Famed Hollywood couple Mark Burnett and Roma Downey’s smash History Channel hit sells 1 million units

Mark Burnett and Roma Downey’s The Bible miniseries has received three Primetime Emmy Award nominations from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

The 10-episode History Channel miniseries is up for Outstanding Miniseries or Movie category, competing with FX Networks’ American Horror Story: Asylum, HBO’s Behind the Candelabra, HBO’s Phil Spector, USA’s Political Animals and Sundance Channel’s Top of the Lake.

The Bible also was nominated in the Outstanding Sound Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or a Movie categories. 

Airing in the spring and culminating Easter Sunday, The Bible, which starred Downey as Mary, the mother of Jesus, was the top new cable series of the year. In its first week of home video release, it was the top-selling miniseries of all time and the number one television series on DVD and Blu-ray in the past five years, according to TVbytheNumbers.com, which also reported that in only three months, it had sold 1 million units.

Additionally, it was recently announced that NBC will broadcast a sequel that will focus on events after the death of Jesus. The network is teaming up with producer Mark Burnett (The Voice, Celebrity Apprentice) for A.D.: Beyond the Bible, which is the tentative title for the new series.