Viewers flock to Brazil's first biblical soap opera

Despite mixed reviews and some sharp criticism from the Christian community, Americans have flocked to Bible-inspired movies and TV series like Noah, Exodus: Gods and Kings, The Bible, and A.D.

Brazil is experiencing a similar phenomenon with its first Bible-based soap opera, Os Dez Mandamentos (The Ten Commandments). The show has enjoyed great success since its March premiere, earning three times the normal number of prime-time viewers for Record TV network. The telenovela has made Record—owned by the founder of Pentecostal Christian Universal Church of the Kingdom of God—the second most popular network in Brazil.

The most popular show in Brazil, Babilônia, premiered at the same time as Os Dez Mandamentos. It follows two arch-enemies living the high-life in Rio de Janeiro and their malicious pursuit of power and wealth through murder and seduction.

Brazil has a rapidly growing evangelical community that now makes up more than one-fifth of the total population. Meanwhile, the Catholic population has declined from 92 percent in 1970 to 65 percent in the most recent census.

Evangelicals often confront issues of same-sex marriage and abortion, both of which are legal in Brazil. Many criticize Babilônia for its unwholesome content, including murder and homosexuality. But some of them don’t like Os Dez Mandamentos either. Cleuza Cardoso from São Paulo says she doesn’t watch it because she thinks it goes outside the biblical narrative.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.