‘The Faithful’ Team Introduces Stories of Pivotal Women in Biblical History (VIDEO)

A woman pulls a ruse on her younger sister and steals her husband on her wedding night? Sounds more like a plot from a modern soap than the Book of Genesis. But this is the heartbreaking yet powerful story of sisters Leah and Rachel, one of the three generational Bible tales shared in Fox’s poignant three-part drama The Faithful: The Women of the Bible beginning March 22.

Viewers will be transported back to the Old Testament’s beginning, following five pivotal women in Biblical history. Watch TV Insider’s exclusive video above for insight from the cast about their characters. Their journeys, warns exec producer Julie Weitz, are deeply emotional.

“Come with your Kleenex box, because it’s about marriage. It’s about raising children. It’s about loss. It’s about choosing one child over another. It’s about sisters who are dear to each other, who lost their mother when they were young, [and are now] separated because of the love of the same man,” tells Weitz.

The first installment of The Faithful on Sunday, March 22, tells the story of Sarah (played by Minnie Driver) and Hagar (breakout star Natacha Karam) and is one of surrogacy and the emotional feelings for women when one person bears a child for someone else.

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“This idea of Hagar, an Egyptian slave, who is befriended by Sarah and gives birth to Ishmael, and that Abraham [Jeffrey Donovan], as the father, becomes the father of Islam, I just never knew this,” explains executive producer Carol Mendelsohn. “I love the danger and the suspense, and I love the burgeoning friendship.”

The second installment (March 29) shares the story of Rebekah (Alexa Davalos) and is a parent’s worst nightmare — where a mother is forced to decide between her two sons.

The final two-hour story (April 5, Easter Sunday) is about the rival sisters — Rachel (Blu Hunt) and Leah (Millie Brady) — and Jacob (Tom Payne), the man they both fall in love with.

“We hope that people learn something, but we also hope that people are affected emotionally by the decisions these women had to make and that we filled in the blank spaces the right way … because at the end of the day, it is a family saga,” Weitz concludes.

Ultimately, it’s about each woman finding their place in the world along with their faith.

The journey is beyond fascinating and poignant; it’s beautiful.

The Faithful, Series Premiere, Sunday, March 22, 8/7c, Fox