NBC’s “Noah’s Ark” is not the same uplifting biblical epic that fascinates children with its explanation of how the Earth’s animals were saved from the great flood “two-by-two” by one determined man. In fact, parents might want to restrict kids’ viewing of this show because of some graphic violence: It carries a TV-14 rating.
The famous tale of the great flood flows through the Robert Halmi/Hallmark Entertainment hit machine that made “Merlin,” “Gulliver’s Travels” and “The Odyssey,” and comes out as a fable whose spirituality is diluted by its sops to mass appeal.
How secular is the mini-series, which airs at 8 p.m. Sunday and Monday on WMAQ-Ch. 5? Don’t expect God to sound like James Earl Jones.
“I have some rather shocking news,” the Almighty lightly tells faithful servant Noah (Jon Voight, who also provides the voice of God) of His intention to destroy decadent Sodom and Gomorrah.
From an entertainment standpoint, Halmi has done his job: The story isn’t a literal adaptation from the Bible, and the computer-generated animation and special effects range from brilliant to mediocre.
Far from blasphemous, Halmi’s style is to paint legendary stories in a straightforward way for a wide audience, but sometimes the tales’ nuances are lost in all the flash and dash.
Most of the performances are acceptable Voight’s Noah has a fierce and unquestioning loyalty to God. Mary Steenburgen (“Gulliver’s Travels”) shines quietly as Noah’s wife Naamah.
“Noah’s Ark” won’t rank as one of Halmi’s best efforts, but the show still maintains a fair amount of interest and excels in examining an aspect of the legend that sometimes is overlooked: unwavering, blind faith.
Sunday
Two childhood sweethearts form a successful matchmaking service that they use on their respective parents (Corbin Bernsen and Lesley-Anne Down) in “Young Hearts Unlimited,” a Fox Family Channel movie premiering at 7 p.m.
– Get wild with “Wild Europe,” a new three-part PBS series running from 8 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Tuesday on WTTW-Ch. 11, where animals from 24 countries are featured.
– The onslaught of century-ending specials continues with “Celebrate the Century,” a 10-part CNN series on defining moments of the last 100 years. It airs at 8 p.m. Sundays through July 4.
Monday
It’s not a mere stunt but rather a further definition of CBS’ Monday night comedy block, as the stars of “Everybody Loves Raymond,” “The King of Queens,” “Becker” and “Cosby” land interact on each other’s shows starting at 7 p.m. on WBBM-Ch. 2.
– “Seinfeld’s” Jason Alexander has a new gig — a recurring role as the voice of Catbert, an evil human resources specialist who torments “Dilbert” (7 p.m., WPWR-Ch. 50) on UPN.
Tuesday
At least “Another World” can say it celebrated its 35th anniversary. The daytime drama (1 p.m. weekdays on NBC-Ch. 5), which hits that milestone on Tuesday, was canceled by NBC. Its last broadcast is in June.
Wednesday
Randy Travis is the host, Garth Brooks, Faith Hill and the Dixie Chicks are slated to perform, and Chuck Norris (“Walker, Texas Ranger”) and David James Elliott (“JAG”) are among the presenters, as the 34th annual Academy of Country Music Awards at 7 p.m. on CBS-Ch. 2).
– E! airs a “Celebrity Profile” on Audrey Hepburn on what would have been the screen beauty’s 70th birthday at 7 p.m. Included is her last TV interview, shot the day before she was diagnosed with cancer.
n Project Millennium, a year-long cultural, educational and scientific endeavor spearheaded by the Field Museum, explores technology’s impact on the future during a live broadcast at 7 p.m. on WTTW-Ch. 11.
Thursday
Laura Innes, prickly doctor Kerry Weaver on “E.R.,” directs Thursday’s episode in which a power outage rocks the hospital (9 p.m. on NBC-Ch. 5).
Friday
“She Said Cinema” is an umbrella title for a series of films from more than 20 women from 10 countries. The productions will be shown on the Sundance Channel in May. The fest begins at 8 p.m. with “Me & Will,” directed by and starring Melissa Behr and Sherrie Rose as two escapees from a rehab center who take off on a road trip.
– Pax TV presents “The Bible Code: The Future and Beyond” at 8 p.m., a look at prophecy found in the good bookthat includes forecasts related to the Y2K problem.
– The television premiere of “Belle’s Magical World,” an adventure starring characters from “Beauty and the Beast,” starts at 6 p.m. as part of an eight-hour simulcast between Toon Disney and the Disney Channel. The overkill begins at 2 p.m.
Saturday
NBC’s secret weapons on this night are the smart and stylish action series “The Pretender” and “Profiler.” The network has done the shows two good turns: It still calls them a “Thrillogy” and it has allowed cast members from both series to team up for a seamless two-hour movie.
Airing at 8 p.m. on NBC-Ch. 5, chameleon Jarod (Michael T. Weiss) and empathic FBI agent Samantha Waters (Ally Walker) hunt for the kidnapper of several child prodigies whose collective genius could be used for nefarious acts.
