ESPN’s ‘The Kingdom’ is at its best away from football

Somewhere, stored on a hard drive, film vault, or a filing cabinet, there probably remain pieces of what was supposed to be a book or documentary on the 2007 New England Patriots. When you see a potentially unprecedented moment in sports history unfolding, there is an urge to chronicle it and capitalize on it. That plan was immediately shelved once those Patriots were upset by the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII, spoiling their perfect season.

There were probably similar ideas centered on the 2024 Kansas City Chiefs. While they came closer than anyone previously to a Super Bowl three-peat, they lost to a better team—the Philadelphia Eagles. Many potential books and documentaries died on Feb. 9, 2025. However, ESPN was committed to their project regardless of the outcome.

The six-part ESPN Original Series The Kingdom debuts on Aug. 14. While it doesn’t offer much that is new, it is a solid look back at Kansas City’s exciting 2024 season. As it goes through the year game by game, it also provides additional details and context about the participants, including Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid, Travis Kelce, Chris Jones, Brett Veach, Clark Hunt, Kareem Hunt, and DeAndre Hopkins.

Sorry Swifties. There’s no sit-down interview with Taylor Swift.

As expected, the docuseries recalls all the improbable ways that the Chiefs won games in 2024: a touchdown reversed by instant replay, a blocked field, a botched snap, etc. They were good. They were also lucky. The Kingdom is at its best when the participants are telling stories. Not rehashing game footage highlights. 

The two installments that stand out above the rest are Episode 2 – Don’t Judge and Episode 5 – Heartland. The second episode focuses on Reid’s ‘don’t judge’ mentality. Longtime NFL fans won’t be surprised by this, but it’s interesting to listen to his philosophy behind giving second chances. Reid famously took a chance on Michael Vick in 2009 when he coached in Philadelphia after Vick was incarcerated for bankrolling a dog-fighting operation. Reid also brought back Kareem Hunt to Kansas City after Hunt was waived in 2018 when TMZ published a video of the running back shoving and kicking a woman.

Those incidents have been well documented. What is interesting in The Kingdom is to hear how Vick, Hunt, and others talk about Reid, someone who is not only one of the best coaches in league history, but appears to be universally respected and liked by his players.

The docuseries also delves into the death of Reid’s son, Garrett Reid. The Kingdom does not mention Andy Reid’s other son, Britt Reid, who pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated in a 2021 crash that severely injured a five-year-old.

Episode 5 is memorable because it deals with the father of Patrick Mahomes and the mother of DeAndre Hopkins. As famous as Mahomes is, he has been fairly guarded about his personal life, much like most superstar quarterbacks. In The Kingdom, he does reveal some of his feelings about his dad, former major-league pitcher Pat Mahomes. The footage of Patrick Mahomes as a child at the World Series when Pat Mahomes was a New York Met is fun. But what sticks with you is hearing Patrick Mahomes talking about how his father’s DUI arrest before Super Bowl LVIII affected him.

As for Hopkins, hearing his mother talk about a domestic violence situation is the most somber part of the docuseries. The details are horrifying, and while Houston Texans fans and Kansas City fans might be aware of them, some NFL fans might be hearing this for the first time. 

The one thing about The Kingdom that is easy to notice is that everything seems very controlled. There are not enough organic moments when the interviewees are their authentic selves. It feels like an NFL product with the on-the-field expletives not bleeped out. There is often a tradeoff for access, and viewers might feel a little short-changed. 

The Kingdom is solid, but it’s more of a field goal than a touchdown.