Fox is betting on a different kind of biblical drama with The Faithful, a new event series that shifts the spotlight to women often pushed to the edge of scripture. Instead of centering famous patriarchs yet again, The Faithful Fox series digs into the lives, choices, and struggles of women whose stories helped shape major faith traditions.
Carol Mendelsohn said the idea hit her after she went back to the Bible and noticed how often women were left unnamed or underexplored. That gap led her to build a series that tells these stories through female eyes without pushing the men aside. It was a simple idea, but it opened up a much bigger emotional world.
She teamed with Julie Weitz and René Echevarria to shape the project. At first, Echevarria wondered if focusing on biblical women might feel too narrow. However, that concern faded once he saw how much room the approach actually created.
Why the The Faithful Fox series stands out
The first installment centers on Sarah, played by Minnie Driver, and keeps the audience close to her point of view. Rather than opening with God speaking to Abraham, the story begins with Sarah waking up and trying to make sense of what is happening around her. That choice sets the tone for the whole project.
Echevarria said they wanted viewers to experience events as Sarah did. So instead of treating scripture like a fixed lesson, the writers looked closely at what the text leaves unsaid. They used those quiet spaces to build a more intimate and human drama.
Sarah’s story carries much of the first episode. She follows Abraham into the unknown, waits years for a promised child, and eventually takes matters into her own hands by bringing Hagar into the picture. Later, at age 90, she finally gives birth to Isaac.
The women at the center of Fox’s biblical drama
The team ultimately chose five connected women to anchor the series: Sarah, Hagar, Rebekah, Leah, and Rachel. That family link became a major reason the story clicked. According to Echevarria, they wanted the show to feel grounded in one family line rather than scattered across unrelated Bible stories.
He also wanted the characters to feel like real people, not polished icons from a sermon. Mendelsohn pushed the writers to approach them as women trying to survive, love, and make difficult choices. That gives the series a more lived-in tone and keeps it from feeling stiff.
Casting gave The Faithful real star power
The cast brought instant weight to the project. Minnie Driver plays Sarah, Jeffrey Donovan takes on Abraham, and Natacha Karam plays Hagar. Mendelsohn said every actor they approached quickly signed on, which only deepened the sense that this project struck a nerve.
That feeling carried into production as well. Echevarria said cast and crew members often opened up about their own lives while filming. Some felt the material arrived at the right moment, especially during times of grief or family strain. For Fox, that may be the real draw of The Faithful. It tells an ancient story, but it leans hard into emotional mess, family tension, and the women who held everything together.
