Kevin Costner Leaves 'Yellowstone' Ranch for Bethlehem... ABC Special 'The First Christmas' Airs

John Dutton of 'Yellowstone' took off his cowboy hat and held the Bible. Hollywood master Kevin Costner embarks on a journey through history to find the origins of Christmas.

Tonight (9th) at 8 PM, ABC will air a 2-hour special documentary 'Kevin Costner Presents: The First Christmas', hosted and narrated by Kevin Costner.

◆ "They were just scared children"

This program is not the romantic and peaceful Christmas play we commonly know. Costner thoroughly reexamines the story of Jesus' birth from a 'historical realism' perspective.

In an interview with the Christian Post, Costner emphasized, "Mary was a pregnant unmarried teenage girl, and Joseph was also a young boy. They were children who embarked on an incredibly dangerous journey under the brutal rule of the Roman Empire."

The program also candidly addresses the violent and dark historical background in the Bible, including the 'massacre of infants' perpetrated by King Herod at the time. Directed by David L. Cunningham, it was filmed on location in Morocco, vividly capturing the harsh and dangerous atmosphere of the Middle East 2000 years ago.

◆ Costner's Personal Confession

Costner opens the program by sharing personal memories of his first acting experience in a church Christmas play during his childhood. He plans to intercut dramatized reenactments with interviews from Catholic and Protestant theologians, providing viewers with both theological depth and historical context.

Critics praised it as "an opportunity to see a familiar story through a much more realistic and gospel-centered lens."

◆ How to Watch?

'Kevin Costner Presents: The First Christmas' will air tonight (9th) at 8 PM on ABC, and starting the next day, the 10th, it will also be available for streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.