A couple of days ago, I read on the news that a husband-and-wife team, Mark Burnett (“The Voice,” “The Apprentice,” “Survivor”) and Roma Downey (“Touched By an Angel,” 1994-2003) was producing a 10-part miniseries called “The Bible” for the History Channel.

Their vision is very ambitious, spanning all the way from the book of Genesis through the New Testament into Revelations, culminating with the finale on Easter Sunday. Every Sunday, beginning on March 3rd, there will be a two-hour program on the History Channel starting at 8 pm. It will be rerun on Lifetime on Mondays and lots of supporting material are currently being sold on their website.

Since I was home for Spring Break, I decided to watch TV in front of a physical television screen. Novel, I know, but the TV I have been watching so far has been with headphones in front of my laptop, primarily in bed. Being able to lie down on a comfy couch wrapped in my zebra-print snuggie and watching surround-sound TV with my family feeling replete after an authentic Chinese meal was a real treat. That’s right, people. Be jealous.

Because there has been so much buzz about this show, and my family expressed interest in watching it, I decided to join them. Although this show is about the Bible, it does not overtly sermonize, but is directed more towards the general public. It takes a humanistic, dramatic approach with some of the most exciting stories, beginning with the recounting of story of The Creation, which took place on Noah’s ark during a stormy night, which was an interesting yet effective juxtaposition. The premiere of “The Bible” spanned from the book of Genesis to the spies infiltrating Jericho in the book of Joshua.

From a purely critical perspective, the show was well-produced, with tantalizing special effects and gorgeous sweeping views of the scenery. It was jam-packed with drama, quickly moving from one emotional scene to the next. The acting was well-done, really highlighting the most relatable aspects of the stories, making some of these larger-than-life characters human.

As said before, the show definitely does not preach directly to the audience. However, the style of portrayal and dialogue definitely highlighted a more conservative stance in terms of certain scenes.

For example, very little nudity is shown in the sex scenes and romantic displays of affection were minimal in terms of Sarah and Abraham’s relationship. Then again, it can be argued that none of that was needed since the story was more important and that this was for the History Channel, thus making it a more family-friendly affair. However, the artistic license would definitely be much more liberal if it was produced by different people for a different network.

For someone who is familiar with biblical text, the dialogue primarily featured the characters’ faith in God, and could been seen as Christian-focused. However, that really depends on the bias and background of the viewer, and really, this show could just be viewed for academic study and/or entertainment.

One caution for families with watching this show is that the fight scenes are quite brutal, with quite a bit of blood and violence shown. However, that really brings some of the events described in the Bible with otherwise little detail to life.

One subtlety I thought was really well done was when Sarah asked Abraham to sleep with her maidservant, Hagar in order to continue his line of descendants. After the deed was done, not much happened action-wise, but one could feel a shift in the relationship between Sarah and Abraham. A sort of coldness and distance settled in, even though Sarah asked him to do what he did. This singular scene was a pivotal moment in the timeline of their relationship, and showed a sort of loss of innocence and trust that was never really regained. This was very well done in terms of the acting and directorial choices of the show.

What was extremely moving was the pathos displayed by the actors depicting Abraham, Sarah and their son Isaac, especially with the suspense of the sacrificial scene of Isaac on Mount Moriah. Even though I knew what the outcome was, that scene really gripped me with fear, given the creative licensing that already took place.

The only criticism of quality is of some of the special effects and CGI. This is surely not expected to be Avatar-quality CGI, given its budget, but some parts were noticeably green-screened and/or computer generated. However, those are rather minute details and the other positive aspects of the show will keep the viewer busy.

All in all, I am glad I was able to watch this premiere. It was a high-quality show, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone, not just those interested in religion. The Bible is not often studied as a purely academic text prior to college, and although this show may have some religious undertones, it was designed to appeal to the general public, not just Christians. If anything, this show is accurate and can be educational yet entertaining.