-29)
Before his imprisonment, Prometheus asks his lover Charon to swear he will look out for someone with a mark and protect them. Prometheus then kills him. Orpheus enters the Underworld with fellow Cave contestant Anatole. Persephone tries to tell Zeus about a soul who has disappeared from the Underworld, but Hades stops her and insists he will fix it. Caeneus secretly visits his former cerberus Fotis and comes across Astyanax. Riddy is recruited to be a diver and befriends Caeneus. Dionysus admits his gambit with Orpheus to Poseidon, but Poseidon tells him that Zeus will not like it if Orpheus succeeds and implores him to get the watch back. Dionysus procures a replica, satisfying Zeus. Charon encounters Orpheus and Anatole and offers to drive them across the Styx; midway through he admits he can only take one. As Orpheus attacks Anatole, Charon recognizes the mark on his hand and kills Anatole. Zeus brings Dionysus into his plan to strike fear in humanity. Riddy and Caeneus find a room full of corpses.
5	Episode 5	Georgi Banks Davies	Charlie Covell	August 29, 2024 (2024-08-29)
The Furies show Ariadne a video revealing Minos' past - indebted to Poseidon, he had received a prophecy claiming his first child to draw breath would be his end. So he would have an heir, Poseidon ensured Minos sired twins and Minos ordered Daedalus to deal with baby Glaucus. A disbelieving Ariadne confronts Minos, but he dodges her questioning. Later, Daedalus confirms her suspicions and reveals Glaucus is the Minotaur. Through the tacita, Zeus overhears Hera's affair (unbeknownst to him with Poseidon) and believes she is plotting against him, but she convinces him that she has no secrets. In the Underworld room, Riddy faints as Hades takes Astyanax's soul. When Orpheus awakens, Charon asks if he is ready.
6	Episode 6	Runyararo Mapfumo	Georgia Christou	August 29, 2024 (2024-08-29)
As a parched Orpheus wanders through a desert trying to find Riddy, Caeneus tells Riddy that when he was a teenager, his male best friend Leos was killed for returning to the Amazons. His mother, knowing he was transgender, sent him away to Krete. Caeneus and Riddy sleep together and learn they have the same prophecy, piecing together that souls who go through the Frame enter the Nothing. The two decide to stop people from going through the Frame. Persephone and Hades confront Zeus about the overload of souls in the Nothing, claiming the Frame needs to be reset and Renewal needs to resume for the world to rebalance. Prometheus gives Zeus the idea for Minos to kill Glaucus to prove that prophecies can be defied. Poseidon and Hera give Minos a knife. Clotho offers Orpheus water, but he claims he would rather die trying to bring Riddy back; having passed the test, he is transported to Asphodel and reunited with Riddy. A dismayed Dionysus goes to report this to Poseidon, but learns of his affair with Hera.
7	Episode 7	Runyararo Mapfumo	Charlie Covell	August 29, 2024 (2024-08-29)
Orpheus apologizes to Riddy, but she is reluctant to return to the living world with him. As Dionysus, Poseidon and Hera tiptoe about the affair, Zeus hosts a barbecue to watch Minos defy his prophecy. Daedalus explains that Glaucus grew feral in isolation before eventually becoming the Minotaur. Caeneus tells Riddy she can encourage humans on the surface to live for themselves and not for the gods. Hades refuses to let Orpheus and Riddy leave, but Persephone — intending to send Zeus a message — allows them to return to life behind Hades' back. Ariadne demands to be taken to Glaucus. Glaucus gores Daedalus but Ariadne is able to comfort him. Minos arrives and fatally stabs Glaucus. Zeus assumes victory, but Ariadne — who drew breath before her brother despite being the younger twin — kills her father, fulfilling Minos' prophecy.
8	Episode 8	Georgi Banks Davies	Charlie Covell	August 29, 2024 (2024-08-29)
Hades asks Medusa to assist Persephone in running the underworld as he focuses on fixing the Nothing. Zeus kills the Fates, thinking it will stop all prophecies; as they burn, Lachesis returns his watch and tells him Dionysus took it. On the path to return to Earth, Riddy admits that she no longer loves Orpheus. Caeneus is reunited with his mother and inadvertently follows her into the Frame. Zeus confronts the family and orders that they fall into line. Dionysus admits that he had traded Zeus' watch to bring Orpheus into the underworld, but Persephone lies that Orpheus failed. Poseidon declares his love for Hera, but she rebuffs him. Ariadne shows Glaucus' corpse to Pasiphae and declares that she will not rule Krete for the gods. Riddy reencounters Cassandra, who tells her that she is now a prophet and must help Ariadne set the living free as Caeneus will do for the dead. Caeneus wakes up in the Nothing and unwittingly renews his mother's soul, who identifies Caeneus as being "Kaos", to Hades' surprise. Prometheus is transported to Olympus by the now discorporeal Fates. Zeus is unable to send Prometheus away and finds himself bleeding as the Meander fountain stops flowing. Hera calls one of her children to "gather the troops" as Ariadne strikes a deal with the Trojans against the gods.

Production

Development

On 10 June 2018, it was revealed that Netflix commissioned Kaos as an 8-part one hour series produced by Sisters Media. Charlie Covell served as the creator and executive producer. Nina Lederman of All3Media alongside Tanya Seghatchian and John Woodward of Brightstar joined Charlie Covell as co-executive producer. It was announced that Katie Carpenter would serve as the series producer, with Harry Munday and Michael Eagle-Hodgson producing, and Georgi Banks Davies confirmed to be the lead director and co-executive producer. Runyararo Mapfumo would direct the second block of the series. On 13 July 2022, Georgia Christou was announced as the writer for episode 6.

Casting

On 27 May 2022, Aurora Perrineau was cast as Riddy, one of the main leads in the series. On 29 June 2022, more cast members were revealed, as Hugh Grant, Janet McTeer, David Thewlis, Nabhaan Rizwan, Cliff Curtis, Killian Scott, Leila Farzad, and Misia Butler joined the series. Other cast members are Rakie Ayola as Persephone and Stanley Townsend in an undisclosed role. Additionally, Billie Piper joined the cast in a minor role. On 13 July 2022, Jeff Goldblum replaced Grant as Zeus as the latter had to pull out due to date availability issues. On 22 August 2022, Debi Mazar joined the cast as the reimagined version of Medusa.

Filming

The start of filming in Spain and Italy was reported on 22 August 2022.

Release

The series was released on Netflix on 29 August 2024.

Marketing

The first teaser video for the series, showcasing Goldblum, was uploaded on YouTube on 19 March 2024.

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 72% of 36 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.6/10. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the series a score of 69 out of 100, based on 19 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.

External links

• Kaos on Netflix
• Kaos at IMDb