Sadly, the "Danish Scum!" Leitmotif Has Been Dropped

Though Alessandra Stanley is underwhelmed by the premiere of Stephen King's Kingdom Hospital tonight, I'll confess to a certain amount of eagerness based on twin enthusiams, in order of ardor, for the original Lars von Triers miniseries (never completed) and the novels of the National Book Award special medalist. Though I'm sure the adaptation will not include some of my favorite elements, like the wacky theme song or the overwhelming presence of Udo Kier.

POST-SCREENING UPDATE: I'm surprised at how much they left in, including the Greek chorus with Down's Syndrome, the sleep clinic, and (in a future episode) a direct swipe of one of the "Danish scum!" shots, though I'm also a bit wary of the apparent addition of vampires to the mix. Also, I discovered another literary connection in the opening credits; novelist Richard Dooling gets a producer credit for his work as a medical consultant to the series and scripting four of the episodes. (Frankly, I suspect he may have also written The Journals of Eleanor Druse, the tie-in novel.) The Stephen King fansite Lilja's Library interviewed Dooling last week, which offers some scanty info on his involvement.