''Kaos'' (stylised as ''KAOS'') is a British

mythological Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...

dark comedy Black comedy, also known as black humor, bleak comedy, dark comedy, dark humor, gallows humor or morbid humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally ...

television series created by Charlie Covell for

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

. It revolves around three humans as they discover their common connection to a prophecy and to each other while dealing with the corrupt and arrogant gods of

Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...

. The series was released on Netflix on 29 August 2024. In October 2024, it was cancelled after one series.

Premise

The all-powerful yet insecure Greek god

Zeus Zeus (, ) is the chief deity of the List of Greek deities, Greek pantheon. He is a sky father, sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, who rules as king of the gods on Mount Olympus. Zeus is the child ...

keeps his fellow god

Prometheus In Greek mythology, Prometheus (; , , possibly meaning "forethought")Smith"Prometheus". is a Titans, Titan. He is best known for defying the Olympian gods by taking theft of fire, fire from them and giving it to humanity in the form of technol ...

shackled to the side of a cliff and tortured in punishment for having dared to interfere with his arbitrary and autocratic rule. Prometheus, who acts throughout as narrator, tells of a prophecy: "A line appears, the order wanes, the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

falls, and Kaos reigns." Having for many years bided his time, Prometheus now activates his plan to overthrow Zeus with the help of the prophecy and the unwitting involvement of three mortal humans,

Eurydice Eurydice (; Ancient Greek: Εὐρυδίκη 'wide justice', classical pronunciation: ) was a character in Greek mythology and the wife of Orpheus, whom Orpheus tried to bring back from the dead with his enchanting music. Etymology Several ...

Caeneus In Greek mythology, Caeneus or Kaineus () was a Lapith Greek hero, hero, ruler of Thessaly, and the father of the Argonaut Coronus (mythology), Coronus. Caeneus was born a girl, Caenis (), the daughter of Elatus, but after Poseidon had sex with C ...

and

Ariadne In Greek mythology, Ariadne (; ; ) was a Cretan princess, the daughter of King Minos of Crete. There are variations of Ariadne's myth, but she is known for helping Theseus escape from the Minotaur and being abandoned by him on the island of N ...

Cast

Jeff Goldblum Jeffrey Lynn Goldblum ( ; born October 22, 1952) is an American actor and musician. He has starred in some of the highest-grossing films, such as ''Jurassic Park'' (1993) and ''Independence Day'' (1996), as well as their sequels. Goldblum ...

Janet McTeer Janet McTeer (born 5 August 1961) is an English actress. She began her career training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art before earning acclaim for playing diverse roles on stage and screen in both period pieces and modern dramas. She has r ...

Hera In ancient Greek religion, Hera (; ; in Ionic Greek, Ionic and Homeric Greek) is the goddess of marriage, women, and family, and the protector of women during childbirth. In Greek mythology, she is queen of the twelve Olympians and Mount Oly ...

Aurora Perrineau Aurora Perrineau is an American actress and model. She is best known for starring as Shana Elmsford in ''Jem and the Holograms'' (2015), the live-action film adaptation of the 1980s animated television series '' Jem'', Giselle Hammond in Blumh ...

("Riddy") *

Cliff Curtis Clifford Vivian Devon Curtis (born July 27, 1968) is a New Zealand actor and film producer. After working in theatre, he made his film debut in Jane Campion's Academy Awards, Oscar-winning film ''The Piano'' (1993), followed by a breakout role ...

Poseidon Poseidon (; ) is one of the twelve Olympians in ancient Greek religion and mythology, presiding over the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses.Burkert 1985pp. 136–139 He was the protector of seafarers and the guardian of many Hellenic cit ...

David Thewlis David Wheeler (born 20 March 1963), better known as David Thewlis (), is an English actor and filmmaker. He has appeared in a variety of genres in both film and television. He has received the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor and nomin ...

Hades Hades (; , , later ), in the ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, is the god of the dead and the king of the Greek underworld, underworld, with which his name became synonymous. Hades was the eldest son of Cronus and Rhea ...

* Rakie Ayola as

Persephone In ancient Greek mythology and Ancient Greek religion, religion, Persephone ( ; , classical pronunciation: ), also called Kore ( ; ) or Cora, is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. She became the queen of the Greek underworld, underworld afte ...

Killian Scott Cillian Damien Murphy (born 10 July 1985), known professionally as Killian Scott, is an Irish actor. He first came to prominence for his role as Tommy in the RTÉ One series '' Love/Hate'' (2010–2014). He appears as Orpheus in the (2024) Netfli ...

Orpheus In Greek mythology, Orpheus (; , classical pronunciation: ) was a Thracians, Thracian bard, legendary musician and prophet. He was also a renowned Ancient Greek poetry, poet and, according to legend, travelled with Jason and the Argonauts in se ...

Leila Farzad Leila Effat Farzad is a British actress. She is known for her role as Naomi Jones in the Sky Atlantic series ''I Hate Suzie'' (2020–2022), which earned her a British Academy Television Award nomination. Early life and education Leila Effat F ...

("Ari") *

Nabhaan Rizwan Nabhaan Rizwan (born ) is a British actor known for crime drama ''Informer'', his supporting roles in '' The Accident'' and ''1917'', and the miniseries ''Station Eleven''. More recently, he portrays Dionysus in the 2024 series ''Kaos''. Riz ...

Dionysus In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, myth, Dionysus (; ) is the god of wine-making, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, festivity, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, and theatre. He was also known as Bacchus ( or ; ...

Debi Mazar Debi Mazar Corcos (; born August 13, 1964) is an American actress and television personality. She began her career with supporting roles in '' Goodfellas'' (1990), '' Little Man Tate'' (1991), '' Singles'' (1992), and '' Batman Forever'' (1995), ...

Medusa In Greek mythology, Medusa (; ), also called Gorgo () or the Gorgon, was one of the three Gorgons. Medusa is generally described as a woman with living snakes in place of hair; her appearance was so hideous that anyone who looked upon her wa ...

Stephen Dillane Stephen John Dillane (; born 27 March 1957) is a British actor. He is best known for his roles as Leonard Woolf in the 2002 film ''The Hours (film), The Hours'', Stannis Baratheon in the HBO fantasy series ''Game of Thrones'' (2012–2015) and T ...

* Misia Butler as Caeneus (né Caenis) * Mat Fraser as

Daedalus In Greek mythology, Daedalus (, ; Greek language, Greek: Δαίδαλος; Latin language, Latin: ''Daedalus''; Etruscan language, Etruscan: ''Taitale'') was a skillful architect and craftsman, seen as a symbol of wisdom, knowledge and power. H ...

* Stanley Townsend as

Minos Main injector neutrino oscillation search (MINOS) was a particle physics experiment designed to study the phenomena of neutrino oscillations, first discovered by a Super-Kamiokande (Super-K) experiment in 1998. Neutrinos produced by the NuMI ...

Billie Piper Billie Paul Piper (born Leian Paul Piper; 22 September 1982) is an English actress and former singer who is best known for her portrayal as Rose Tyler in ''Doctor Who'' (2005–2006, 2008, 2010). She initially gained recognition as a singer a ...

Cassandra Cassandra or Kassandra (; , , sometimes referred to as Alexandra; ) in Greek mythology was a Trojan priestess dedicated to the god Apollo and fated by him to utter true prophecy, prophecies but never to be believed. In modern usage her name is e ...

Fates The Fates are a common motif in European polytheism, most frequently represented as a trio of goddesses. The Fates shape the destiny of each human, often expressed in textile metaphors such as spinning fibers into yarn, or weaving threads on a ...

** Suzy Eddie Izzard as

Lachesis Lachesis ( ; ; from , 'to obtain by lot, by fate, or by the will of the gods'), in ancient Greek religion, was the middle of the Three Fates, or Moirai; the others were her sisters, Clotho and Atropos. Normally seen clothed in white, Laches ...

("Lachy") ** Ché as

Clotho Clotho (; ) or Klotho, is a mythological figure. She was one of the Three Fates or Moirai. In ancient Greek mythology, she spins the thread of human life, her sisters draw out ( Lachesis) and cut ( Atropos) the thread. She also made major dec ...

** Sam Buttery as

Atropos Atropos (; "without turn"), in Greek mythology, was the third of the Three Fates or Moirai, goddesses of fate and destiny. Her Roman equivalent was Morta. Atropos was one of the Three Fates and was known as "the Inflexible One." It was Atro ...

Furies The Erinyes ( ; , ), also known as the Eumenides (, the "Gracious ones"), are chthonic goddesses of vengeance in ancient Greek religion and mythology. A formulaic oath in the ''Iliad'' invokes them as "the Erinyes, that under earth take v ...

Cathy Tyson Catherine Tyson (born 12 June 1965) is an English actress. She won the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the film ''Mona Lisa'' (1986), which also earned her Best Supporting Actress no ...

as Alecto ** Donna Banya as Tisiphone ("Tisi") ** Natalie Klamar as

Megaera Megaera ( ; ) is one of the Erinyes, Eumenides or "Furies" in Greek mythology. '' Bibliotheca Classica'' states "According to the most received opinions, they were three in number, Tisiphone, "Megaera ... daughter of Nyx and Acheron", and ...

("Meg") *

Fady Elsayed Fady Elsayed (born 15 September 1993) is a British actor. He is known for his roles in the ''Doctor Who'' spin-off ''Class'' (2016) and the Sky Atlantic series '' Gangs of London'' (2022). His films include '' My Brother the Devil'' (2012) and ' ...

Glaucus In Greek mythology, Glaucus (; ) was a Greek prophetic sea-god, born mortal and turned immortal upon eating a magical herb. It was believed that he came to the rescue of sailors and fishermen in storms, having earlier earned a living from the ...

Minotaur In Greek mythology, the Minotaur (, ''Mīnṓtauros''), also known as Asterion, is a mythical creature portrayed during classical antiquity with the head and tail of a bull and the body of a man or, as described by Roman poet Ovid, a being "par ...

* Michelle Greenidge as the Tacita * Gilian Cally as

Hecuba Hecuba (; also Hecabe; , ) was a queen in Greek mythology, the wife of King Priam of Troy during the Trojan War. Description Hecuba was described by the chronicler John Malalas, Malalas in his account of the ''Chronography'' as "dark, good eyes ...

* Shila Ommi as Pasiphae ("Pas") *

Amanda Douge Amanda Douge (born December 1976) is an Australian actress, best known from various television and feature film roles. Early life and education Douge was born in Melbourne in 1976, and studied law at Melbourne University (1993). She has a Ma ...

Andromache In Greek mythology, Andromache (; , ) was the wife of Hector, daughter of Eetion, and sister to Podes. She was born and raised in the city of Cilician Thebe, over which her father ruled. The name means "man battler", "fighter of men" or "m ...

Daniel Lawrence Taylor Daniel Lawrence Taylor is a British actor, comedy writer, and producer. In 2004, Taylor graduated from Royal Holloway, University of London Royal Holloway, University of London (RH), formally incorporated as Royal Holloway and Bedford New C ...

Theseus Theseus (, ; ) was a divine hero in Greek mythology, famous for slaying the Minotaur. The myths surrounding Theseus, his journeys, exploits, and friends, have provided material for storytelling throughout the ages. Theseus is sometimes desc ...

Ramon Tikaram Ramon P. Tikaram (born 16 May 1967) is a British actor. On television, he is known for his roles in the BBC Two series '' This Life'' (1996–1997), the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'' (2009–2012), the Channel 4 sitcom '' Man Down'' (2013� ...

Charon In Greek mythology, Charon or Kharon ( ; ) is a psychopomp, the ferryman of the Greek underworld. He carries the souls of those who have been given funeral rites across the rivers Acheron and Styx, which separate the worlds of the living and ...

Joe McGann Joseph McGann (born 24 July 1958) is an English actor. His roles include the lead role of Charlie Burrows, the housekeeper in the TV comedy series '' The Upper Hand'' (1990–1996), '' Night and Day'' and his voice role as Sir Gideon Ofnir in ...

Polyphemus Polyphemus (; , ; ) is the one-eyed giant son of Poseidon and Thoosa in Greek mythology, one of the Cyclopes described in Homer's ''Odyssey''. His name means "abounding in songs and legends", "many-voiced" or "very famous". Polyphemus first ap ...

* Rosie Cavaliero as Prue * Daniel Monks as

Astyanax In Greek mythology, Astyanax (; ''Astyánax'', "lord of the city") was the son of Hector, the crown prince of Troy, and of his wife, Princess Andromache of Cilician Thebe."Astyanax". ''Oxford Classical Dictionary''. Oxford, 1949, p. 101 (''s.v. ...

("Nax") *

Slavko Sobin Slavko Sobin (born 13 November 1984 in Split) is a Croatian actor. Biography At 18 Sobin moved to Los Angeles to study acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, where he graduated in 2007. Upon his return to Croatia, he moved to Zagreb ...

as Carl Crixus

Episodes

Production

Development

Netflix commissioned ''Kaos'' as an eight-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. In October 2024, the show was cancelled after its first season.

Casting

On 27 May 2022,

was cast as Riddy, one of the main leads in the series. On 29 June 2022, more cast members were revealed, as

(Hera),

(Hades),

(Dionysus),

(Poseidon),

(Orpheus),

(Ari), and Misia Butler (Caeneus) joined the series. Other cast members are Rakie Ayola as Persephone, Stanley Townsend as President Minos and

as Prometheus. Additionally,

joined the cast in a minor role. On 13 July 2022,

was cast as Zeus, replacing

Hugh Grant Hugh John Mungo Grant (born 9 September 1960) is an English actor. He established himself early in his career as a charming and vulnerable romantic leading man, and has since transitioned into a character actor. He has received List of awards ...

, 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 YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

on 19 March 2024.

Reception

References

External links

* * {{Netflix original ended series (2019–present) 2020s British LGBTQ-related comedy television series 2024 British television series debuts 2024 British television series endings British black comedy television shows British English-language television shows Netflix television dramas Television series based on classical mythology Television series based on mythology Television series by All3Media Television shows filmed in Spain Television shows filmed in the United Kingdom Transgender-related television shows