LA SCREENINGS: Visitors to LA this week are witnessing increased interest in faith-based content among US networks and streamers. C21 catches up with Hana Smith at Ampere Analysis to hear about the growth of this sub-genre.

Faith-based programming is undergoing a resurrection of its own, and buyers at the LA Screenings this week will certainly see evidence of it in the screenings they attend and conversations they have with suppliers.

Ahead of its upfront in New York last week, for example, US broadcaster Fox ordered The Faithful, a six-part biblical event series from Carol Mendelsohn (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation). Based on the Book of Genesis in the bible’s Old Testament, the series is described as told through the eyes of the “courageous and passionate, yet flawed women whose descendants would shape three of the world’s great faiths: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.”

Dallas Jenkins’ independently financed hit drama The Chosen

The news follows the global success of The Chosen, the independently financed and produced drama about the life of Jesus that has led the way in demonstrating the commercial viability of faith-based content. With hundreds of millions of views across platforms and growing international distribution, the series was recently acquired by Amazon Prime Video, further expanding its reach.

It’s no coincidence that The Chosen’s creator, Dallas Jenkins, and his production banner, 5&2 Studios, recently inked a wide-ranging deal with Amazon MGM Studios for not just the first five seasons and the upcoming sixth and seventh but also unscripted series The Chosen in The Wild with Bear Grylls, plus a first look at other 5&2 Studios series and films. Announcing the pact in February, Vernon Sanders, head of television for Amazon MGM Studios, said the company sees “massive opportunities to develop additional faith-inspired content.”

It was Amazon MGM Studios that last year teamed up with Jenkins-backed US prodco The Wonder Project to produce a slate of faith-based series and films for Prime Video. The first project commissioned through the partnership was House of David, which follows the once-mighty King Saul as he falls victim to his own pride, debuted on the streamer in February.

Once confined to niche platforms and limited budgets, spiritually themed programming is now drawing serious attention from mainstream broadcasters and global streaming platforms. Its growing popularity is driven by a confluence of market demand, cultural shifts and a broader appetite for content that reflects values, purpose and emotional depth. This trend has been gathering pace over the last few years and, aside from Donald Trump’s tariffs and the many existential issues facing Hollywood – or perhaps because of them – this is one key talking point at this year’s LA Screenings.

Hana Smith

The trend is not just about drawing on biblical narratives to drive new drama. Another major milestone came with Martin Scorsese Presents: The Saints, a documentary series for Fox Nation that blends biography, history and spirituality through the lens of Catholic saints. Produced with the involvement of the Oscar-winning director himself, the series won acclaim for its cinematic style and reflective tone.

Furthermore, US cartoon creator Butch Hartman (The Fairly OddParents) recently unveiled his own animation studio to produce kids and family content along with faith-based programming. Among the first projects for Butch Hartman Studios (BHS) are the second season of The Garden Cartoon, a toon that teaches kids the gospel, and Little Harp, about a guardian angel school preparing recruits to help kids on Earth.

One reason for the growing interest in this genre is its unique audience profile. Faith-based viewers are typically underserved by mainstream content, yet they are highly engaged, loyal and motivated to support shows that reflect their beliefs. This makes faith-driven programming attractive from a business perspective, particularly in an era of subscription fatigue and increased competition for viewer attention. Moreover, spiritually themed series often lend themselves well to multi-generational co-viewing, giving them a broader appeal than might be expected.

UK-based research company Ampere Analysis this month released data about the rebirth of faith-based programming. As well as The Chosen, Ampere senior researcher Hana Smith cites the recent animated movie The King of Kings from Utah-based Angel Studios, telling the story of Jesus, as reflecting notable increases in both the commissioning and acquisition of such content.

“Several global streamers have exhibited a marked increase in the availability of such content on their platforms throughout 2024,” Smith says. “Netflix, Hulu and Max each grew their amount of faith-based content around four times more than their overall increase in title availability.

“Amazon, however, saw unprecedented growth in the number of faith-based titles available on their service in 2024 with a 204% increase compared to a 100% overall upward change in content. Religious content added to Amazon Prime Video in 2024 includes not just blockbuster hit The Chosen but modern family dramas such as The Baxters, made by Amazon MGM-owned Christian production company Lightworkers Media.”

The Ampere data shows that the volume of faith-based commissions increased steadily between 2021 and 2024. This growth was most pronounced in commissions from commercial free-to-air commissioners, which announced 29% more faith-based titles in the second half of 2024 than in the same half the previous year. However, perhaps understandably, most faith-based titles announced in the period were commissioned by public broadcasters (40%).

Between 2021 and 2024, says Smith, most faith-based commissions (68%) were documentaries or entertainment titles, reflecting the broader rise in true crime content. Notably, 17% of those faith-based commissions focused on Christian cults. Entertainment formats often include faith-based talkshows, like Amazon’s Big Talk or CBN’s long-running 700 Club, and live religious events such as Network Ten’s Mass for You at Home.

Over half of faith-based commissions sampled by Ampere hailed from western Europe (53%), where the focus was largely on unscripted titles (86%), while documentary and entertainment titles represented 42% and 41% of all faith-themed titles respectively.

“All these examples reflect a growing and sustained interest in religious and spiritual content within the TV industry. The popularity of true crime documentaries about religious cults and the success of faith-based talk shows and live events suggest that broadcasters are tapping into viewer curiosity about faith and spirituality while adapting to broader trends in the unscripted market,” says Smith.

Amazon MGM Studios partnered US prodco The Wonder Project on House of David

“Streaming services, likewise, have increased the amount of faith-based content they can offer subscribers to meet their spiritual interests. With a growing lean towards conservatism and Christian moralism especially in Western countries like the US, commissioners will continue to meet the demand for faith-based content with both original and acquisition-based strategy.”

Crucially, the best of this new wave of faith-based television is avoiding the pitfalls of past efforts. Instead of relying on didactic messaging or low production values, these shows invest in strong character development, nuanced storytelling and high-end visuals. They treat faith not as a marketing hook but as a rich source of narrative complexity and emotional resonance.

In doing so, they are attracting talent both in front of and behind the camera who see the genre not as a constraint but as a creative opportunity. Adding to top talent like Scorsese, Mendelsohn and Lightworkers co-founders Roma Downey and Mark Burnett, the faith genre attracted Kenneth Branagh, Uma Thurman, Mark Hamill, Pierce Brosnan, Forest Whitaker and Ben Kingsley to King of Kings, for example.

As content strategies evolve to reflect the changing tastes of global audiences, faith-based content is increasingly being recognised as a category with enduring appeal and untapped potential. From biblical epics to contemporary dramas with spiritual themes, the next generation of programming in this space is poised to achieve critical, cultural and commercial success. For commissioners, producers and platforms alike, this year’s LA Screenings could mark a pivotal moment in bringing those stories to light.