--- title: Netflix’s KAOS Updates Greek Mythology in a Clever Thriller description: Smart casting, sharp dialogue, and inspired world-building fuel Netflix's fun update of Western culture's foundational lore canonical: https://time.com/7012672/kaos-review-netflix/ author: Judy Berman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2024-08-29T07:01:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:52:04.272Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: Netflix’s KAOS Updates Greek Mythology in a Clever Thriller og:description: Smart casting, sharp dialogue, and inspired world-building fuel Netflix's fun update of Western culture's foundational lore og:url: https://time.com/7012672/kaos-review-netflix/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt274600795dfaf699/698a5a11b21a9c62a450a5e3/Netflix_KAOS_ImageTrailer_9.png?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Netflix_KAOS_ImageTrailer_9 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Netflix’s KAOS Updates Greek Mythology in a Clever Thriller twitter:description: Smart casting, sharp dialogue, and inspired world-building fuel Netflix's fun update of Western culture's foundational lore twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt274600795dfaf699/698a5a11b21a9c62a450a5e3/Netflix_KAOS_ImageTrailer_9.png?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Netflix’s _KAOS_ Updates Greek Mythology in a Clever Eat-the-Rich Thriller > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account.  by [Judy Berman](https://time.com/author/judy-berman/)  ## Judy Berman TV Critic Aug 29, 2024 7:01 AM UTC  Jeff Goldblum in KAOS Jeff Goldblum in KAOSNetflix  by [Judy Berman](https://time.com/author/judy-berman/)  ## Judy Berman TV Critic Aug 29, 2024 7:01 AM UTC You would expect the king of the gods to have a pretty massive ego, but even by that standard, Zeus is a real piece of work. He swallowed his first wife, Metis, whole. His courtship, if you can call it that, of Hera (who was also his sister) involved transforming himself into an adorable cuckoo bird; he also used the animal trick on mortals, committing rapes in the form of a bull, a swan, etc. Pandora’s box? That was all Zeus. In the Netflix series _KAOS_, premiering Aug. 29, Prometheus—who was famously condemned by Zeus to be forever bound to a cliff and have his infinitely regenerating liver pecked out by an eagle—calls him a “transcendent, unmitigated bastard.” This kind of gloriously polysyllabic insult is a trademark of British comedy, and in this case, it comes courtesy of screenwriter and showrunner Charlie Covell, who created the cult teen dramedy _The End of the F\*\*\*ing World_. With _KAOS_, Covell updates [Greek mythology](https://time.com/6140064/greek-myths-covid-19-pandemic/) for a contemporary world where Jesus never arrived to chase away the old gods. In this telling, which mixes elements of comedy and political thriller, the Olympians are a sort of divine crime family; [Jeff Goldblum](https://time.com/5635095/jeff-goldblum-on-colbert/), that master of oleaginous creepitude, stars as Zeus in a lightning-bolt-bedazzled tracksuit. It’s a clever, if not wholly original, premise, elevated by smart casting, sharp dialogue, and world-building that makes inspired use of some of Western culture’s most enduring lore.  Janet McTeer in KAOS Daniel Escale—Netflix The series opens with a threat to Zeus’ long reign. One morning, in his own personal palace in the clouds, the deity glimpses a wrinkle in his forehead that shouldn’t be there because he isn’t supposed to age. So begins the patriarch of patriarchs’ spiral into a panic over the suspicion that an ancient prophecy portending his downfall is about to come true. He may be fixating on the wrong sign, but he’s right to worry. Prometheus (Stephen Dillane, [_Game of Thrones_’ Stannis Baratheon](https://time.com/3924852/every-game-of-thrones-death/)), who Zeus calls his best friend but still keeps chained up on the cliffside in between hangouts, is plotting to use a trio of humans to knock the problematic god off of Olympus. A sprawling story ensues, with intertwined subplots set in the heavens, amid mortals in the earthly state of Krete, and in a drab, corporate underworld rendered in black and white. Over the course of several patiently unfurled episodes, Covell reintroduces witty updates of familiar mythological gods and heroes. Janet McTeer’s Hera is glamorous, imperious, and far cannier than her narcissistic husband knows. [David Thewlis](https://time.com/6126862/landscapers-true-story/) plays Hades as a mousy but well-meaning bureaucrat; Persephone (Rakie Ayola) serves (consensually, this time around) as his girl Friday. Bored of the party circuit, Dionysus (Nabhaan Rizwan) starts bugging his dad for more responsibility. [Debi Mazar](https://time.com/collection-post/4083518/debi-mazar-olive-oil/) is a no-nonsense Medusa, snakey hair wrapped in a scarf when she isn’t weaponizing it. [Suzy Eddie Izzard](https://time.com/5950223/six-minutes-to-midnight-review-eddie-izzard/) appears as one of three wonderfully arch Fates.  David Thewlis and Rakie Ayola in KAOS Justin Downing—Netflix As above, so below. Krete is gripped by civil unrest, as members of the oppressed Trojan minority rise up. When ruler Minos (Stanley Townsend) and his daughter Ariadne (Leila Farzad, as great here as she was in [_I Hate Suzie_](https://time.com/5914325/best-tv-shows-november-2020/)) unveil a holy monument, they’re shocked to find it covered in excrement and decorated with blasphemous graffiti: “F-ck the gods.” This act of vandalism doesn’t exactly soothe Zeus’s anxieties, so, as they’ve done so many times before, the Olympians set about interfering in human politics. Meanwhile, in a reimagining of the myth of [Orpheus and Eurydice](https://entertainment.time.com/2013/10/29/brush-up-on-the-greek-myth-that-arcade-fire-is-singing-about/), the latter is Riddy (Aurora Perrineau), a woman falling out of love with her famous singer-songwriter husband (Killian Scott), smothered by his [wife-guy](https://slate.com/human-interest/2019/06/wife-guy-definition-trend-piece-digest.html) form of affection. Everywhere, humans are growing bolder in cursing and defying their divine overlords. It’s a huge cast of characters—and that isn’t even all of them—albeit one with which most viewers will be at least somewhat familiar. Covell keeps it manageable by moving slowly through the story and inserting pithy narration from Prometheus when necessary. The pace is a mixed blessing. Unlike most recent genre epics, which cram too many characters and plot twists into their premieres in a misguided effort to hook viewers inundated with streaming options, _KAOS_ is never overwhelming. But it takes about half of the eight-episode season to get all the players introduced; by the finale, Season 1 starts to feel like an extended preface to Season 2\.  Leila Farzad in KAOS Justin Downing—Netflix At least it’s a fun preface, though, and one that builds anticipation for what’s to come. And while the infusion of pagan mythology into the secular present isn’t so novel (see also: [Marvel](https://entertainment.time.com/2013/11/08/the-truth-about-thor-and-loki/), [Anne Carson](https://www.thenation.com/article/culture/anne-carson-wrong-norma/), and, [notably in this vein](https://time.com/6202652/the-sandman-netflix-review/), [Neil Gaiman](https://time.com/collection/100-best-fantasy-books/5898482/american-gods/)), Covell makes the microgenre their own with the same angsty, comic sensibility that made _The End_ a thrilling twist on teen tropes. They excel at blending ancient customs and archetypes into the modern world; a closeted trans boy poses a dilemma for an Amazon mom, who must exile any son at puberty, and a routine government ceremony includes a routine human sacrifice. Funny bits abound. In one scene, Zeus calls his many estranged Olympian offspring, one after the other, and they send him straight to voicemail (“Hermes! Pick up the phone!”). A human in the underworld wants to know why she glimpsed Medusa’s snakes but didn’t turn to stone. “Because you’re f-ckin’ dead,” the Gorgon snaps. Grounded in contemporary observations about the corruption, capriciousness, and entitlement of society’s most powerful families, _KAOS_ has the bones of a political thriller but the heart of a character-driven dramedy. Not quite profound or biting enough to trenchantly satirize our world, it nonetheless provides something people have always sought in the stories we tell about superhuman beings who love, rage, and scheme just like us: a thoroughly enjoyable escape. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7012672/kaos-review-netflix/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7012672/kaos-review-netflix/"},"headline":"Netflix’s KAOS Updates Greek Mythology in a Clever Eat-the-Rich Thriller","datePublished":"2024-08-29T07:01:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:52:04.272Z","description":"Smart casting, sharp dialogue, and inspired world-building fuel Netflix's fun update of Western culture's foundational lore","url":"https://time.com/7012672/kaos-review-netflix/","keywords":["Television","review","culturepod"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt274600795dfaf699/698a5a11b21a9c62a450a5e3/Netflix_KAOS_ImageTrailer_9.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Judy Berman","jobTitle":"TV Critic","url":"https://time.com/author/judy-berman/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt274600795dfaf699/698a5a11b21a9c62a450a5e3/Netflix_KAOS_ImageTrailer_9.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Netflix_KAOS_ImageTrailer_9","caption":"Jeff Goldblum in KAOS","creditText":"Netflix","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/television/","name":"Television"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7012672/kaos-review-netflix/","name":"Netflix’s KAOS Updates Greek Mythology in a Clever Eat-the-Rich Thriller"}}]}] ```