"The Bible" TV Series

Mark Burnett & Roma Downey & "The Bible" TV Series

Mark Burnett and Roma Downey have recently produced The Bible, a television series, based on the key biblical stories.  It was aired on The History Channel beginning March 3, 2013. Burnett considers the scripted 10-hour series to be the "most important" project he has undertaken. The project was conceived by Burnett and Downey after watching Cecil B. DeMille’s version of The Ten Commandments for the first time since childhood.  The series will cover everything "from Genesis to Revelation" within five two-hour parts, each containing two or three biblical stories.  Burnett has mentioned that "obvious" stories include Noah’s Ark, the Exodus, and the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus.  The series will be based on the New International Version and the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible.  Researchers and theologians were asked to verify accuracy. Shooting took place in Morocco and elsewhere.  A clip from the series was shown at last year’s Entrepreneurial Leaders Conference.
The Bible Series since its launch on March 3rd has been the leading show in its time slot, widely viewed in both the US and Canada.  Downey and Burnett said their "greatest hope" in making the series was that it would "affect a new generation of viewers and draw them back to the Bible."  "Part of what we hoped to accomplish with the series was to show the Bible is not simply a collection of unconnected stories which are often discussed and analyzed in snippets with chapter and verse numbers," the couple wrote in an op-ed in The Huffington Post. "Instead, we wanted to show how the Old Testament connects seamlessly to the New Testament. How they are one sweeping story with one grand, overriding message: God loves each one of us as if we were the only person in all the world to love."

Burnett and Downey consulted a wide range of pastors and academics.  Geoff Tunnicliffe, Secretary General, WEA, read each episode's script and visited the set in Morocco: he "wanted to be sure that the final edits would hold together as a singular thematic message throughout the entire series" and "was not disappointed."  Another consultant, Focus on the Family President Jim Daly, applauded the couple's courage for making the series: "Let's face it, it takes some moxie to lift up the Bible in the middle of Hollywood. In fact, when they first proposed the project they were told to try and tell the story without mentioning Jesus. They refused."