Finally, everyone seems to get it: original ideas are gold to those who know exactly how to use them.
From websites, newspapers, magazines, movies, and television especially, original content is becoming the bread and butter – the gold plated mandate – for nearly every station. HBO and Showtime provided the road map, then AMC took the model and ran with it (in a big “Mad Men” and “Breaking Bad” way). The Science Channel has its own scripted series, and now The History Channel has “The Bible” and “Vikings.” Yes, the History Channel.
“Vikings,” from “Tudors” creator Michael Hirst is a promising mix of sex, swords, and conquests, the type of drama HBO has been pushing with its popular “Game of Thrones” series. “The Bible,” however, is the History Channel’s most ambitious work because it purports to tell the entire Bible in 10 episodes. That is, the parts that are narratively driven. Production values are really good, but you have to wonder what one of the premium channels might have done with the material. The Bible is extremely explicit, and already it’s clear that they’re trying to satisfy advertisers or families by keeping things relatively safe (plenty of Christian dating spots popped up during commercial break). Thankfully, there was some nice scenes of violence, and a really cool retelling of the story of Moses. Whatever your religious inclination, this is really good stuff and you should check it out.
Obviously, there are a few key stories that are must-see, such as Samson and Delilah, the prophet Elijah, the Jesus story, and of course, the Book of Revelations. That the producers decided to cast a Black man in the role of Samson makes the series that much more interesting and important. Expect Internet buzz on this one.
Years ago, a series like this would have been punctuated with scholarly insight and a few reenactments. Heck, the History Channel’s still famous for this kind of content. But take a look around, series are being developed for just about every platform you can think of, from mobile phones to your tablet.
Original content puts you out on the fringes, in that no man’s land that may or may not gel with folks, at least not initially. Any good TV show is usually a slow-burn waiting to happen.
Let’s see if the History Channel is really up to the task.
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