America Has a ‘Hunger’ for Bible Stories on TV, Says ‘The Faithful’ Showrunner
A filmmaker behind a new Fox series about the women of the Bible says America’s growing “hunger” for stories of faith is prompting studios to greenlight such projects – momentum made possible only by the breakout success of earlier hits like The Chosen.
The first episode, The Faithful: Women of the Bible, will premiere on Fox on March 22, with subsequent episodes airing on March 29 and Easter Sunday, April 5. The series follows the central women of Genesis, starting with Sarah and unfolding the accounts of women whose descendants would change world history.
Showrunner Rene Echevarria (The 4400, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), the series’ writer, said the Fox project likely would not have been considered a few years ago.
“The fact that it's even possible to have the conversation about doing a television show – a Bible television show – is only made possible because of the success of The Chosen,” Echevarria told Crosswalk Headlines and other media members during a recent virtual news conference. “And House of David has sort of proven that that wasn't just a one-off. It created the possibility – just something that just didn't exist five years ago.”
There is, he said, a “hunger” in the United States for movies and television series about faith.
“There's a big part of the country that feels that what's important to them isn't on mainstream media – and it's finally happening,” he said.
Hollywood experienced a similar faith-based surge two decades ago when Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ (2004) shattered box office records and sparked a wave of faith- and family-oriented projects. But that momentum fizzled as big-budget biblical epics such as Noah (2014) and Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014) underperformed domestically and struggled to win over traditional Christian audiences, many of whom were frustrated by what they saw as a lack of biblical fidelity.
“A couple projects that didn't go over – that the faith audience didn't embrace – kind of put a stop to that,” Echevarria said while not mentioning specific titles. “And it was The Chosen that kind of came around.”
The current surge is broader and more sustained, fueling the rise of production companies such as Kingdom Story Company, Wonder Project, Angel Studios, and 5&2 Studios – companies dedicated to faith-based storytelling and family entertainment grounded in biblical values.
Many industry observers have called it a faith-based renaissance.
The strength of television, he added, is that it can explore stories in ways a two-hour film simply cannot. A TV series has the space to “really dig in and spend time with these stories.”
He described the new Fox series as “biblically faithful.”
“I was very early on The Chosen train, because a friend of mine was on it, and so I'd heard about it. And I remember going to church and telling folks, ‘Hey there's this TV show, and it's on this website.’ People would always say – I remember the phrase – ‘Was it biblical?’ I said, ‘Yeah, actually, I think it really is.’ And that's always stayed with me, and that's something we've really tried to do.”
Related Article
Dallas Jenkins Unveils ‘The Chosen’ Season 6 Release Date, Says Season 7 Filming Is Near
Photo Credit: ©Fox
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Listen to Michael's Podcast! He is the host of Crosswalk Talk, a podcast where he talks with Christian movie stars, musicians, directors, and more. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment. You can find Crosswalk Talk on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an interview that will be sure to encourage your faith.
Originally published February 26, 2026.
