Kingdom Hospital

Plot Overview

The story tells of the fictional Kingdom Hospital located in Lewiston, Maine built on the site of a mill manufacturing military uniforms during the American Civil War. Subsequently, a hospital - now known as the "Old Kingdom" - was built on the site but it too burnt down, and the current hospital is known as the "New Kingdom".

Related Topics:
Lewiston, Maine - American Civil War

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A psychic named Mrs. Druse checked in to the hospital numerous times and is mistaken by the staff there as a hypochondriac. She asks for the assistance of Dr. Hook to uncover the truth about the hospital and the mysterious spirits who haunt it - including a young girl, killed in or after the original fire; a teenage boy who was submitted to horrible test experiments in the Old Kingdom; and a giant anteater.

Related Topics:
Hypochondriac - Anteater

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And elsewhere, Peter Rickman, a painter who is admitted to hospital following a road accident (with severe injuries to his skull and spine) begins to discover the ghastly goings-on while he lies comatose in room 426.

Related Topics:
Painter - Skull - Spine - Comatose

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Other subplots included the initation of arrogant neurosurgeon Dr. Stegman into the secret society known as the 'Keepers', and the challenged-at-every-turn flirtation between young Dr. Elmer Traff and sleep doctor Lona Massingale.

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The series is known for its tangential plots and characters who recur throughout, it is - as King called it - a "novelization for television".

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While written as a mini-series, many fans wanted it to be renewed for a second season. Despite incredibly successful ratings for the first episode - making it the highest rating drama debut of the year on ABC - ratings sharply fell, and ABC didn't help matters by moving the show up against CSI.

Related Topics:
ABC - CSI

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The entire miniseries is now available on DVD.

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