The Bible (2013)

The series covers “Genesis to Revelation” in “one grand narrative,” structured as ten hour-long episodes broadcast in five pairs, with each episode containing two or three biblical stories told through live action and computer-generated imagery. According to Burnett, it included “obvious” stories such as Noah’s Ark, the Exodus, and the life of Jesus Christ. Five hours are taken from the Old Testament, five from the New. The series is based on the New International Version and the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible. 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”.