Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #261322 in DVD
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Number of discs: 3
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English

Amazon.com
An extremely violent, sometimes downright gruesome, drama series about a mob family, Kingpin invites inevitable comparisons with The Sopranos--the pilot episode is even directed by Sopranos alumnus Allen Coulter--but the basic premise is more a South-of-the-border Godfather, with Miguel Cadena (Yancey Arias) as the conflicted Michael Corleone-type character who finds himself inexorably but somewhat reluctantly taking charge of his family's Mexican drug cartel. Written and produced by David Mills, a graduate of NYPD Blue and Homicide: Life on the Street, the show has all the right credentials for a successful TV drama, combining a colorful ensemble cast and evocative locations on either side of the Rio Grande, but somehow it failed to find a big enough audience to get beyond one season (a similar fate befell the equally praiseworthy Boomtown).

Unlike Tony Soprano, Miguel's (American) wife Marlene (Sheryl Lee, still best known as Laura Palmer from Twin Peaks) supports her husband's position with Machiavellian schemes of her own, though both parents strive to shelter their 8-year-old son from involvement in the messier side of the family business. After a bloody coup in the pilot episode, Miguel and his ruthless brother Chato (Bobby Cannavale) cement their hold over the business, while struggling with the twin threats of family infighting and law enforcement pressure. As in Steven Soderbergh's Traffic, here the DEA agents--principally go-getting Delia Flores (Angela Alvarado Rosa)--are significant characters in their own right. Also north of the border is cowardly plastic surgeon Dr. Heywood Klein (Brian Benben), whose often unwilling involvement with small-time crooks (especially his self-appointed bodyguard Junie, played with deadpan wit by Shay Roundtree) provides much-needed comic relief amid the scenes of casual slaughter. With its vivid depiction of a sleazy, utterly amoral world, Kingpin makes for compelling viewing, even if it never quite attains the effortlessly sublime levels of its northern predecessor. --Mark Walker

Customer Reviews

Kingpin
This 6 episode (3 disk) series was made for and recently aired on network television, but in my opinion was quite successful in narrowing the distinction between traditional TV fare and far more graphic projects usually associated with pay cable offerings. It is the saga of a fabulously wealthy Mexican crime family presiding over a global drug cartel, and the 6 episodes define how the power of that family was violently consolidated under the quiet and cunning leadership of Miguel Cadena,(Yancey Arias). Much of what was done has been done before and inevitable comparisons to "The Godfather" are sure to be raised. But with a mostly Hispanic cast, cultural values usually associated as south of the border, and highly imaginative plot twists, this work is sometimes brilliant. The production values of this series more closely resemble that of film rather than episodic weekly television. With just 6 episodes in the can, I think the series ended a bit too soon, and this viewer was left wanting more.

WE developed KINGPIN for NBC
Hi there. It is so nice to read all of the reviews on our show KINGPIN. I was one of a bunch of people at Spelling Television in Los Angeles who developed and sold this show to NBC. Originally KINGPIN WAS intended to be a full fledged network series. The network got cold feet at the last minute, however, and ordered only 6 episodes telling us if it did well, they would order more and turn it into a series for the next year. Funny/sad thing happened. The network aired the series on Sunday nights AND on Monday (maybe it was Tues. can't remember now). The problem was NO ONE KNEW the second episode on Monday was a NEW episode. So no one watched the second episode. Over a three week period, NBC aired new episodes twice a week. EVEN PEOPLE IN HOLLYWOOD WORKING IN TELEVISION WERE CONFUSED. For the first time ever an NBC President admited it was his mistake for airing two original episodes in one week, admiting it was a mistake and confused viewers - even some at NBC not in charge of scheduling! So there yah go, the ratings for the second airing sucked and they didn't order it for a full series order. Also, it really was a tough sale to the advertisers and NBC just thought they'd play it safe and go with a safer sale. Remember, it's all about advertising dollars. A lot of companies didn't want to sponser KINGPIN based on it's Sapranos-esq. content. I also think the network wanted HUGE HUGE ratings, it did get high ratings on Sunday night -- but they wanted HUGE. I believe it came in #1 in total views and the demo of 18-49, but again they wanted HUGE. But I am SO thrilled it was released on DVD through NBC Studios and Spelling Television. I hope you all tell as many people as you can about it. We were/are very proud about it and were happy it took the Spelling Television brand to a new level (we were previously known for BEVERLY HILLS, 90210 and MELROSE PLACE, among other shows. Thanks so much and please drop me a line if you have any thoughts about this show, I will pass them along to series creator David Mills. Just put KINGPIN in the subject line. Jon B. Patton Spelling Television, Inc. (A Viacom/Paramount Company) jon_patton@paramount.com

Nothing Less Than A Tour de Force In TV Drama
Easily some of the best TV I've seen in years. A riveting story with great acting and a good script. The sets were convincing -even the cinematography and soundtrack were outstanding. If you haven't already seen it, I highly recommend checking it out.