UPDATED: The premiere of Killing Jesus on Sunday night garnered the highest total viewership in National Geographic Channel history.

Killing Jesus beat out its predecessors in the series with 3.7 million total viewers, and made more than 1 million impressions online with its digital companion site. Fox News Channel, author Bill O’Reilly’s home network, will air encore presentations of the TV event on Good Friday, April 3, and Easter Sunday, April 5.

ORIGINAL:

National Geographic Channel’s first two Killing miniseries were ratings hits, with the more recent Killing Kennedy edging past the successful Killing Lincoln at a cool 3.5 million viewers and setting a ratings record for the network. Now Nat Geo wants to go even bigger with the latest, and most ambitious, adaptation in the franchise: Killing Jesus.

National Geographic Channel’s latest series in the Killing franchise is based on the book by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard published in 2013. It will debut (quite appropriately) on Palm Sunday, March 29, premiering globally in more than 170 countries.

The three-hour TV event is a coup for the network, because not only is it one of the greatest stories ever told, Nat Geo set out to make it the “biggest event of the year,” according to Andy Baker, SVP, group creative director at National Geographic Channel.

The campaign echoed that sentiment, drawing from dramatic key art, authentic storytelling and an interactive digital experience that introduced the multitude of personalities and powers taking part in the history of it all.

“You all know the story, but maybe you don’t know the entire story,” said Baker. “This tells you part of the story you didn’t know you didn’t know.”

The campaign began with that idea, focusing on authenticity and history at its core. And it doesn’t hurt that the cast is a star-studded list of Hollywood names. Kelsey Grammer stars as King Herod, True Blood’s Stephen Moyer as Pontius Pilate, Rufus Sewell as Caiaphas and Entourage’s Emmanuelle Chriqui as Herodia.

According to Hayes Tauber, SVP of consumer marketing at National Geographic Channel, Killing Jesus is “one of the biggest, if not the biggest, marketing campaigns we’ve ever had.”

Teasers for the event started running on air and online in February, kicking off a series of spots that hinted at the film’s magnificence without going into too much detail – and that’s how Nat Geo promoted it, as the blockbuster film that it appears to be.

Trailers and short spots, even the ones distributed via Instagram, were meant to show the scope of the production, making it “feel like a big Hollywood production because it is one,” said Baker.

And while the strength of Killing Jesus is that it portrays several perspectives within the same story, the network had to introduce everyone in these teasers without listing names or their roles in the birth and death of Jesus.

“We didn’t necessarily call each man out and say what he did,” said Baker, “but you understand the powers at play with Jesus there as the center of it all.”

And with all of those characters, one had to understand their perspectives.

To achieve this, Nat Geo created an extensive digital companion experience, released about three weeks before premiere, that takes viewers through the birth and death of Jesus through multiple points of view.


Nat Geo learned from its first two events in the Killing franchise that viewers flocked to sites like this to learn even more information about the story they’re about to see. The Killing Jesus interactive site, which has been in the works at National Geographic for almost eight months now, takes the viewer through the story depending on the perspective they choose.

The site starts off: “How his story unfolds has everything to do with who is telling the story.”

One can then choose between the Crown of Thorns, Priests’ Headdress or Crown of Laurels to hear about the story from the point of view of Jesus and his followers, the religious leaders of Judea or the powerful Roman leaders.

“The viewer gets a little bit of a Choose Your Own Adventure,” said Taber. “It’s definitely not the story you’ve read before.”


So, for example, one can experience the birth of Jesus from the perspective of Mary and Joseph (below) or hear the tale from The Magi or King Herod. Each of the three options tells vastly different accounts of the event.


Scenes like this one continue in multiple chapters, from The Birth and The Prophet to The Last Supper, Jesus on Trial and Crucifixion. Each takes on a similar, beautiful artistry as well, illuminating more of the picturesque scene as you scroll through the story.


The companion site also reflects the way the film presents the tale, because in the film, the story is told through all of those different points of view – the viewer doesn’t stay with one perspective for too long. This aspect was incredibly important for Nat Geo since there were “so many warring factions going on and so much deeper context,” said Tauber. “It is a story not just of this man but the various parties surrounding him.”

The key art focused on all of these surrounding parties as well, using one main image of Jesus with his hand on his heart at the center of the campaign, with a commissioned painting to accompany it that shows more of the powers at play.


Authenticity is a big keyword for the Nat Geo team, especially with poster art, because they wanted to represent the time period of the story while staying true to the icon that is Jesus.

The print ads and key art were all created to feel “gritty,” first and foremost, according to Baker. “We want the creative to feel like you could feel the dirt under the fingernails.”

That also meant that the images re-created for centuries in religious artwork wouldn’t quite fit, because Nat Geo also wanted to show him as human above all else.

“This image isn’t Jesus walking on water,” said Baker. “It’s a little bit more real, thoughtful. We want to bring something new to the viewer but stay true to authenticity of the story.”

“There’s a bit of a brand play there too,” said Tauber. “Nat Geo is known for our iconic imagery, so we always want to make sure we’re leading with those iconic visuals.”

“And it doesn’t get much more iconic than this,” added Baker.

For Nat Geo, that grit makes everything about Killing Jesus feel more honest, and authenticity is key here. That extends to the scenery, the characters, even the costumes throughout production and promotion.

To enhance that idea of authenticity and grandeur in an even more creative route, Nat Geo commissioned a painting from artist Sam Spratt to act as a secondary piece of art for Killing Jesus.


The artwork presents more of a focus on the characters surrounding Jesus during his downfall, pulling him different ways as he stares into the eyes of the observer.

Baker says that this extra piece was commissioned “as another way to speak to our audience and show a deeper, richer story.”

“We want those beautiful iconic images that are true to the story,” added Tauber. “That’s part of what Nat Geo does. We transport you on these amazing adventures that you wouldn’t have access to yourself.”

And, of course, true to form for Nat Geo, the network has been posting behind-the-scenes and historical facts on its social platforms all month long.


Killing Jesus premieres on National Geographic Channel on March 29.

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