Count Them In

When Byron Balasco created Kingdom. He knew he was going to have a fight on his hands – literally as well as figuratively.

He'd long been fascinated with mixed martial arts and the mindset it takes to walk into a cage knowing you may be carried out of it. Yet whenever he brought up the idea, he says, "The response was a glazed look and a misperception of what the show would be, just based on the sport."

Weary of that battle, Balasco wrote a spec pilot to demonstrate that his show was not strictly about MMA — just as The Sopranos was not just about the mob and Friday Night Lights was not all about football.

"It was the only way to get people to understand that Kingdom is a family drama just like those others, and MMA is the subculture it's in," explains Balasco, who previously produced series like ABC's FlashForward and CBS's Without a Trace. "The characters go through what everyone else goes through, though it may be more extreme at times. Still, their struggles are very relatable."

Then under a contract with Endemol Shine Studios, Balasco saw Kingdom land at DirecTV's Audience Network, now known as AT&T's Audience Network.

In 2012 the network struck a deal for 10 episodes, and the series — executive-produced by Balasco with Chris Long, Bart Peters and Philippe Maigret — launched in October 2014. Not long after, another 20 episodes were ordered.

Frank Grillo — who plays the Henderson family patriarch, Alvey, and the owner of the Navy St. Gym — says audiences quickly caught on that the series is "a hard-core family drama that just happens to be dropped into the world of mixed martial arts.lt could just as well be about a family running a sanitation company," he adds, evoking more shades of The Sopranos. "This is just good television."

Emmy contributor Craig Tomashoff caught up with the cast at Kingdom's North Hollywood set, which also serves as a functional gym, to find out more about the series and what to expect in its season three, starting June 1.

FRANK GRILLO

Who He Plays: Alvey Kulina, a legendary ex-mixed martial arts fighter now battling to keep his Venice Beach gym operating.

His Last Real Fight: "I've been in a couple great bar fights! One was with my brother and three cousins at a bar next to a bowling alley in Santa Clarita. We were leaving, and one of the bouncers' girlfriends was talking to one of my cousins, so he got into my cousin's face. We fought, like, 15 bouncers for 20 minutes. It was fun — a knockdown, drag-out, classic barroom brawl!"

He's Not Just Playing a Tough Guy: "I grew up boxing. And I still box every day. I spar with amateurs and professionals. I've even had guys who are competing ask me to corner them, which is a great compliment, because it's not just about telling them how to fight. A great corner man motivates fighters, getting them to do it when they think they can't anymore."

The Cost of Being a Kulina: "I've been at this for a while now, and I'm a bit brutish. I've become that way at home with my wife, and I never used to be that way. People meet me and they might say, 'Frank Grillo is an asshole,' but I'm not. I just haven't shaken Alvey."

NICK JONAS

Who He Plays: Nate Kulina, Alvey's younger son, a quiet and intense MMA fighter struggling with his sexuality.

His Last Real Fight: "Growing up with my brothers, there were a lot of fights. As the youngest, I had to be tough. There was a broken collarbone at one point, when we were play-fighting in the basement. One of my brothers flipped me over, and the bone snapped. We realized we were at the point where we could hurt each other, so we'd better stop."

What Makes Nate Great to Play: "If he was in any other family, it might be easier for him to be okay with who he is. But this is a macho world, so there is discomfort with his sexuality. He's reserved — not because he doesn't have a lot to say, but because he has the most to say. He's the most sane person, but he has to deal with things on his own."

How Kingdom Changed His Life: "I'm playing a character who is willing to step into that cage and risk his life for maybe $1,000. That takes a certain kind of person, and when this came into my life, it was at a time when I also needed to fight and grow and push myself. So it took buckling down and telling myself, 'I have to figure out what's best for me,' which allowed me to relate to Nate's fighting mentality in a big way."

KIELE SANCHEZ

Who She Plays: Lisa Prince, Alvey's business partner and on and-off girlfriend, now pregnant with their baby.

Her Last Real Fight: "I had to fight a lot as a kid because my brother, two years younger, had a really big mouth. He'd be inside this circle of kids chanting, 'Fight! Fight!' and I'd step in. I beat up quite a few boys back in the day.'

She Doesn't Pull Punches: "I turned this part down a couple of times because I thought [the show] would [attract] too small an audience. Then I read the script and fell in love with Lisa, but didn't think I was the one to be Lisa. Byron explained that she was more refined than the other characters. She was the smartest person in the room, and that appealed to me."

Learning from Lisa: "My character [spoiler alert] went through something I went through personally. She was pregnant and loses the child. I was pregnant and lost my baby. It's been really hard.

I'd asked Byron to write my pregnancy into the show, and it had been my idea for Lisa to lose the baby. We never knew that would happen in my real life, so Byron gave me an out if I wanted it. I said it'd be weird to come back and play somebody happy with a baby. Having this show and these people around... it's important to have them help me go through this."

JOANNA GOING

Who She Plays: Christina Kulina, Alvey's ex-wife, Jay and Nate's mom and a former drug addict struggling with recovery.

Her Last Real Fight: "The closest I came was in third grade, when I was new to the school and a girl slapped me in the face. I didn't slap back — I was a good Catholic. Though when I got home, I told my mother and she said, 'Well, you should hit her back!' I thought, 'Mom, you're blowing my mind!"'

What Hooked Her on Playing an Addict: "This was a part that a lot of people would not have even considered me for. I've had a career playing a lot of dressed-up ladies, like [the First Lady] on House of Cards. I went into this audition looking like a woman who lives on the street. Byron saw Christina in me and I'm grateful, because not often in my life have I had a chance like this. It's given me new confidence in what I'm able to do."

Christina Hasn't Just Changed Her Life: "I've heard from a lot of addicts since Kingdom started airing. I did a radio show in the Seattle area and heard from a lot of drug users who felt we were portraying that world very accurately. They drew some kind of inspiration from it, and I thought, if I'm able to reach someone in that way, it's just icing on the cake I was already enjoying."

JONATHAN TUCKER

Who He Plays: Jay Kulina, Alvey's oldest son — an MMA fighter who tries to hide his sensitive nature beneath a party-boy persona.

His Last Real Fight: "I grew up in a wonderful neighborhood in Boston, but don't try to surprise me, because my hands will go right up. Nobody would provoke me, but I'd find myself in dramatic situations, sometimes of my own making. And sometimes not, like when somebody was getting robbed and came running around a corner in New York City where I happened to be."

Learning to Love Being Jay: "I thought MMA fighting was for that bloodthirsty, depraved gladiator type. Which is why I couldn't watch it. I've since done a 180-degree turn. I've come to appreciate not just the people involved, but the sport itself. If you'd told me two years ago, I'd spend a Saturday night watching fights just for fun, I'd have said you were out of your mind. But last night, that's exactly what I did."

Food for Thought (But No Actual Food): "We have to cut weight — just like our characters — to be realistic. So I'm reminded how all-encompassing the show is every time I feel a pang of hunger. And when I'm cutting weight, I get very irritable. That makes this a very authentic experience for me, and that has costs. Just ask my wife, who has had a very real challenge dealing with me."

MATT LAURIA

Who He Plays: Ryan Wheeler, an ex-con and former flame of Lisa's who has returned to MMA to put his life back together.

His Last Real Fight: "In my senior year of high school, my best friend and I punched and punched each other over a girl. She was my girlfriend, who had moved away but then came back to town. He told her, 'Matt doesn't love you. Get an apartment and live with me.' I went to his house, yelling at him to come outside. It started raining as we were hitting, and a neighbor finally broke it up."

Weighing in (Literally) on Ryan: "This show requires some — pardon the pun — heavy lifting. Whether you're mercy¬killing your dad or trying to resuscitate your mom who has OD'd, Kingdom demands a lot from us all. You can't show up unprepared. That also applies physically. You can't walk around in less than top shape."

He's Not the Man He Used to Be: "It sounds cheesy, but I truly became a man on this show. Being with the fighters who advise us here, seeing that sense of camaraderie and brotherhood they have, it opens up your heart. After working with these guys for a couple of years, even if I'm not that skilled a fighter, I've started feeling like I've got nothing to prove. Doing this has given me a confidence I never had before."

NATALIE MARTINEZ

Who She Plays: Alicia Mendez, a fighter with major talent and major attitude, whose career Lisa has decided to manage.

Her Last Real Fight: "Honestly? It was a month ago. I'm not going to give details because I got out clean! The best one I ever had — I also can't say where or when — let's just say, charges weren't filed. I don't like to fight. I just like my personal space, and someone comes into that at his or her own risk."

Fight like a Girl: "I love Alicia because she's a fighter but still feminine — vulnerable and emotional but also tough. It's great to play a woman who gets to act like and look like a real woman. I admire the guys who work on the show, and how they're meticulous about their diets and everything. But I'm fortunate Byron realizes being a female fighter isn't about being skinny. It's about being a strong woman."

Big Things from a Smaller) Show: "The paychecks and the viewership may not be the same as other shows I've been on, but I feel so free here. I have the freedom to create a character. And we're all in unison. There're times I do something a little off and they'll say, 'Just keep going.' My confidence has totally grown. This is the first time I've done something that leaves me feeling I am where I belong."

This article originally appeared in emmy magazine, Issue No. 5, 2016