Nothing Sacred

Every so often TV gives us a show of real depth, beauty, intelligence & feeling. And when it does, it seldom lasts very long. "Nothing Sacred" is one of those shows. Each episode had the richness of a small film & could easily have been expanded into one. The series as a whole offered a stunning, insightful look into the nature of faith, the struggle to reconcile suffering & belief, and reminded us of the epiphanies waiting all around us, those moments of grace that illuminate the soul & the world around us. Father Ray's doubts & questions only served to strengthen his chosen calling in the end; in fact, the series as it stands could easily be seen as a mini-series about one man's journey to acceptance of his life's true meaning. But how I would love to have seen several seasons of it! The series dealt with the pressing issues of the day, and didn't insult the viewer with pat, simplistic answers -- if anything, it challenged the viewer to think about those issues, consider all aspects of them, and come to his or her own conclusions. Simply a wonderful show in every way!

What a great show. I mean truly great. It had depth, drama, light-heartedness, wit and charm. Kevin Anderson as Father Ray will be one of my favorite television characters (it hurts to even see Kevin in a film, as it brings back the pain from knowing this show was cancelled). I also loved Scott Campbell as Father Eric.

The Christmas episode was one of my favorites -- though I looked forward to each one and enjoyed each immensely. I was lucky enough to have watched the pilot episode which totally got me hooked (I had not heard about it, just happened to be looking for something to watch that night). There has been so much, horrible junk on television, I was so taken by this show that was intelligent, creative and thoughtful -- how many shows can you say that about?? As dedicated a fan I became, I found it very difficult to keep up with the show, as ABC would change the showtime on almost a weekly basis, showing it on different days and at different times, with no warning to the viewer. I also recall that it was often put up against such audience-holding shows as 'Friends' and 'Seinfeld'. However, I managed to convince several people to give up these shows for Nothing Sacred!!

But then ABC pulled the plug. I was in complete shock!! I boycotted ABC for three years. I have been devastated ever since, and can't wait to get my hands on a taped set of the show -- of course, it's incomplete -- so much more could have been made and done with this show. What a complete shame -- I am positive that if it had been given more time (and a reliable schedule) it would have drawn in quite an audience. If you have seen, or are able to see Nothing Sacred, consider yourself lucky to have been witness to television's glimmer of hope.

Boo and hiss to the cowards at ABC who still refuse to put this show back on the air, in spite of the lack of good shows to put on! "Sacred" featured totally believable performances by Kevin Anderson and Scott Campbell as the yin/yang of the Catholic Church, one questioning its actions, one only slowly looking at both sides. The Christmas episode with its parallels to Mary and Joseph is one of the most unforgettable shows I have ever seen. Especially in today's climate of protest and acknowledgement of the Catholic Church's cover-ups, this show should be brought back or at least shown so others can see what a shining light ABC had and how stupid they were to douse it!

Nothing Sacred was one of the series that ever aired. ABC was cruel to it and the people who loved it. They never showed us all the episodes. This is unfair. There are plenty of loyal fans of NS who would love to see it get resurrected. If the powers at be are working, PLEASE put NS back on the air. Or put it out on video tape.

This show was amazing and I thought the conservative Catholics who opposed it were shooting themselves in the foot - at the time I believed the show was a great recruiting tool for winning back ex-Catholics with remembrances of the depth of our religion. I cried at least once with faith and joy or sadness during most episodes, especially meaningful were the show with the singing of the Panis Angelicus and the Christmas Show with the priests in prison sharing a meal while the parishioners in the church were sharing communion. Powerful imagery! Across the years I've learned that Nothing Sacred is aired in other countries, most recently Belgium in which all episodes were shown including the ones never shown in the U.S. Why, oh why, can not all shows be released on DVD in the U.S.???!!