Ian McShane rules.

Perhaps best known as the shady but magisterial town boss Al Swearengen on HBO’s bygone “Deadwood,” this Golden Globe-winning actor is now expanding his domain with “Kings.”

On this NBC drama, which premieres Sunday at 8 p.m. EDT, he plays top dog in the mythical, modern land of Gilboa.

The show is inspired by the biblical Book of David and its story of David and Goliath. But while the story serves as an allegory for today’s political realities, McShane declines to reveal any politicians or countries on which “Kings” might be commenting.

“What do we say? ‘No names, no pack drill.’ We won’t talk about anyone in particular,” he says. “But it comes at an interesting time, I think — when we have a whole new-world order being put in place. This is what ‘Kings’ is about. … I think the show has come along at a good time, when people want to see some of those big themes back on television.”

McShane, of course, plays the king, whose rule, after 20 years, is under siege.

The 66-year-old Brit has played his share of heroes. But he acknowledged that, as a follow-up to his “Deadwood” scoundrel, it’s good to be bad again.

“The devil,” he says, “gets the best tunes.”

TV Kings Ian McShane