As expected, NBC has decided not to move forward with a second season of AD: The Bible Continues. The 12 episode mini-series wrapped on June 21st and has now been cancelled.
Produced by Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, AD: The Bible Continues tells the tale of the later chapters of biblical history (following the Crucifixion of Christ). It focuses on the disciples who had to go forward and spread the teachings of Jesus Christ to a world dominated by political unrest. The cast includes Juan Pablo Di Pace, Adam Levy, Richard Coyle, Vincent Regan, Greta Scacchi, Babou Ceesay, Chipo Chung, Emmett J. Scanlan, Jodhi May, Joanne Whalley, Ken Bones, Kevin Doyle, Helen Daniels, and Fraser Ayers.
The series debuted on April 5th to a respectable 2.33 rating in the 18-49 demographic with 9.68 million viewers. Unfortunately, the ratings saw severe drops in the weeks that followed. The finale hit a series low with a 0.7 demo and 3.56 million.
Though NBC doesn’t want a second season, the story isn’t over. Producers Mark Burnett and Roma Downey have said that their writers have been working on scripting season two for some time.
Now that NBC has cancelled the show, the producers see it as a tentpole for the launch of OTT. They have been working on the online channel since partnering with MGM to form United Artists Media Group last fall. The online channel is envisioned as a base for faith and religion-based content but won’t be launched until 2016 or 2017.
The castmembers of AD are being released from their contracts because the next incarnation won’t be filmed for awhile. As a result, there may be some recasting when production resumes.
What do you think? Should NBC have cancelled this show? Will you watch the next season online when it becomes available or prefer to watch on DVDs. Would you pay to watch this kind of programming?
I became more and more interested in this series, as time went on…
I’m not surprised the ratings fell so much. The show started out ok but then became very dreary, with rather terrible acting. The season should have ended with the destruction of the temple.
If I’m not mistaken, wasn’t the Temple finally destroyed by Titus years later?
My husband & I enjoyed watching this show every Sunday. What a shame NBC cancelled it. We are disappointed greatly.
Yes, I would pay to see series continuation. It was refreshing to see a program that has both a historical and biblical base that corresponds to Jewish and Christian teachings. There is so little “family programming ” anymore.
My family enjoyed the series and we made it a point to view it together always. We were very sadden by the news of its cancellation and would definitely want to see more seasons. The Bible in our opinion was the only worth while series to view. It was breath of fresh air to all the crap on the air now a days. Please find a way to continue this series.
I am disappointed that AD was cancelled. It was so refreshing to see a show that didn’t embrace vulgarity, cursing, & immorality.
I cannot believe this AD the bible continues has been cancelled. So disappointed, Sunday evening was a perfect spot. Great acting how can u ever go wrong “telling the greatest story ever told. Everyone I know watched and love it. Please reconsider…
Well it is always all about the money. I was surprised that NBC agreed to show it at all. We have reached a place in our society that unless a show is full of sex, murder, depravity, mindless reality episodes of dysfunctional people then it must not be worth watching. I loved the show and although parts of it were not historically correct, I was pleased that viewers had the opportunity to watch the lives of some of the greatest men and women every placed on the earth. The story of Jesus, our savior, and the early followers is the… Read more »
Wonderful show – a crime to cancel season 2. Most people I know that didn’t watch it wanted to but for whatever reason didn’t/couldn’t. You might want to re-air season 1 before deciding. Remember the Star Trek lesson.
– yes I would definitely watch the next season if/when it becomes available.
I would love to see a season 2 of AD continue. Please bring it back
I loved the show and am disappointed that NBC doesn’t want to continue. I was looking forward to “seeing” the next chapter of the apostles. I will watch it online and would love to know how to be notified when the website is operational. I am so tired of TV and movies morally corrupting our youth. I gave NBC lots of credit for showing AD in the first place, but I have to take it back as no matter what ratings the show got, they should have left at least one morally unobjectionable show for people to watch. I’m truly… Read more »
I am very disappointed that the show has been cancelled, in my opinion it was very educational and shows a reality that we are still living, what people do for power. I do not know if people who recorded the show was counted in the ratings because my husband and I decided to recorded since it was late in the evening but the worst was the amount of commercials I thing only half of the time was the show itself. I was dying to see the next series so I encourage the producers to continue and take it to another… Read more »
Crowdsourcing may be an option. I would prepay for a season of DVDs.
I’m so sad that NBC took off a wonderful. Series I watch it every Sunday , that was my time to enjoy . You took a beautiful show and rip our hearts out because they were not enough viewers , if anyone know if its going to another Channel I would like to know so I can change the the channel, the problem today is that these people that haven’t seen it want a stupid reality show as for me I prefer watch this wonderful heart warming story of the apostles..
loved the show , great dissapointmnet to see it wont continue