THEand Women of the Bible it’s a series broadcast tonight and tomorrow on Canale 5 at 9.20pm. They are protagonists five central women of the Old Testament. Sarah and her servant Hagar; Sara’s great-granddaughter, Rebecca; and Rebecca’s nieces and nephews: the sisters Leah And Rachel. A fiction that therefore shows for the first time the events of the Bible from a female perspective, special event for Easter and Easter Monday 2026. Shot between Rome and Matera is made up of six episodes – Canale 5 broadcasts three per evening.
The Women of the Bible on Canale 5: plot of the Easter and Easter Monday episodes
The first episode opens with the story of Sarah (Minnie Driver) and Abraham (Jeffrey Donovan). Married for twenty-five years, the couple lives a peaceful and loving marriage but marked by the absence of childrenuntil one night Abraham is awakened by a voice who calls him by name. Following her outside, he discovers that it is God, who promises him future descendants.
Forced to leave Canaan due to a famine, Sarah and Abraham head to Egypt together with their flock, finding refuge along the Nile. A few days later, the Pharaoh (Amr Waked) approaches the river and the inhabitants bow as he passes by Sara, unlike everyone else, remains standing. Offended by that gesture, the King of Egypt has her brought to the palace and insists on taking her as his wife.
Minnie Driver in a scene from “The Women of the Bible”. (Fox)
In the meantime, the slave Hagar (Natacha Karam) is assigned to assist Sarah and between the two a relationship quickly arises bond of complicity and friendship. After having managed to escape Pharaoh, Sarah and Hagar are reunited with Abraham and they return to Canaan, where they attempt to rebuild their lives. However, the inability to have a child continues to weigh on Sarahwho ultimately makes a difficult decision: asks Hagar to conceive a child with Abraham.
Hagar thus becomes pregnant and Ishmael is born, but this triggers profound family conflictsbetween jealousy and a sense of exclusion. Sarah confronts her fears as God urges her to keep faith in the miracle yet to come. In the meantime, Hagar is removed from Sarah’s home and finds himself in the desert with his son. Here, at the end, she receives a divine announcement that promises a future for both of them.
A feminist fiction starring Minnie Driver
Directed by Danny Cannon and Catriona McKenzie, The Women of the Bible is a fiction that explores the stories of famous biblical matriarchs such as Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, Leah and Hagar. This is not a simple adaptation of the Holy Scriptures, but rather a layered narrative that portrays often marginal characters as living women, crossed by desires, conflicts and inner anxieties. Focusing on motherhood, faith and crucial choices, but above all on theirs role within a patriarchal society.
A drama capable of speaking to a wide audience and transversal. At the center of the epic is Sarah played by Minnie Driververy British actress famous in the late 90s for films like Sleepers And Will Hunting – Rebel genius (who gave her one Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress).
Alexa Davalos in a scene from “The Women of the Bible”. (FOX)
The plot previews of the second episode of Easter Monday
The protagonist of the second episode is the young Rebecca (Alexa Davalos), Abraham’s great-granddaughter grew up waiting for a sign that will give direction to his life. The time comes when meets Eliezer (Nathan Altai), Abraham’s servant, who proposes to her to marry Isaac (Tom Mison). Rebecca recognizes in that proposal the long-awaited answer and decides to reach the man.
The arrival, however, is anything but simple. Isaac, still deeply scarred by a difficult past, initially rejects her. As time passed, however, An authentic bond is born between the twobuilt on shared fragilities and mutual trust, until a revelation brings them closer together and Rebecca chooses to stay by his side.
Later, Rebecca discovers that she is pregnant with twins destined for a conflictual relationship: Esau (Ben Robson), impulsive and instinctive, and Jacob (Tom Payne), more introspective. The prophecy linked to their birth ends up dividing the family: Isaac defends the right of the firstborn, while Rebecca is convinced that the youngest is the chosen one to carry on the lineage. On his deathbed, Abraham reaffirms the divine willrekindling a tension destined to profoundly impact the future of the entire family.
