What’s a great way to make a hit movie or miniseries? Base it on a bestselling book. It worked pretty well for Harry Potter and Katniss Everdeen and even Christian Grey.
But the Bible? Even with the might of Hollywood heavyweight Mark Burnett (Survivor, The Voice, Shark Tank) and his wife, actress Roma Downey (Touched By an Angel) behind it, it’s not an easy sell. A lot of folks thought that this entertainment power couple lost their marbles when they pitched a miniseries based on the Bible, Burnett admits. It took some astronomical numbers, courtesy The Bible miniseries on the History channel, to convert the doubters. So when Burnett and Downey announced they wanted to do another faith-based miniseries, the question wasn’t “really?” but “How much do you need?”
NBC’s A.D. is a sequel of sorts to Burnett and Downey’s Bible (even though, being mainly based on the book of Acts and all, it’s still technically part of the original story). The miniseries begins its 12-episode run on April 5 (Easter Sunday).
I had a chance to snag a sneak peak last week, when Burnett and Downey came to Focus on the Family in Colorado Springs for a visit. The first episode revisits the Good Friday/Easter story and delves a little more deeply into the socio-political climate of the day.
I don’t want to give much away, but here are a few little tidbits I gleaned from Burnett, Downey and the first episode.
The world was a violent place, and it shows. Jesus’ crucifixion is, Burnett admits, “hard to watch, but we’re not going to pull punches with that.” And it’s not like sensitive viewers can necessarily breathe easy afterwards, either—not with some martyrdoms in the original script.
Burnett doesn’t see this as niche programming. “It’s as broad as the nightly news,” he says. “It’s as broad as the NFL. It’s Christianity.” Most Americans, after all, identify as Christian, and that makes us a pretty huge demographic—even though Burnett suggests that we often seem like a fringe group, what with our bewildering array of denominations (and not an insignificant amount of infighting). And he believes it’s only right that a show based on the Bible should air on a broadcast network like NBC, designed to reach the broadest possible audience.
It doesn’t follow the Bible exactly. We get an in-depth look at some characters the Bible barely mentions. We’re treated to extra-biblical context and the occasional supposition. And sometimes, A.D. slightly tweaks a bit of the Scripture itself.
Downey and Burnett are aware that some Christians are going to have trouble with the liberties they take—even though they’re pretty minor when compared to Noah or Exodus: Gods and Kings. They’re prepared for the inevitable crit. But the two see the series as an entry point to the Bible—and a funnel to the local church. “It’s the job of the church to untie the fishing knots” presented by the miniseries.
Be ready for more A.D. next year. This miniseries takes viewers only through the first 10 chapters of Acts, which means almost two-thirds of the book have yet to be explored, to say nothing of the myriad of letters and the holy dreamscape of Revelations. And while there are no guarantees in the world of broadcast television, Burnett says that NBC has already expressed some interest in a second season.
I’d like that. Sure, as a Christian, the Easter story is incredibly important, and it makes sense that A.D. would revisit it again. But it’s also very, very familiar to most of us. It’s the stuff that comes after—the struggles of the early Church—where the narrative feels fresh and tense. How did a bunch of fishermen and one turncoat Pharisee help turn Christianity from a tiny loathed cult to a force to be reckoned with in the Roman Empire? That sounds like a pretty interesting tale. The Bible may be a bestseller, but not everyone who has the Good Book is that familiar with what’s actually inside. And that might make A.D. feel pretty fresh.
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