New TV show ‘Dig’ uncovers religious conspiracies and iconography

By Alison Lesley --
06 Mar 2015 --

New thriller TV show ‘Dig’ on USA Network filmed in Old Jerusalem tackles religious themes while solving a murder.

The USA Network is known for character driven shows (remember their “Characters Welcome” tagline?), but now they’ve come out with something a little different; an action thriller called Dig. Dig is created by the executive producers of the critically acclaimed shows Homeland and Heroes. The show is getting a lot of attention and one audience it’s potentially struck a chord with is the religious audience thanks to the show’s religious history undertones.

The show follows FBI agent Peter Connelly as he finds himself in the middle of a huge conspiracy that “threatens to change the course of human history.” Dig takes place in locations around the world including those with a lot of religious history such as the holy ground of Jerusalem. There are also historic places used such as Temple Mount. The Temple Mount is one of the most important religious locations in the Old City of Jerusalem.

Politics, supernatural forces, and religious iconography combine in Dig. The show’s second trailer, released last week, says the High Priest used a breastplate to communicate with God, then shows a child sketching that same breastplate, implying he has a supernatural power that will help the FBI solve the international conspiracy. The show takes place using the backdrop of Judaism and Christianity. It starts with Hasidic Jews making their way through Norwegian snow. There are a lot of references to religion made within the show that anyone with a basic knowledge of Judaism and Christianity will pick up on.

The conspiracy that the show is based around is one rooted deeply in religion. There’s a cult leader raising a child alone in the desert, presumably to be some kind of new messiah. Cults are generally, or aim to be, based on and in religion. There’s an archaeologist possibly searching for the ark of the covenant. There is a religious overlap and undertone to most of the show. Extremists on both sides of Christianity and Judaism are featured in the show. With Jerusalem as one of the filming locations, it lends a sense of credibility and authenticity to the story.

The conspiracy dates back over two thousand years ago and seems rooted in the origins of Christianity and maybe even Judaism.

Dig is a 10-episode limited series airing on USA Network Thursday nights at 10 p.m. It stars Golden Globe nominee Jason Isaacs and Emmy Award-winner Anne Heche, as well as musician-turned-actress Alison Sudol of A Fine Frenzy.