Prime Video has acquired the drama series The Baxters. Based on the book series by Karen Kingsbury, the series stars Roma Downey and Ted McGinley. It is slated to premiere this spring. 

The Baxters is a family drama that follows Elizabeth (played by Downey) and John (McGinley) Baxter and their five adult children. Season one centers on Elizabeth and John’s daughter Kari, who learns the shocking truth that her professor husband, Tim, has been having an affair with one of his students. Kari must seek comfort in her faith and family to discover if love is truly a choice and if her marriage can be redeemed. 

“In this deeply moving faith-based journey, The Baxters must come together as a family to work through the challenges of life,” Prime Video said.  

Downey played Monica on CBS drama Touched By an Angel. McGinley’s credits include Married…With Children and Hope & Faith. 

Also in the Baxters cast are Ali Cobrin, Masey McLain, Josh Plasse and Cassidy Gifford. 

“With over 25 million fans of the Baxter series books we know audiences are going to love this family  drama brought to life, and I am personally so excited to bring more inspirational content to Prime Video,” said Downey.  

Books in the Baxter series include The Baxters, Best Family Ever, Someone Like You and Finding Home. Many of Kingsbury's books touch on faith. 

The Baxters is produced by LightWorkers Media, Will Packer Media and Haven Entertainment. Jessie Rosen is showrunner and executive producer. Joining Downey and Rosen as executive producers are Will Packer, Kevin Mann, Brendan Bragg and Jaime Primak Sullivan. 

 Netflix has greenlit a religion-themed drama series Messiah executive produced by Mark Burnett and Roma Downey.

The series will chronicle the modern world’s reaction to a man who first appears in the Middle East creating a groundswell of followers around him claiming he is the Messiah. Burnett and Downey (The Bible Series) will executive produce the series, which was created by Michael Petroni (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader).

“Messiah promises to be a fascinating series for viewers of every faith, and a thrilling drama filled with multi-layered characters set on a global stage,” said Cindy Holland, Vice President, Original Content for Netflix in a statement.

Downey and Burnett added: "Messiah is a series that will have the audience asking big questions. What if someone showed up in 2018 amid strange occurrences and was thought to be the Messiah?  What would society do? How would the media cover him? Would millions simply quit work? Could governments collapse? t’s a series that could change everything."