A NEW television series called The Bible has been labelled a “new cult hit” after its premiere episode on July 16 attracted large ratings around Australia.
The first episode, titled Beginnings, attracted 880,000 viewers, while the second episode, Exodus, which followed immediately after, had an audience of 793,000.
The show’s ratings were stronger than several rival shows including MasterChef Australia and Winners & Losers.
The unexpected popularity of the show resulted in Channel Nine screening repeats of both episodes on Saturday night.
The 10-hour, five-part series proved a major hit in the USA and Canada when it aired in May. The $22 million project was produced by renowned reality show producer Mark Burnett and his wife Roma Downey.
Mr Burnett has produced shows such as Survivor and The Apprentice, while Ms Downey, who plays Mary in the series, is known for her role in the series Touched by an Angel.
Speaking earlier this year about the show, Ms Downey said the series’ reception in the US was beyond the production team’s hopes.
“We just wanted to breathe a little fresh visual life into the sacred text we both love,” she said.
“The Bible says we love God because He first loved us; the ratings show just how deeply people love God, and we pray the series makes clear just how deeply God loves us.”
The series was shot in Morocco over six months in 2012, and has now been seen by more than 100 million viewers worldwide.
It has also become the highest selling television DVD of the past five years.
Earlier this month, USA commercial television network NBC announced it had commissioned a sequel to the series to be produced.
The remaining episodes of The Bible series will be screened on Channel Nine on Tuesday nights.