"Kingdom Hospital" (2004) TV series

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Craig R. Baxley

Writers:

Richard Dooling (writer) (5 episodes)
Stephen King (writer)

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

3 March 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Mystery

Tagline:

Check your pulse at the door.

Plot:

Stephen King's take on the masterpiece series by Lars von Trier. The story takes place in a hospital in Lewiston, Maine, built on the site of a Civil War-era mill fire in which many children died.

Plot Keywords:

Ghost Story | Anteater | Hit And Run | Civil War | Cult Favorite

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Jamie Harrold	...	Dr. Elmer Traff (13 episodes, 2004)
Diane Ladd	...	Sally Druse (13 episodes, 2004)
Bruce Davison	...	Dr. Stegman (13 episodes, 2004)
Jack Coleman	...	Peter Rickman (13 episodes, 2004)
Julian Richings	...	Otto (13 episodes, 2004)
Andrew McCarthy	...	Dr. Hook (13 episodes, 2004)
Lena Georgas	...	Nurse Carrie Von Trier (13 episodes, 2004)
Suki Kaiser	...	Natalie Rickman (13 episodes, 2004)
Sherry Miller	...	Dr. Lona Massingale / ... (13 episodes, 2004)
Del Pentecost	...	Bobby Druse (13 episodes, 2004)
Ed Begley Jr.	...	Dr. Jesse James (13 episodes, 2004)
Brandon Bauer	...	Abel Lyon (13 episodes, 2004)
Jennifer Cunningham	...	Christa (13 episodes, 2004)
Jodelle Ferland	...	Mary Jensen (13 episodes, 2004)
Allison Hossack	...	Dr. Christine Draper (13 episodes, 2004)
Kett Turton	...	Antubis / ... (13 episodes, 2004)
William Wise	...	Dr. Louis Traff (13 episodes, 2004)
Beverley Elliott	...	Nurse Brick Bannerman (11 episodes, 2004)
Ty Olsson	...	Danny (10 episodes, 2004)
Benjamin Ratner	...	Ollie (10 episodes, 2004)
Janet Wright	...	Liz Hinton (10 episodes, 2004)
Zak Santiago	...	Dr. Sonny Gupta (9 episodes, 2004)
Alan Scarfe	...	Henry Havens (8 episodes, 2004)
Ron Selmour	...	Firecracker Man (8 episodes, 2004)
Gerard Plunkett	...	Dr. Richard Shwartzton (7 episodes, 2004)
Paul Perri	...	Frank Schweigen (6 episodes, 2004)
Jim Shield	...	Rolf Pederson (6 episodes, 2004)

Also Known As:

Stephen King's Kingdom Hospital (USA) (complete title)

Runtime:

Argentina:608 min | UK:40 min (per episode) | USA:780 min (13 parts)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Finland:K-15 (TV rating) | Singapore:NC-16 | Hungary:16 | South Korea:15 | South Korea:18 (re-rating) | Australia:M | UK:15 | Argentina:16 | Netherlands:16

Filming Locations:

Britannia Beach, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Touchstone Television

Trivia:

The scene where Peter Rickman is hit by a car happens almost exactly how Stephen King described the time he was hit by a car in his memoir, "On Writing". The only difference is that the man who hit King in real life was older, sober and stopped to see if he was all right.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Dr. Hook gives Otto a soda, the can is closed. The next shot reveals that the can is open, but later in the scene you hear Otto open the can.

Quotes:

Dr. Stegman: Oh, witchcraft and voodoo, that's idiocy.

Movie Connections:

Remake of "Riget" (1994)

Soundtrack:

Time Has Come Today

Couldn't someone else have made this?

"Riget" is one of the most unique films you could ever hope to see. Flawed though it is, it never loses your attention, and you never cease wanting to see more of it, even after hours. "Stephen King's Kingdom Hospital" has the opposite effect. Having sat through three episodes now, I'm on the verge of wondering just why I'm wasting my time. The premiere episode was okay - the second somewhat less than that, and the third out and out awful. I finally figured it out. Whenever they stick to remaking "Riget," the thing works. Whenever they veer from that path, it completely fails. I always thought "Riget" was basically a comedy, with some moments of true horror, and lots of suspense. "SKKH" has none of this. Nothing's funny. Nothing's scary. Nothing's even suspenseful, because they don't give you enough plot for you to even follow. What's annoying is that all they had to do is REMAKE the original for the whole thing to work - but nooooo... they had to go and "improve" it with talking anteaters, singing nurses, and oh-so-cute references (I'm told) to various other Stephen King novels, as if maybe THAT will keep us interested. The sad thing is that "Riget" was never finished - the first series leaves you with an incredible cliffhanger, and the end of "Riget II" tops THAT - cutting off just as everything finally seems to be coming to a climax. If SKKH had followed the original, we could at last have looked forward to seeing the thing resolved (even if it is in English, with a completely different set of actors). Now... who cares? It's already so far from the original that it can't possibly even be following the same storyline as the original. What a missed opportunity - what a shame. Sigh. Well, at least we have the originals (and I urge all of you who might like the U.S. version to try and hunt up the original and see how it MIGHT have been).