Ray Winstone and Simone Kessell as seen in “Of Kings and Prophets”

Divine drama: One of the world's oldest stories is coming to the small screen. There have been some setbacks since its inception, but ABC has finally announced a premiere date for its drama based on the story of King Saul of Old Testament fame: "Of Kings and Prophets" premieres Tuesday, March 8, on the alphabet network.

The biblical drama stars Ray Winstone ("The Departed," 2006) as Saul, first king of the united Kingdom of Israel, around 1,000 B.C. When Saul defies an order from God relayed to him by the prophet Samuel (Mohammad Bakri, "Tyrant"), he finds that all his power and might may not be enough to keep him on the throne. Olly Rix ("The Musketeers") also stars, playing David, a lowly shepherd who becomes a serious threat to Saul's kingship.

If the series sticks with the biblical telling of the tale (and why wouldn't they when there's so much drama to be found there?), and if it lasts long enough to get to the meat of the story, viewers will be treated to lots of political intrigue, bloody battles and steamy romances.

I question the show's staying power not because I doubt its quality, but because Tuesday nights have been problematic for the network for a while now. Six shows have premiered and been canceled in short order in the past three years alone, the newest casualty of the cursed time-slot being freshman serial killer drama "Wicked City."

Originally slated to premiere in the fall of 2015, "Of Kings and Prophets" has undergone extensive revamping on its journey to prime time. It seems that ABC has put a lot of eggs in this basket, and network execs are taking no chances. The setbacks have been largely due to the decision to rewrite, recast and reshoot -- that's some serious retooling, effort that demonstrates ABC's dedication to making the program work, and to bringing the best version of the story possible to television. With great production value and herculean efforts by the network to get everything just right, it should be worth tuning in just to see what the finished product is like.

Showrunners are hoping "Of Kings and Prophets" is the series that breaks the Tuesday night curse and boosts the network's ratings. A biblical drama certainly is a new tactic, with the potential to attract a broad spectrum of fans.

Tune in Tuesday, March 8, to check out "Of Kings and Prophets" on ABC.

Dancing through the pain: HBO brings a riveting documentary to cable television Monday, Dec. 14. Russia's world-renowned Bolshoi Ballet is the subject of a visually beautiful and surprisingly dramatic program, "Bolshoi Babylon," that delves into the inner workings of the dance institute, including the fallout of the 2013 acid attack on director Sergei Filin.

You read that right -- acid attack. In January 2013, ballet director Filin was cornered and attacked with acid outside his home, a horrible event that resulted in the loss of sight in one eye as well as third-degree burns.

The results of the subsequent investigation rocked the ballet company as much as the attack itself, as former principle dancer Pavel Dmitrichenko was charged with masterminding the crime.

Filmmakers of this 2015 Toronto International Film Festival submission interview dancers and other company members, as well as Russian celebrities, politicians and more, to reveal just how important the company is to Russian culture and how deeply it was affected by the attack.

The tension and drama are palpable in this documentary, and the visuals are artistically breathtaking. There's something for everyone in "Bolshoi Babylon," which airs Monday, Dec. 14, on HBO.

Mac is back: One of the most enduring characters of the 1980s is making his way back to television. Though there's no release date as of yet, CBS has committed to the development of a "MacGyver" reboot, and, like all good reboots, the update will put a different spin on the original story.

Produced by Henry Winkler ("Happy Days"), who also served as producer for the '80s series, and written by R. Scott Gemmill, who also wrote for hit shows "NCIS: Los Angeles" and "ER," the new show will start off much earlier in Angus "Mac" MacGyver's life than the original.

In the reboot we'll find a twenty-something MacGyver who is about to be recruited to a clandestine agency. The original Mac was an ex-secret agent who hated guns and refused to use them; in this version, we'll get to see what brought him to that point, and watch him develop and hone his legendary skills -- the unconventional skills that make him so valuable as a spy. MacGyver is known for using his knowledge of science and engineering to repurpose every-day items in order to get himself and others out of impossible situations.

The project is still in development, but the series seems to be hitting green lights at every turn. CBS brings "MacGyver" back to the small screen sometime in the near future.