‘Superstar,’ Moses fill the screen
Easter weekend is one of the few times of the year that you can count on religion-themed programming on mainstream television.
This weekend’s lineup includes a live musical, several epics, an investigation of the life and death of Jesus — and a Hollywood hit with “Easter” in its title.
Here are some of the highlights.
‘Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert’
Singers John Legend, Sara Bareilles and Alice Cooper will take the stage in NBC’s stripped-down production of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, airing at 7 p.m. Sunday. Legend plays Jesus, with Bareilles as Mary Magdalene and Cooper as Pontius Pilate.
‘The Greatest Story Ever Told’
Turner Classic Movies kicks off 24 hours of Bible stories at 7 p.m. Saturday with this 1965 epic, tracking the life of Jesus (Max von Sydow) from the Nativity through the resurrection. It’s followed by: “Barabbas” (1962) at 9:30 p.m.; “Quo Vadis” (1951), 1 a.m. Sunday; “The Silver Chalice” (1954), 4 a.m.; “Solomon and Sheba” (1959), 6:30 a.m.; “The Bible: In the Beginning ...” (1966); “Ben-Hur” (1959), noon; and “King of Kings” (1961), 4 p.m.
‘Killing Jesus’
Kelsey Grammer (Fraiser) and Stephen Moyer (True Blood) headline this 2015 adaptation of Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard’s bestselling nonfiction book, which examines the political and historical conflicts that led to Jesus’ execution by the Romans. The encore broadcast airs at 7 p.m. Saturday on National Geographic Channel.
‘The Ten Commandments’
Nominated for seven Oscars including best picture, this 3½-hour 1956 epic follows Moses (Charlton Heston) in his quest to free the Israelites from Egypt and lead them to Canaan. An Easter weekend tradition, it airs on ABC at 7 p.m. Saturday.
‘Heaven Is for Real’
This 2014 family drama centers on the 4-year-old son (Connor Corum) of a pastor (Greg Kinnear) who claims to have experienced heaven during emergency surgery. Adapted from Todd Burpo and Lynn Vincent’s 2010 bestseller, based on Burpo’s real-life story, it’s showing on Lifetime at 7 p.m. Sunday.
‘Easter Parade’
This 1948 musical stars Fred Astaire and Judy Garland, and includes a raft of Irving Berlin songs, including the title tune. It is showing on Turner Classic Movies at 7 p.m. Sunday. (It’s followed at 9 p.m. by the movie that introduced the song “Easter Parade,” the 1942 musical “Holiday Inn.”)