Fans of the commercials shown during the Super Bowl this year were not disappointed when cute animals and humor were used to call attention to their products and services. Among the other categories of ads was the intriguing NBC trailer for the upcoming series titled “ A.D. – The Bible Continues , ” which was seen by the 110 million estimated viewers of the game. This 12 week miniseries is to be a continuation of the story told in the History Channel’s The Bible, which aired in March of 2013.
The 2013 History Channel series was produced by the married pair Roma Downey and Mark Burnett, who will again bring audiences a continuation of the story told on the History Channel. The follow-up to The Bible was announced by NBC on December 17, 2013. The 2015 saga will begin with the events after the crucifixion and Jesus’ rising from the dead, and tell the story of the events that followed.
The NBC miniseries will provide for a wider exposure for the story in the New Testament. The success of the History Channel series highlighted the popularity of religious programming among American viewers and the interest in the story of Jesus in general. According Nielsen , the first episode of the History Channel series received very high ratings, and was watched by 13.1 million total viewers. The second and third episodes had a lower rating with 10.8 million and 10.9 viewers , respectively. As reported in the L.A. Times , this made the initial episode “the No. 1 entertainment telecast of the year on cable TV.”
The miniseries was also nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards, and the DVD of the series was the biggest selling TV series in the last five years. In its first week of release, it was reported to be the most popular miniseries of all time on Blu-ray, Digital HD, and DVD.
Mark Burnett believes that A.D. – The Bible Continues will be a huge success as well.
“This is a story that millions have died for and billions live for,” he said .
While most people familiar with the Bible know that the Holy Lands were under Roman occupation at the time, not as much thought is given to the simmering rebellion that contributed to circumstances that led to Jesus’ death. The miniseries will bring that aspect of history onto the stage as well to help viewers understand the surrounding events of the time.
A.D. – The Bible Continues will premiere on April 5, and continue for 12 weeks. It will coincide with the Easter season and contain the themes that are on the minds of many viewers. NBC’s miniseries promises to be an extremely popular one among many categories of viewers who have looked forward to a continuation of the story told in the History Channel presentation.