A.D. The Bible Continues

After the rousing success that was "The Bible", NBC brought the format back with "A.D.: The Bible Continues". While the ratings weren't near the original, in terms of quality the series was very well-done and just as entertaining as its predecessor.

The main plots of "A.D." revolve around three main topics:

1. The disciples of Jesus, led by Peter (Adam Levy), who are given the creed to preach His word. The problem, of course, is that Jerusalem is under strong Roman control, leading to unending conflict.

2. Pontius Pilate (Vincent Regan), Roman official stationed in Jerusalem, trying to deal with the "Jesus followers", while being advised by wife Claudia (Joanne Whalley).

3. Caiaphus (Richard Coyle), leader of the Jewish temple, and wife Leah (Jodhi May), who are caught in the middle of the Roman/Christian conflict.

The strength of this miniseries is that it shows a very intriguing "what could have been" scenario about the start of the spread of Christianity by the Disciples. You relaly get a look at how they were likely thinking/feeling in relation to their relationship with Jesus and his teachings. Too often, individuals from the Bible are looked upon as "larger than life" or somehow separated from the "average man". However, that was not the cause whatsoever. These are real people trying to comprehend the plan for God's kingdom, so obviously that is going to cause some mistakes to be made and many conflicts to arise. "A.D." doesn't shy away from any of that.

The acting and overall production value is also quite strong. This is a far cry from some cheesy re-enactment one might find on a religious network. "A.D." is a bona fide dramatic series. It just happens to be telling a story from the Bible instead of a story that someone penned in a script.

Simply put, I enjoyed "A.D." nearly as much as I did "The Bible" (the sheer breadth of the latter probably sneaks it ahead of the former by just a bit). I mainly appreciated how it didn't "preach" to the audience and chose rather to give a more individualized perspective of events: how the Disciples (and those around them) chose to react to the Resurrection and Jesus' creed to preach his word. Scholars of the Bible would likely enjoy this series, but I think its biggest fan-base would come from those who a bit more "layman" in terms of Biblical knowledge, for this one shows not just the faith of early Christians, but also the "nuts and bolts" of how that faith changed the world.

When I watched the first Bible miniseries, I was young enough that my parents had to screen the show first to see which episodes were graphic. (I was able to watch until the Crucifixion). I loved the series. I didn't know they had come out with A.D. until recently when my friends told me about it. I remembered that NBC's website has episodes of many TV shows that you can watch for free so today I had an A.D. marathon. Wow. I only made it through two episodes before I had to stop watching but I will definitely be watching more tomorrow. I'm not very picky when it comes to details in historical dramas such as Titanic, The Imitation Game, or this. I understand they have to spice it up a little to make it 'Hollywood worthy'. The only thing that bothers me is I think they changed some of the cast. This series really opened my eyes though. It makes you stop and think about the apostles. Sometimes I feel like when people read the Bible they assume the apostles knew what they were doing and that they foresaw things happening. This shows you that they were actual people who were terrified. They didn't know how things were going to end. Summery: I love this series! You should definitely go check it out!

I really enjoyed this series as it is an intense, plot driven epic that has the viewer on edge and in anticipation for more. As a historical epic, it is great, but don't consider this to be a movie about the Book of Acts.

To keep a dramatic flair to the series, the producers have taken great liberties with regards to history. A lot of the stories are merged or expanded with extra details for the viewer's benefit and not based upon the actual biblical texts.

The portrayal of Pontius Pilate as a brutal tyrant was perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the series. Pilate's life, and his decision to have Christ executed, is a very deep subject and the series sadly did not address this well, simply portraying Pilate as a vicious killer who enjoyed spilling Jewish blood.

Overall, a great series, just don't hold it to Gospel (no pun intended) as a historical work about the early Church.

A great story, good production, and some really good actors, BUT, cancelled only after one season....so sad. NBC saying it didn't have the ratings is a bit premature.

I just finished this series in two nights, and wanted more. I'm sad to have read that there weren't any more put out after this one. This made me want to watch the Bible series, which I did, and it's not as good. I had to skip a few episodes. The A.D. series is much better in every aspect. When I watched this series, I felt like I was there with the apostles. Keep in mind, I'm a newly converted Christian. It's like I didn't want this to end and watching it made me feel closer to the Lord.