NBC is aggressively pushing "Kingpin," its new drug-cartel drama getting a tryout during the key February ratings sweeps.

It's a centerpiece of the network's schedule, with two episodes airing weekly from Sunday, February 2, through Tuesday, February 18. The series has been heavily promoted. And NBC Entertainment President Jeff Zucker even deemed "Kingpin" to be Shakespearean in its depth.

"I don't think it'll be all that," David Mills, the series' executive producer, said with a modest laugh.

But he's unfazed by comparisons, Mills says -- including to HBO's "The Sopranos" and the Oscar-winning film "Traffic," which have already broken ground on "Kingpin" themes of drugs, families and the criminal ties that bind and destroy.