Third time was the charm of National Geographic Channel. The cable network debuted its latest scripted effort on Sunday night, its third adaptation in Bill O'Reilly's Killing book series, and earned its most-watched telecast to date.
The three-hour Killing Jesus averaged 3.7 million viewers. That's up 300,000 from the previous pics about Presidents Kennedy and Lincoln. Timing the launch to Easter week, and hoping to capitalize on the overall interest in religious fare, Killing Jesus also brought in a 1.0 rating among adults 25-54.
Killing Jesus will likely gross quite a few more viewers over the course of the week — on corporate sibling Fox News Channel. The home of O'Reilly, it will air the telepic on April 3 (Good Friday) and April 5 (Easter Sunday).
This collaboration was not without its share of controversy. The premiere and promotional ramp-up, coincided with recent shots at O'Reilly's credibility — including facts in his 2012 tome Killing Kennedy. Apparently this didn't put much of a damper on Jesus.
