The complex ancient stories of Greek mythology—often rigid and inaccessible to modern readers—are meant to explain humanity’s diverse plight. In the new Netflix series “Kaos,” which centers on the fall of the Greek gods, creator Charlie Covell paints a portrait of immortals giving in to their base desires, insecurities and obsessions. While the eight-episode series illustrates the dangers of power and greed, it falters due to sprawling storylines and tiresome characters.

“Kaos” opens with Prometheus (Stephen Dillane) anxiously awaiting the downfall of the increasingly cruel Zeus (Jeff Goldblum). Tied to a rock and forced to have his liver pierced by an eagle each day, Prometheus reveals that he and Zeus were once close friends. Their friendship soured after he dared to take on the king of the gods. Now, as he hangs from a boulder, Prometheus explains that the ousting of Greece’s most infamous god will involve a prophecy and several unsuspecting humans.

Audiences first encounter Goldblum’s Zeus in the gardens of his palatial estate on Mount Olympus. Dressed in white shorts studded with lightning bolts, he gleefully watches the Olympia Day celebration in the city of Krete (broadcast live on his television) with his scheming sister/wife Hera (Janet McTeer) and his foolish son Dionysus (Nabhaan Rizwan). Zeus is initially pleased with the celebration, but that changes when the statue honoring the gods is unveiled, completely covered in feces. The stinging insult sends the god of sky and thunder into a downward spiral. The disrespect, and a new wrinkle on his brow, prompt Zeus to recall his own prophecy, which reads, “A line appears, order weans, the family falls, and chaos reigns.” It’s a fate Zeus desperately wants to avoid.

On Earth, three people are bound by Zeus’ prophecy. Eurydice, aka Riddy (Aurora Perrineau), struggles to find the courage to leave her rock star husband Orpheus (Killian Scott). Meanwhile, Ari (Leila Farzad), whose father is the president of Krete, begins to see deep cracks in his leadership and society’s worship of the gods. Finally, in the underworld—ruled by Zeus’ brother Hades (David Thewlis) and his wife Persephone (Rakie Ayola)—Caneus (Misia Butler), deceased for ten years, is forced to live among the living and the dead. But a chance encounter with a stranger changes the course of his afterlife.