The Bible - created by reality TV producer Mark Burnett and his wife/actress Roma Downey - premiered March 3 on the History channel and took viewers from "the beginning" to the Ten Commandments, but the miniseries has already received much criticism.

The TV series is a 10-hour adaptation of the Bible and will run for five weeks on Sundays, ending on Easter Sunday. The first episode, "The Beginnings," aired on March 3 and highlighted the story of Noah, Abraham reaching the Promised Land and ended with Moses receiving the Ten Commandments from God.

Lisa Suhay, a guest blogger for The Christian Science Monitor, said that after watching the first installment and trailers for upcoming episodes, children should not watch the miniseries if they are not allowed to watch movies like "300" and the Twilight the series. The report also said that the adaptation does not add anything new and fresh from the stories of the Bible, instead it just highlights the traditional scenes that are already seen on television.

A review by The New York Times said The Bible was not believable to those watching. It said feelings behind created the miniseries "may be sincere" but that the end result "shows a lack of faith in the power of the biblical stories."

"The real Bible is a layered, often lyrical epic in which personal journeys are intertwined with collective ones, and human failings bump up against human strivings," the review read.

Burnett gave credit to his wife for suggesting over tea one morning four years ago that they make a television miniseries based on the Bible.

"Momentarily, I think he thought I'd lost my mind," Downey recalled. "He went out on his bicycle and he prayed on it and he came back and said, 'You know what, I think it's a good idea. I think we should do it together.' We shook hands and haven't looked back."

"It really is family programming," Burnett said. "It's for young. It's for old. And equally importantly it's for teenagers."

Burnett said his teenage children asked him not to "make the special effects lame." The producer added he hopes the effects for the series will be comparable to those seen in films like The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.

"I think people are hungry for hope," Downey said. "People are hungry for God, and this series presents the Bible in fresh, visual ways, but I think ultimately it will really connect in their hearts."