TVSquad

You see this picture? That's Christopher Egan in NBC's new midseason drama Kings. He'll be playing a David-like character -- as in David versus Goliath -- when the series debuts later this year or in early 2009. And in an interesting casting coup reported by EW's Michael Ausiello, Macaulay Culkin has been cast on Kings as King Silas' nephew. The king, by the way, is the formidable Ian McShane. Joel reported just how formidable McShane is at last summer's TCA.

Culkin is a long way from the adorable Kevin McAllister in the Home Alone movies, but he's still got that charismatic appeal.

Since Kings is all about power, as McShane's nephew who has been exiled from the kingdom and returns after David's success defeating the Goliath of the show -- a killer tank -- I can see him perhaps as a Mordred character. In other words, an antagonist with issues.

Culkin isn't the only name to join Kings in some capacity: Brian Cox, Miguel Ferrer, Leslie Bibb and Michael Stahl-David are also on board for guest arcs.

NBC is going classic, with a twist. The network has ordered 13 episodes of a new drama series based on the Daniel Defoe classic Robinson Crusoe. This is far from the first time Defoe's 1719 novel has been filmed. The most recent incarnation was a 1997 Pierce Brosnan feature. In 1964, it was the basis for a French TV series.

This version is going to be a new take on the old story of a man who sets sail from England, his ship is wrecked in a storm and he's thrown overboard winding up alone on a deserted island where he has to fen for himself. In time, he is joined by an escaped slave whom he names Friday. Ben Silverman, NBC's head honcho, described the proposed series in this way: "It's part MacGyver, part contemporary morality tale about race and personal discovery, part comedy and part Castaway meets Survivor." As envisioned, this Robinson Crusoe will need to be clever indeed. It's going to keep the time period 1650's, but when Crusoe finds Friday, he'll presumably be treating him as if it were today with regard to race relations.