TV networks seem to be like many of us – suddenly remembering religion twice a year.
Now the Easter rush begins. In a three-day surge, TV ranges from Easter lite (bunnies and bonnets and such) to the intensity of “The Ten Commandments” and “The Passion of the Christ.”
Here’s a round-up, from Good Friday through Easter, March 29-31. Some of the channels (ABC, History, Hallmark, Turner Classic Movies) are easy to find; others have scattered availability, via cable, digital, satellite and online.
This skips some of the regular church services, but includes the rest. All times are ET; many of the channels – TCM, UpTV, INSP and more – only send one signal, so an 8 p.m. show listed here is 5 p.m. PT.
THE LIGHT SIDE
— “Easter Parade” (1948) has Irving Berlins tunes sung by Judy Garland, Fred Astaire and more. The Movies channel has it at 3:25 p.m. Saturday, repeating at 3: 40 a.m. Sunday. Then Turner Classic Movies has it at 8 p.m. Sunday.
— “Hop” (2011) is a fun little film. The Easter Bunny’s teen son (voiced by Russell Brand) convinces a young slacker (James Marsden) to help. 7-9 p.m. Sunday, CW.
— “Wild Kratts” reruns its “In Search of the Easter Bunny” episode. That’s 8:30 a.m. Friday on many PBS stations, then 6 p.m. Friday and 6 p.m. Sunday on PBS Kids.
— “Easter Bloom” debuts at 8 p.m. Saturday on Hallmark, rerunning at 7 p.m. Sunday; desperate to save her family farm, a gardener enters a floral competition. Also, at 11 a.m. Sunday, Hallmark reruns “Easter Under Wraps,” with a young woman going undercover at her family’s chocolate factory.
MOVIE EPICS
— “The Ten Commandments” (1956) is a mega-movie with Charlton Heston as Moses. It airs from 7-11:44 p.m. Saturday on ABC Before that, a 2005 TV-miniseries version with Dougray Scott will be 1-5 p.m. Friday on UpTV.
— “Mary, Mother of Jesus, “a 1995 TV movie, is 5-7 p.m. Friday on UpTV.
— “King of Kings” (1961) airs twice Sunday – 9 a.m,, INSP and 10 p.m., TCM.
— “The Robe” (1953) also airs twice – 8 p.m. Saturday on Movies and 5:30 p.m. Sunday on TCM.”
— “The Passion of the Christ” (2004) is 8 p.m.Friday, UpTV.
— “The Greatest Story Ever Told” (1965) is 2 p.m. Sunday, TCM.
MINI-SERIES
— “The Chosen” is the seven-season look at Jesus and the people around him. Two episodes will be on BYU-TV Sunday, from 1-2:32 p.m. and 4-5 p.m.
— “Jesus of Nazareth” airs twice on Movies – Friday, 8 p.m. to 4 a.m., and Sunday, noon to 8 p.m. The latter will be followed by “Moses the Lawgiver,” Sunday, 8 p.m. to 3 a.m.
— “The Bible” iS on two networks — the History Channel, from 2 p.m. to midniight Saturday, then Story TV from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday, repeating from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m.
— “Jesus: His Life” is 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday on .the History Channel
DOCUMENTARIES
— Story Television has biographies Saturday – Mary of Nazareth at 8 a.m., Moses at 9, Mary Magdalene at 11 and Jesus from noon to 4. That eight-hour package also reruns from 4 p.m. to midnight and again from mdnight to 8 a.m. Sunday.
— From 8-9 a.m. Sunday, Story has “Mysteries of the Bible: The Execution of Jesus.”
MUSIC
— Dennis Quaid, better known as an actor, has his first gospel-concert special. That’s 7-8 p.m. Friday. UpTV; it reruns at 9 a.m. Sunday, followed at 10 by a look at Whitney Houston’s gospel music.
— “Godspell” (1973), adapting the stage musical, is noon Sunday on TCM.
— The Tabernacle Choir performs Handel’s “Messiah” from 2-4:30 p.m. Saturday on BYU-TV. It also has “Because He is Risen” twice Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to noon and 3:30-4 p.m.
— “Lamb of Gold: The Concert Film” (2021) is on BYU-TV from 5:30-7 p.m. Saturday
and 10-11:30 a.m. Sunday.
— Also on BYU-TV on Sunday – a Jenny Oaks Baker concert (6-7 a.m.and 6-7 p.m.) and a “Grace Notes” Easter special, 5 p.m.
— At 3 p.m. Sunday, BET reruns last year’s “Gospel Superfest Easter Special.”