With Christmas on the horizon, Kevin Costner wants to take us back to its origins.

Directed by David L. Cunningham, Kevin Costner Presents: The First Christmas is the latest project to explore the journey of Mary and Joseph as they navigate the challenges around the birth of Jesus. As a historical inquest into the events surrounding the birth of Christ, The First Christmas manages to help provide some surprising new information to help build context. For anyone who believes in the spiritual events surrounding the Christmas holiday, the film offers some interesting insights into the socio-cultural context of the 1st Century Middle East. Featuring a balance of conversations from leading experts from around the world and Biblical re-enactments, the goal of First Christmas is to help bring the ’age-old story’ to life in new ways.

KEVIN COSTNER PRESENTS: THE FIRST CHRISTMAS – Kevin Costner hosts the special exploring the extraordinary journey of Mary and Joseph as they navigate the hardships, trials and triumphs surrounding Jesus Christ’s birth, offering an inspiring way to experience the true meaning of Christmas. TUESDAY, DEC. 9 (8:00-10:00 p.m. EST) on ABC. (Disney/Najat Oulhaj)
KEVIN COSTNER PRESENTS: THE FIRST CHRISTMAS

It’s also worth noting that this particular exploration of the Christian faith isn’t designed to convince others of Biblical accuracy. Instead, its information is meant to add context to those who are already familiar with the Christmas narrative. Every expert enlisted to add to the film does so with the premise that the viewer already believes. Pastors and authors speak of the birth of Christ as the divine Son of God, presupposing that its audience already agrees with that belief. (“We can get mired in the details and speculate about this and that but what matters most is that Jesus was born of the blessed Mother,” we’re told.)

Having said this though, one can’t deny that each piece of data helps to flesh out familiar Scriptures such as there being ‘no room at the inn’ or Herod’s political agenda with historical subtext. And, actually, for those who hear the story on a yearly basis, there’s enough ‘new’ material here to provide some genuinely interesting insights. (For example, the discussion surrounding Herod’s mental health and paranoia makes his hatred of the coming newborn king even more plausible.) Dramatic moments are created with an interest in adding to the story, as opposed to simply re-creating them. We’re allowed to see the relationship between Mary and Joseph grow and develop, adding in moments of struggle that help us to see what they would have gone through. In this way, while casual viewers who are looking for more ‘proof’ of the birth of Christ may find the film wanting, those who already believe should feel like they’ve gained some new understandings.

Dramatic moments are created with an interest in adding to the story, as opposed to simply re-creating them. We’re allowed to see the relationship between Mary and Joseph grow and develop, adding in moments of struggle that help us to see what they would have gone through.

KEVIN COSTNER PRESENTS: THE FIRST CHRISTMAS – Kevin Costner hosts the special exploring the extraordinary journey of Mary and Joseph as they navigate the hardships, trials and triumphs surrounding Jesus Christ’s birth, offering an inspiring way to experience the true meaning of Christmas. TUESDAY, DEC. 9 (8:00-10:00 p.m. EST) on ABC. (Disney/Christopher Willard)
KEVIN COSTNER

However, while I hesitate to say it, if there’s a flaw to Kevin Costner Presents: The First Christmas it might be… Kevin Costner. While I adore Costner’s work, his delivery here feels almost dispassionate or, at the very least, disconnected. Costner has always thrived in material that is embedded in American traditional values but, somehow, First Christmasfalls flats. Stories from his youth are genuine but his tone and timbre don’t feel as though they carry the emotional weight.

In short, while his content is good, his delivery seems to be… missing something.

Nevertheless, for devotees, Kevin Costner Presents the First Christmas does manage to provide enough contextual information to make the project worthwhile. Walking the line between documentary and dramatic re-creation, First Christmas wears its heart on its sleeve in a way that feels earnest. In doing so, it provides a gift that should meet the needs of its audience in their highest of holidays.

Kevin Costner’s The First Christmas airs on ABC at 8pm on Tuesday, December 9th, 2025.