From 'The Bible' to the Amish, Why Religion Is Hot on Cable

[okasha]

1. The quick, cheapie answer is that sex and violence sells.

A slightly more considered answer is that the Bible stories are in themselves such wonderful, archetypal narratives:

Sneaky younger brother cheats older brother out of his inheritance and runs off to mother's family. Later returns and approaches older brother with extreme caution. Older brother has somehow lost urge to strangle him and they settle down peacefully because they're family, after all.

Older brothers get fed up with favored younger brother who's an unbearable little brat. Brat learns through adversity, prospers and is later reconciled to brothers and reunited with doting father.

Young man in polygamous culture marries two sisters. Women seem to lack family feeling of above brothers and engage in hair-pulling rivalry. Younger wife rails at husband because she hasn't succeeded in getting pregnant. Husband somewhat heatedly responds that he's been doing everything he possibly can to help her out.

(Wicked) Stepmother induces husband to repudiate older child by another woman so that her son can inherit. Older child's mother perseveres through trials that would kill a lesser woman and goes on to found, with her son, a new dynasty and people.

As my students used to exclaim when I did the background lectures on Shakespeare's plays, "Ma'am, it's just like a novela! (soap opera).