René Echevarria on The Faithful and Seeing Genesis Through Women's Eyes

April 21, 2026
00:00 10:34
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René Echevarria, award-winning television writer and producer known for his work on Star Trek and CSI, spent years wanting to make something he could share with his church. The Faithful: Women of the Bible is that project, a series premiering on Fox that tells the stories of Sarah, Hagar, Rebecca, Leah, and Rachel through their own eyes, and what it looks like to experience the call of God not from Abraham's perspective, but from the woman who woke up and found him gone.

Bible storytelling, creative license, and a faith that came home through grief: René opens up about how the success of The Chosen and House of David cracked open the door for serious Scripture-based television on mainstream networks, how a Jewish rabbi and a Christian theologian kept the creative license honest, and what the ancient tradition of Midrash taught him about reading between the lines of Scripture. He also shares how losing his mother drew him back to church after years away, and why when his kids were born, he and his wife were baptized in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Malibu.

Highlights

  • How co-creator Carol Mendelson, head writer of the CSI franchise, shaped the women-first lens of the show
  • What Midrash is and why a Jewish rabbi told René he was doing something with a 1000-year tradition behind it
  • How The Chosen and House of David together created the Venn diagram moment that opened doors for faith content
  • Why streaming and long-form storytelling let Scripture breathe in a way that two-hour Bible epics never could
  • Losing his mother young, finding himself drawn back to church, and getting baptized in the Pacific Ocean off Malibu
  • Why he is hosting a private premiere for his church family the night before the show airs

Resources / Links / CTA

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Meet Your Host
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and culture for more than two decades. His stories have appeared in the Knoxville News Sentinel, Christianity Today, Toronto Star and Baptist Press.

Michael enjoys popcorn, college football, history, hiking, growing tomatoes, and watching his children play sports. He is a graduate of the University of Tennessee and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, husband to his amazing wife, Julie, and the father of four super kids.
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