Minnie Driver headlines a three-part Fox event that retells episodes from Genesis through the eyes of five women, blending faithful adaptation with modern dramatic nuance
The Faithful: Women of the Bible reimagines Genesis through five women whose choices ripple through the book’s later stories. Built as both a holiday event and a character-driven family epic, the series is led by Minnie Driver as Sarah and was filmed on location in Italy (Rome and Matera), where rugged landscapes and local crafts inform a tactile, lived-in aesthetic.
A new angle on familiar scenes
Rather than retell Genesis line-by-line, the show expands moments the text only sketches. Brief biblical episodes become fully lived sequences that probe motive, doubt and consequence. The creative team treats the Bible as a dramatic source to be honored, not flattened: key scriptural beats remain, but psychological gaps are filled with plausible, human detail. That approach gives emotional texture to events usually summarized in a few verses—domestic arguments become power plays, private decisions become history-making choices.
Format and rollout
Fox will present the project as three 90-minute episodes beginning March 22, scheduled as a concentrated event timed for the religious season; in the U.S. the linear broadcasts will be followed by streaming availability on Hulu. International buyers can also opt for a six-episode version, a flexible distribution strategy designed to suit both broadcasters who want a self-contained event and streamers who prefer a serialized arc.
Why center women?
The series foregrounds Sarah, Hagar, Rebekah, Leah and Rachel to examine how intimate choices—marriage, motherhood, loyalty, rivalry—shape lineage and power. By shifting perspective from public acts to domestic life, the show highlights forms of agency often compressed or overlooked in traditional retellings. Writers and directors worked with historians and religious scholars to preserve authenticity while allowing characters room to breathe and reveal themselves.
Performance and tone
Performances favor interiority over spectacle. Close-ups, quiet exchanges and economical gestures create a tempo that rewards attention: small movements and the arrangement of a table can convey status, scarcity or affection. Minnie Driver anchors the ensemble as Sarah; Jeffrey Donovan plays Abraham; Natacha Karam is Hagar. Alexa Davalos portrays Rebekah, and Millie Brady and Blu Hunt play sisters Leah and Rachel. Supporting actors—Tom Payne, Tom Mison and Ben Robson—populate the wider social world, tying household tensions to political and spiritual stakes.
Production design and craft
Period detail matters here. Costumes, props and foodways were sourced locally with an eye toward a compact supply chain and artisanal techniques, giving the series a textured realism without veering into antiquarian excess. Lighting, sound and editing favor intimacy: scenes are often quiet, which lets moral dilemmas register more clearly.
Creative leadership and distribution
Carol Mendelsohn led development under a Fox broadcast agreement, with René Echevarria serving as showrunner. Produced by Fox Entertainment Studios and distributed by Fox Entertainment Global, the series is being marketed to reach faith-based viewers while also appealing to audiences who enjoy historical drama and character studies.
What to expect
The Faithful aims to be earnest rather than provocative: an emotionally resonant, faithful dramatization that enlarges the inner lives of its central women. Some viewers will be drawn by the cast and seasonal scheduling; others will tune in for the conversations it invites about representation, moral complexity and how ancient texts resonate today. Reviews, ratings and audience response will offer the clearest picture of whether the series succeeds at balancing reverence with reinvention. This report will follow the rollout and coverage as more information becomes available.