House of David is an American Biblical historical drama television series. Created, co-directed, and co-written by filmmaker Jon Erwin for Amazon Prime Video, it is a multi-season series about the life of King David, a central figure of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Primarily set in the Kingdom of Israel in 1000 BC, the series depicts the rise of David, tracing his journey from his paternal servitude as a shepherd to his battle against Goliath and eventual kingship with the House of David succeeding the House of Saul. Michael Iskander stars as David alongside Ali Suliman, Stephen Lang, Ayelet Zurer, Indy Lewis, Ethan Kai, and Martyn Ford.
The series was produced by The Wonder Project, a studio led by Erwin and Kelly Merryman Hoogstraten, in collaboration with Amazon MGM Studios, and is internationally distributed by Lionsgate. The creators have emphasized that the show is made for a broad audience, not just religious people.
The series premiered on February 27, 2025, with the first three episodes made available on Amazon Prime Video, followed by weekly releases for the remaining episodes. The series received positive feedback for its high production quality and its respectful portrayal of Jewish traditions and the biblical story. Within its first 17 days, the show attracted 22 million viewers, and Amazon Prime announced the renewal for a second season. Season 2 was released beginning October 5, 2025 exclusively to subscribers to the Wonder Project add-on, with general availability to all Prime subscribers on March 27, 2026. The series has been renewed for a third and final season.
Contents
Premise
Set in 1000 BC in Israel, the first season chronicles David as a young shepherd anointed by the prophet Samuel to be the next king following Saul's mental deterioration. On his path to the throne, David encounters both challenges and opportunities from his faith and relationships, culminating with his fight against the Philistine giant Goliath.
Cast and characters
Main
Michael Iskander as David: A shepherd in Bethlehem from the Tribe of Judah who is anointed to be the next king of Israel. A poet and a musician playing the lyre, he is the youngest son of Jesse and Nitzevet, the younger brother of Eliab, Abinadab, Nethaneel, Raddai, and Ozem, the older brother of Avva, and a relative of Joab.
Raphael Korniets portrays a young David
Ali Suliman as Saul: The first king of Israel from the Tribe of Benjamin, the husband of Ahinoam, the father of Jonathan, Eshbaal, Mirab, and Michal, and the cousin of Abner. He is a former donkey herder and the son of Kish.
Indy Lewis as Mychal: A princess of Israel, the younger daughter of Saul and Ahinoam, the sister of Jonathan, Eshbaal, and Mirab, and David's love interest.
Ethan Kai as Jonathan: A prince of Israel, the oldest son of Saul and Ahinoam, and the older brother of Eshbaal, Mirab, and Michal.
Oded Fehr as Abner: The commander-in-chief of his cousin Saul's army.
Yali Topol Margalith as Mirab: A princess of Israel, the older daughter of Saul and Ahinoam, and the sister of Jonathan, Eshbaal, and Michal.
Davood Ghadami as Eliab: A high-ranking soldier in Saul's army, the oldest son of Jesse and Nitzevet, the older brother of David, Abinadab, Nethaneel, Raddai, Ozem, and Avva, and a relative of Joab.
Ayelet Zurer as Ahinoam: The first queen of Israel, the wife of Saul, and the mother of Jonathan, Eshbaal, Mirab, and Michal.
Aury Alby as Joab: The second-in-command officer of Saul's army after Abner and a relative of Jesse and his children.
Recurring
Inbar Saban as Kazia: A servant girl in King Saul's household
Stewart Scudamore as Adriel: The chief elder from the Tribe of Judah and an adviser of Saul. He is the son of Barzillai.
Louis Ferreira as Jesse: A former elder in Bethlehem, the father of David, Eliab, Abinadab, Nethaneel, Raddai, and Ozem, the husband of Nitzevet, and a relative of Joab. He is the son of Obed and the grandson of Boaz.
Alexander Uloom as Achish: The Philistine king of Gath, one of the five kings of Philistia, and an enemy of Israel.
Stephen Lang as Samuel: A prophet and a seer of the Lord God, who is the last of the judges leading Israel before anointing Saul and David as kings. He is husband of Hila and the son of Elkanah and Hannah.
Naby Dakhli as Abinadab: A high-ranking soldier in Saul's army, the second son of Jesse and Nitzevit, a brother of David, Eliab, Nethaneel, Raddai, Ozem, and Avva, and a relative of Joab.
Reis Daniel as Oaz: The funny axe warrior and David’s new friend
Rada Rae as Avva: The daughter of Jesse and Nitzevet and the younger sister of David, Eliab, Abinadab, Nethaneel, Raddai, and Ozem.
Aziz Dyab as Nethaneel: The fourth son of Jesse and Nitzevet, a brother of David, Eliab, Abinadab, Raddai, Ozem, and Avva, and a relative of Joab.
Stefanos Vuksanovic as Ozem: The sixth son of Jesse and Nitzevet, a brother of David, Eliab, Abinadab, Nethaneel, Raddai, and Avva, and a relative of Joab.
Konstantinos Krommidas as Raddai: The fifth son of Jesse and Nitzevet, a brother of David, Eliab, Abinadab, Nethaneel, Ozem, and Avva, and a relative of Joab.
Episodes
Production
Development
The development of House of David was inspired by creator Jon Erwin's interest in the biblical story of King David. When Erwin was 16, he traveled to Israel with his father and visited King David's tomb in Jerusalem, which inspired him to adapt David's story for the screen. He later wrote his first script about David as a teenager and continued developing the project alongside his filmmaking career.
The series was produced by The Wonder Project, a studio founded by Erwin and Kelly Merryman Hoogstraten, in collaboration with Amazon MGM Studios. Erwin pitched House of David to Amazon, which subsequently developed the series as part of its faith-based programming.
Casting
The casting process for House of David involved a four-month international search for an actor to portray the titular role. Michael Iskander was cast as David, in what became his first major acting credit. According to Iskander, his experience competing in the shot put and discus in high school helped him during the audition process. Ali Suliman portrays King Saul, while Ayelet Zurer portrays Queen Ahinoam, Stephen Lang portrays the prophet Samuel, who anoints David and Martyn Ford was cast as Goliath. Ford, who is 6 feet 8 inches (2.03 m) tall and weighs around 320 pounds (145 kg), was portrayed as 9 feet 9 inches (2.97 m) tall in the series through digital effects.
The supporting cast includes Louis Ferreira as Jesse, David's father; Ethan Kai as Jonathan, Saul's son; Indy Lewis as Michal, Saul's daughter; Oded Fehr as Abner, Saul's military commander; Yali Topol Margalith as Mirab, Saul's daughter; Nimo Hochenberg as Silas, Samuel's servant; Aury Alby as Joab; Ashraf Barhom as Doeg the Edomite; Sam Otto as Eshbaal, one of Saul's sons; Davood Ghadami as Eliab, David's eldest brother; Alexander Uloom as Achish, a Philistine king; Raresh DiMofte as Lahmi; and Siir Tilif as Nitzevet, David's mother.
Writing
The first season was based on a script Erwin wrote about David's life in 2012. With Jon Gunn serving as co-writers of the series, having previously worked together with Erwin on Jesus Revolution. The script was planned to cover three seasons, with the first season covering the first part of the story. The series was intended to remain faithful to Scripture while using interpretation to fill gaps in the biblical account. Erwin described it as "[a] love letter to the source material". Erwin consulted Christian and Jewish scholars during its development to help with parts of David's life that are not detailed in Scripture.
Principal photography
Principal photography for House of David began in April 1, 2024 to December 31, 2024, with filming taking place primarily in Greece, with additional filming taking place in Alberta, Canada. Locations in Greece included Saronikos, Markopoulo Mesogaias, Lavreotiki, Fyli, Xylokastro, Zagori, and Konitsa. Locations in Greek were used to depict the series' ancient setting, while Alberta provided additional landscapes. The production team initially scouted locations in Morocco, Jordan, Italy, and Israel before choosing Greece as the primary filming location. Gunn said the production chose Greece for its landscapes and historical sites. And 700 people were involved in the production.
The show's cinematography was heavily inspired by the visual style of The Creator. Filmed entirely on the Sony FX3 with a 2:1 extraction, season 1 used Atomos external recorders for ProRes RAW capture and DJI RS4 gimbals, regularly shooting with multiple cameras at once.
Generative artificial intelligence was used in combination with traditional special effects to create an origin sequence for Goliath (season 1, episode 6). Erwin stated that AI made the scene grander and more detailed than their time and budget would allow using only regular tools. Erwin experimented with several generative AI tools, including Midjourney, Magnific, Topaz, Runway and Kling, using them alongside traditional tools such as Unreal Engine, Nuke, Adobe Photoshop and After Effects. The tools were used in the production of the Goliath origin sequence in the sixth episode, including for visual effects such as digital characters, rain, smoke, wind and other environmental elements. Variety reported that the first season incorporated 72 shots involving AI. Season 2 would see a fivefold increase in AI-generated shots. As many as 350–400 shots made use of AI, including over 100 used for virtual production LED panel environments.
Production for season 2 began in Greece over Easter weekend in 2025. Production of season 3 began in Greece in September 2026.
Music
The music for the television series House of David was composed by Kevin Kiner along with his children, Sean and Deana. The trio has previously worked on series such as Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Narcos: Mexico.
For House of David, their composition incorporates a blend of traditional Middle Eastern instrumentation and contemporary orchestral elements, aiming to align with the historical setting while appealing to modern audiences. The series' official soundtrack, House of David: Season One, was released digitally on February 27, 2025, to coincide with the show's premiere.
Additionally, a compilation album titled Music Inspired by the Prime Video Original Series "House of David" features songs from various artists that complement the themes of the series. The album was made available for pre-save on February 21, 2025.
Release
The series premiered on February 27, 2025, with the first three episodes made available for streaming. New episodes were released weekly on Thursdays Prime Video, with the season finale airing on April 3, 2025.
Season 2 debuted on October 5, 2025, initially as an exclusive to subscribers to the Wonder Project add-on to Amazon Prime Video. It was released to all Amazon Prime subscribers on March 27, 2026.
Reception
Viewership
House of David debuted at No. 3 on Amazon Prime Video’s streaming charts and rose to No. 2 during its first week on the platform’s most-watched list. The series later reached No. 1 following the release of its finale episode. It drew 22 million viewers within its first 17 days in the US, after which Amazon Prime Video renewed the series for a second season. The series had reached more than 44 million viewers worldwide at the time of the season 2 release.
Critical response
The series has received a range of reviews from critics. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 71% of 7 critics gave the series a positive review, with an average rating of 7/10.
The Gospel Coalition praised House of David for maintaining a balance between narrative engagement and biblical accuracy. The review highlights how the multi-season format allows for more in-depth character development compared to feature films. Similarly, Leah MarieAnn Klett of The Christian Post described the series as "visually stunning and spiritually rich", commending its high production values and performances. She notes that the show effectively blends biblical accuracy with compelling drama, making the story accessible to contemporary audiences.
Alison Herman of Variety critiqued House of David for its lack of depth, calling it "wooden and cheap-looking" despite Amazon's investment in biblical epics. Acknowledging its positioning as a prequel to The Chosen, the review cites inconsistent accents, unconvincing special effects, and a lack of emotional engagement to ultimately consider the show uninspired, failing to develop compelling characters or match the intrigue of historical dramas like Shōgun. Martin Carr of Comic Book Resources described House of David as a "sweeping biblical epic" that embraces a grand storytelling approach. He highlighted the series' exploration of political power struggles and divine intervention, crafting a narrative of triumph against overwhelming odds that resonates with contemporary audiences.
Joel Keller of Decider acknowledged its attempt to present biblical figures with greater depth but argues that it falls short, stating that the characters "appear more like mythical figures rather than relatable humans" and describing the tone as "dull and uninspiring".
Batya Ungar-Sargon of The Free Press called the series "phenomenal" and praised its depiction of Jewish traditions: "The show's most important contribution is in exposing liberal American Jews to the way so many of our Christian neighbors see us—not as an oppressed victim caste who killed Christ and should be loathed for it, but rather as an ancient, noble tribe of warrior poets and kings favored by the blessing of the God they serve."