UpTV

Stories

Here’s TV’s Easter surge, March 29-31

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. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 22, 2024
News and Quick Comments

Religion begins its Easter TV surge

For some viewers, a seasonal search is beginning:
Surely, the vast TV landscape must have some Easter-type shows.
It does, but only a few are in familiar places. ABC has its annual “Ten Commandments”(shown here) on Saturday (April 1) … A week later, History reruns its “The Bible” mini-series, re-rerunning the last two chapters shortly before Easter sunrise services … And on April 8 and 9, BET has a big-deal gospel concert.
Beyond that, however, viewers may have to discover less-familiar spots. There’s UpTV (on cable or streaming), plus some digital-only channels. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / April 3, 2023
News and Quick Comments

TV helps fill any empty Easters

For the second straight year, television has a bigger Easter role.
Some churches remain closed by COVID; others downsize their events. TV, however, booms ahead. It has old movies — “Ben-Hur” (shown here) and “Ten Commandments” and such — and new ones, including “Mahalia,” on Easter eve. It has music and mini-seres and more.
Here’s a round-up of events between Palm Sunday (March 28) and Easter Sunday (April 4). Not included here are the kids’ shows, with bunnies and eggs and such. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / March 26, 2021
Stories

Easter TV: “Superstar,” gospel, epics and more

Our TV sets have a new function this weekend: They can be portals to a virtual Easter.
Other years have had plenty of Easter shows, but they didn’t seem as necessary. People went to church and to family gatherings and more.
This year, however, many churches are closed, sending their services online. TV has a bigger role.
The broadcast networks do a little. ABC has already had its annual “Ten Commandments”; NBC came up with a late addition: At 7 p.m. Sunday, it will rerun its “Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert,” an ambitious production with John Legend, Sara Bareilles, Alice Cooper and lots of Broadway stars. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / April 6, 2020