The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible As Literally As Possible

by A.J. Jacobs

Julie ordered me Charlton Heston’s The Ten Commandments on Netflix. Man, I hadn’t remembered it being quite so gloriously cheesy as it is.

A few years ago, CBS made a sitcom inspired by “The Year of Living Biblically.” It was called “Living Biblically” and it lasted thirteen episodes. In the biblical spirit, I can say I’m grateful for the amazing experience. It was a blast to go and meet the cast and crew and nosh on craft services all day. I should also say that the writers and actors were immensely talented and funny. That said, I did not like the show itself. I tried to make the book as nuanced as possible, showing the benefits and perils of religion and interpreting the Bible. On a 22-minute sitcom, there is little room for nuance. The show didn’t grapple with the deeper and thornier issues. Just one example of how they Disney-fied it: CBS would not allow the actor who played me to grow a beard! They were worried it would alarm viewers. So he was clean-shaven the whole series. The actor, by the way, was Jay Ferguson – who did have a beard when he played Peggy’s boyfriend on Mad Men.