Acts on screen

It’s the greatest story ever told, but the best thing about this story is that it never ends: Jesus died for you, He rose, and He lives in you through His spirit. That’s the framework of A.D.: The Bible Continues, a new series on NBC that’s produced by the same producers of the blockbuster hit miniseries The Bible.

While the History channel’s Bible was an ambitious, fast-paced project that squeezed the key stories between Genesis and Revelation into 10 hours of screen time, A.D. is a 12-week show that will zoom into the first 10 chapters of the book of Acts—a turbulent historical period in which Jewish zealots were desperately revolting against Roman oppression, the Romans were brutally suppressing any rebels, and Jewish religious leaders were still seething about the “blasphemy” of Jesus of Nazareth. Yet in the midst of this terror, confusion, and persecution, the message of the cross lives and spreads on through the faith, courage, and boldness of its early disciples.

Husband-and-wife executive producers Roma Downey and Mark Burnett, still glowing from the high ratings for The Bible, said A.D. is a continuation of their Great Commission as Christian filmmakers. “There’s nothing vague about it,” Downey told me. “We are dealing with this as a fact, because it truly happened: Jesus died, and He rose again. And because He rose, life changed forever for everybody.”

Whether you believe in Jesus or not, it’s still an incredible story, with all the dramatic tensions, clashes of big personalities, and political intrigue that make good TV. And if season one proves successful, we’re possibly looking at several more years of A.D.

The first episode begins with death. A Roman soldier hammers at a coal-hot nail in preparation for the crucifixion. We then see Jesus (Juan Pablo di Pace) standing before a riotous crowd as Caiaphas the high priest (Richard Coyle) demands, “Tell us: Are you or are you not the Messiah?” Jesus turns to him: “I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of God.” Outraged, Caiaphas rips at his clothes, screaming, “Blasphemy!” while Simon Peter (Adam Levy), swallowed up by a thundering crowd, quakes with fear and anguish before denying Jesus three times.

Watching the first episode left me hungry and excited for more: How did that Simon, a hotheaded Galilean fisherman of little faith and courage, blossom into the famous Apostle Peter who boldly proclaimed, “God has raised Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it,” to a multi-tongued crowd of Jews? How did the Pentecost take place, imbuing each follower with the Holy Spirit who pierces hearts and empowers tongues? How did the early church enjoy communion, rejoice in persecution, serve the needy, and testify the good news of Christ to the Gentiles? Bible-literate Christians already know these answers, but there’s something refreshing and gratifying about watching the dog-eared pages of the New Testament come to life on mainstream TV.

Before Downey and Burnett started the project, their children instructed them, “Please, please, do not make this show corny.” The producers listened. Burnett is a six-time Emmy Award–winning producer of widely popular reality shows Survivor and The Voice, and Downey is an Emmy-nominated actress. Together with co-producer Richard Bedser, they elevate A.D. to a pedigree of cinematic sophistication not found in typical Christian films.

Still, there are minor factors that don’t quite click. Some scenes are heavy-handed, certain dialogue feels too scripted, and though I understand the need for racial diversity in the cast, it’s still hard to believe that John (Babou Ceesay) was a black man, or Mary Magdalene (Chipo Chung) half-Chinese, or Jesus a handsome hipster look-alike with freshly shampooed wavy locks.

But from what I’ve seen so far, A.D. tries to stick close to the biblical narrative, and that’s the one thing that should never be sacrificed.