History Channel’s Bible Is a Big Hit. Does That Mean TV Will Get Religion?

TIME ^ | March 5, 2013 | By James Poniewozik

[SeekAndFind]

Up until now, the year’s big cable-ratings story has been the ever-growing success of zombie drama The Walking Dead on AMC. Sunday night, though, History channel had the highest-rated scripted drama on cable for the year, for the beginning of a story in which only one main character rises from the dead, and that not until nearly the end.

The first two hours of History’s Mark Burnett miniseries adaptation of The Bible scored 13.1 million viewers, more than any fiction cable show of the year–and, as the New York Times notes, dwarfing anything on NBC for the past month. (The biblical epic numbers did not quite match The Walking Dead in viewers aged 18 to 49, the demographic that determines advertising rates, but it did get a healthy 5.6 million.)

Those are the kinds of numbers that get TV executives’ attention, and “attention” in the TV business means copying. Last year, History pulled meganumbers with Hatfields and McCoys; now NBC is developing a Hatfields and McCoys series. So I wouldn’t be surprised to see more religious epics coming to TV–stories aimed, like The Bible miniseries, at the comfort zone of believers. (I haven’t watched the entire History miniseries, but the first two hours were sort of a Picture Bible come to life, with the Old Testament violence dialed up and the Old Testament sex dialed down, and the kind of stiff dialogue that avoids seeming to “disrespect” Biblical figures by making them sound like people rather than animatronic figures.)

[MasterGunner01]

Will TV get religion? NO.

[mware]

I had that concern prior to watching the first part of the series.

Then I looked into the information on the producers of the show.

They have been interviewed by EWTN no less.

This production was done by the actress that starred in Touched By An Angel, and her husband.

I read a short article in The Guidepost about it too.

This is the real deal. It was make to create an interest in reading the Bible. I think they did a pretty good job although those who are well versed in scripture may look at it as a glorified picture-Bible from their youth.

[MeganC]

“Haven’t watched the first episode, though, because frankly I find it hard to believe that the History Channel didn’t give it a PC spin. If I see any of that, I’ll stop watching immediately.”

Then I’m sure you won’t watch for long. The first thing I picked up (after tuning in late) was the black Jewish guy in Abraham’s family. Then there was the Asian martial arts expert who went all Jackie Chan on the residents of Sodom.

And then they managed not to mention why the men of Sodom were trying to get at the angels.

In short, it’s aprocryphal claptrap.

[xzins]

I watched it and thought it was well done. The criticisms I’ve heard have been about the violence, but actually there was no violence that isn’t in the bible text.

Was there a bit of Hollywood in the telling? Yep. There’s no avoiding it when Hollywood does a story.

But, this far surpassed the movie “The Bible” of about 1960’s fame, and I thought it was much better than Heston’s Moses.

In reality it was only two stories: Abraham and Moses.

I think we get Joshua, Samson, and David this week, but I’m not sure.

All in all, it was a fairly simple telling of the story. My biggest gripe was the ninja angels of the Sodom story, but even that can be either overlooked or can be explained away

“Numbers 22: 23 When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, she turned off the road into a field. Balaam beat her to get her back on the road.”

[txrefugee]

Well, to be 100% accurate, they could have had someone read straight from the Bible for two house, and no one would have watched.

Yes, there was some license taken. Yes, I missed the wonderful account of the life of Joseph. Yes, the viewer with no biblical knowledge would have been confused by the chronology. However, on the whole it was good, and we will watch every Sunday night until Easter.

[GBA]

I heard it was awful

It was sanitized for mass consumption so as not to offend.

Sign of the times. A harbinger, perhaps?

[txrefugee]

” for two hours” (sorry about the typo)

[Labyrinthos]

I heard it was awful.

That's my opinion. No depth, rather the superficial goal seems to be to crunch as many good Bible stories as possible into a 90 minute episode

[CatherineofAragon]

Well, there you go. I can’t say I’m surprised. I guess the OT patriarchs understood that diversity must be valued and sought after. /s

[wrcase]

Abraham received man servants from Pharaoh in Genesis 12. It would be very possible that there would be Africans in his group.

[zot]

Thanks for the ping and the link. We liked the first episode and will watch the next one this Sunday.

[Truth2012]

They want to rewrite the Bible. OF COURSE they are going to get it. It is part of the agenda to change America.

The show is full of the progressive’s movement to change Jesus. That is why is is popular.

[rjamesca]

Interesting . . . reading these posts.

Many “liked” it and many go as far as thinking it's a poor attempt that grossly misses the truth.

Both may be right and it's easy to pick it apart & be caught up in the critique. But overriding all of this, is that Gods word will not return void. Regardless of the films faults, my prayer is not to be critical, but that Gods Spirit will use it to work in the hearts of people.

It's really about Him . . . isn't it?

[MeganC]

“Abraham received man servants from Pharaoh in Genesis 12. It would be very possible that there would be Africans in his group.”

Africans, sure. African-Americans with a trendy fade-haircut? No.

[Anitius Severinus Boethius]

I think the biggest problem is that they showed Abraham and Moses speaking English. If they can’t show them speaking the ancient languages correctly, what’s the point at all?

To introduce people to the stories of the Bible?

Please. Everyone knows what is in the Bible, no one needs to be introduced to it.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks SeekAndFind.

[wardaddy]

There was no contact to speak of with sub tropical Negroes at that time

Hamitic Ethiopians...yes....sort of a bronze slightly built narrow nosed straighter haired peoples mentioned in the old covenant

But west African Negroes. No way....not for 1000s of years

And now Samson as a dreadlock Yoruba?

And the Chinese angel?

This is insulting diversity agit prop?

They do this with everything

Whites today have no spine and it ruins the story imagine Shaka Zulu with white fellow zulus?

Or whites mixed amongst pre Pueblos?

Or amongst the oldest Chinese. Dynasties?

Why not screw up their stories too?

Roma Downey?

Shame on you....with that name is she a knacker?

[Cowman]

And now Samson as a dreadlock Yoruba?

I kind of liked when Sampson killed the Philistines with Joe Biden's jawbone

[SunkenCiv]

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