Fox’s ‘The Faithful’ brings women of the Bible to life while staying true to Scripture, writer says

It’s not often that a TV series creator hopes his work will send viewers back to their Bibles – but that’s precisely the desire of the man behind an ambitious new Fox drama centered on the women of the Good Book.

The Faithful: Women of the Bible premieres on Fox Sunday, March 22, launching a three-part series that continues over the following two Sundays and culminates Easter Sunday, April 5, tracing the lives of Genesis’ matriarchs – beginning with Sarah and Hagar and moving through Rebekah, Leah and Rachel. The cast includes Oscar nominee Minnie Driver alongside Natacha Karam, Alexa Davalos, Millie Brady and Blu Hunt.

It was filmed in Rome and Matera, Italy.

Showrunner Rene Echevarria (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, The 4400), the series’ writer, describes it as a “biblically faithful” project that was written both for the believer and the skeptic.

“For me personally, it’s a bit of an evangelical project – to tell these stories to maybe people who haven’t heard, who aren’t that familiar with them,” Echevarria told The Lion and other media members recently during a virtual news conference.

“If this gets anybody to go over to their bookshelf and say, ‘Did that really happen in the Bible?’ – and pull off a dusty old Bible and crack it open and see for themselves, that would mean a lot to me.”

The series “unfolds through the interwoven stories of five storied women” whose lives are marked by “quests for independence” and a longing for something greater, according to a Fox news release. It follows Sarah’s desperate decision involving Hagar, Rebekah’s intervention in her sons’ futures and the rivalry between sisters Leah and Rachel. Through sacrifice and perseverance, the women leave “an enduring imprint on a story much bigger than their own,” the release says.

A Christian, Echevarria worked on the series alongside colleagues of other faiths – and some with no faith at all. Much like first-time readers of Scripture, several crew members found themselves surprised by the twists and turns in Genesis. “Wait, that’s in the Bible?” they would ask, Echevarria said with a laugh.

Similar to high-profile projects such as The Chosen and House of David, he said, Fox’s The Faithful blends biblical fidelity with creative license. The events recorded in Scripture remain intact, he and other filmmakers said, while the moments between the verses are developed.

“How do we bring them to life in a fresh way, for a new audience, while staying faithful to the text – because that’s important to a big part of our audience – who [to them] these aren’t new stories,” Echevarria said, describing his goal.

Executive producer Julie Weitz said the Bible was the show’s “roadmap,” adding that the series consulted theologians and Bible scholars to ensure it remained true to the text. She described it as a “passion project.”

“There’s a universality to what we’re doing here, and it will appeal to many, many people,” she said.

For Echevarria, the project also carried personal meaning.

“Being able to study God’s Word as part of my business for work – I feel so blessed,” he said.