TV REVIEW

THE FAITHFUL: WOMEN OF THE BIBLE: Episode 1.1: “The Woman Who Bowed to No One”

Name: THE FAITHFUL: WOMEN OF THE BIBLE: Episode 1.1: “The Woman Who Bowed to No One”
Item: THE FAITHFUL: WOMEN OF THE BIBLE: Episode 1.1: “The Woman Who Bowed to No One”
Author: Filemaker Upload

Sarah's story of faith and pain, told with care — mind the mature moments.

2026(Not yet rated)80 minutesFOX Entertainment Global

THE VERDICT What our ratings mean →

Worth watching — older children and teens.

ENTERTAINMENT QUALITY ★★★★ 4 / 4 Beautifully made, faithful, and moving.

FAMILY CONTENT Caution −1 on the +4 to −4 scale Caution advised for older children, young teens, and sensitive adults.

CONTENT LEVELS NONE → HEAVY

Language None

Violence Light

Sex Light

Nudity Light

BEST FOR Families with older children, teens, and adults who want a serious, prayerful look at Sarah's life.

NOT FOR Younger children, given the mature themes of infertility, a surrogate arrangement, and mentions of idols.

CONTENT IN ONE LINE Honest but sensitive material — false idols, a wife's plan for her husband to father a child with her servant, and some secrecy and lying — set inside a strong Christian, pro-family worldview.

Should You See It?

This is the rare biblical adaptation that earns its four stars. The first episode of THE FAITHFUL: WOMEN OF THE BIBLE stays close to Genesis while giving Sarah's story real emotional weight — her faith, her doubts, her complicated bond with her servant Hagar, and the long wait for God's promise. Prayer, angels, and obedience to God are treated with reverence, not decoration.

The caution is real too. The episode deals openly with infertility, the arrangement between Abraham and Hagar, mentions of false idols, and some deception between characters. None of it is graphic, but it's mature enough that younger children should sit this one out.

For older children, teens, and adults ready for a thoughtful conversation about faith under pressure, this is well worth your time. Watch it as a family, with the youngest members elsewhere.

The Story

NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISES

Sarah refuses a wealthy suitor in Haran to follow her heart — and Abraham — into an uncertain future. Famine sends them to Egypt, where a dangerous lie to protect themselves pulls Sarah into Pharaoh's palace. She emerges with a new servant, Hagar, and a bond between the two women that will shape everything ahead. Meanwhile, God has made Abraham and Sarah a promise that seems impossible: a great nation, born of two people running out of time.

Is It Any Good?

Four stars means this is excellent work, and the source material bears that out. The production values and period-accurate costumes give the story real authenticity, and Minnie Driver and Jeffrey Donovan bring Sarah and Abraham to life believably rather than as stiff Sunday-school figures. The script stays largely faithful to Scripture while adding dramatic touches — particularly around Hagar's perspective — that make the story feel personal instead of remote. It's a rare biblical adaptation that respects both the text and the audience's intelligence.

The Worldview

This episode gets the most important things right. It centers on prayer, on hearing and obeying God's voice, and on a marriage whose dedication endures decades of hardship. Sarah's faith — flawed, doubting, but real — is treated as the heart of the story, and family is honored as one of Genesis's central themes. That's a rare and welcome thing on network television.

The caution comes from the same honesty. The episode doesn't sanitize the ancient world Sarah lived in: false idols and goddesses are mentioned, a woman is accused of witchcraft, and Sarah's own plan for Abraham to father a child with her servant Hagar is shown plainly, consequences and all. Secrets and lies among the characters are part of the story too. None of this is glorified — Scripture itself doesn't glorify it — but it means the episode isn't for the youngest viewers.

What lingers longest is the ache of a promise delayed. Sarah waits decades for a child God said would come, and her story becomes a study in what faith costs when God's timing outpaces ours. Scripture answers that ache directly: "By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised" (Hebrews 11:11).

The Content Guide

The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.

Content Summary ▲

(CCC, BBB, FR, V, S, N, A, M):

Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements ▼

Very strong Christian, biblical, pro-family worldview highlights the story of Sarah from the Book of Genesis, in which characters pray, encounter angels, hear the voice of God, and show obedience to Him, plus the episode celebrates family and features a loving couple whose dedication endures decades, but there are mentions of false idols and goddesses, a woman is accused of being a witch and an old man has a child with his wife’s servant at his old wife’s suggestion because the wife has been childless al her life;

Foul Language ▼

Violence ▼

Sex ▼

Nudity ▼

Alcohol Use ▼

Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse ▼

Miscellaneous Immorality ▼

Talk About It

Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.

Sarah waited decades for God's promise to come true. What does her story teach us about trusting God's timing when our own runs out?

Hebrews 11:11 · Psalm 27:14

Sarah's decision to give Hagar to Abraham led to lasting pain for both women. Have you ever tried to "help God along" instead of waiting on Him — and what happened?

Proverbs 3:5-6

Hagar and Ishmael are sent away, but God doesn't abandon them either. What does that show us about God's care for people outside the main promise?

Galatians 4:21-31

The episode shows Sarah and Abraham both lying at different points to protect themselves. When has fear tempted your own family toward a shortcut instead of the truth?

Proverbs 12:22

The Final Word

Sarah's story — her faith, her doubt, her long wait, and her courage — comes through with real care here, and the craft behind it earns every one of its four stars. It also touches honestly on mature ground, from idols to a surrogate arrangement, which is why this one is best for older children and up. Same answer as we opened with: worth watching — older children and teens.

THE VERDICT Worth watching — older children and teens.

F Filemaker Upload for the Movieguide® team · March 20, 2026

Planning family movie night instead? Start with this week’s family-friendly picks →

HOW THIS REVIEW WORKS The verdict in 10 seconds. The reasons in 2 minutes. The full depth in 8. One answer, stated at the top and again at the end — and we never spoil the story. The Content Guide is the same detailed listing Movieguide® has always published.