Joan de Arcadia

After Buffy the Vampire Slayer was canceled, I was also on the outs with every other show I had previously watched, and had almost nothing left. There was a great big void in my TV watching schedule, and it was filled with this show. If I had only heard the description for Joan of Arcadia, I know that I would never have watched it. Let's face it, the premise alone sounds pretty lame. Fortunately, I saw a commercial for the show one day while flipping through the channels, but was still skeptical. The commercial was on again and again, incessantly telling me to watch this show, and finally I decided to give in and watch the show, even though I probably wouldn't like it. The pilot episode was good, and the episodes that followed were good as well. The Girardis are a realistic portrayal of a family, not too perfect yet not overly exaggerated either. The kids are funny and intelligent, from the snippy Joan to the dorky Luke to the sarcastic Kevin, and the parents actually seem to love each other and their kids. Joan's friends, Grace and Adam, are another highlight. Grace is great as the rebellious girl without a cause and I liked her instantly, even though I did think she was a boy. Adam, on the other hand, took me a little more time. I recognized him from when he huffed paint on 7th Heaven, which did not exactly endear me to him. By the end of the very first episode he was in, however, I fell in love with his character. What is unique about this show is that the main character talks to God, who appears in various forms and assigns Joan tasks. The tasks always have unexpected results, and there is always a message in what Joan has to do, a message that is thankfully not beat into the audience with a sledgehammer, but is subtle and genuine. This is a moving show that deals with human experience quite well. Without a doubt this is the best new show this year.

I stumbled upon Joan of Arcadia near the end of the first season and quickly found one thing out: This is a great show!

God speaks to Joan to have her try to make a DIFFERENCE in this world. The show is all about the choices we make in our lives that make a difference in the world around us. Through the choices Joan, her friends and her family make, we can learn something. Don't worry, it doesn't come off as all about religion, or all preachy. There is a great cast (especially Amber Tamblyn, Joe Mantegna and Mary Steenburgen), solid story lines and some really great music in between. I have been extremely impressed with Amber Tamblyn; she is perfect for this part.

Sometimes sad, very often funny, there is always something you can relate to. Give it a chance; you will enjoy it!

I discovered this show, just this last week. My 9 year old daughter had watched once or twice before and seemed to really enjoy it. I make it a point to watch what my children watch, to see if it's acceptable viewing. Surprise! Great Show!

Without going over all the obvious details, I'll say this: Take the time for "Family Viewing" and have a look at this charming CBS Friday night show.

9 out of 10 on my scale.

2005 UPDATE....

Yup, the goons at CBS have pulled the plug. What a shame. Quality DOES equal probable cancellation, I guess.....

I was given a box set of Joan of Arcadia(season 1) to watch by my roommate. I remember hearing about the show but didn't think much of it, other than it being interesting. I left it on a shelf and never watched it due to lack of time. He kept asking me if I had watched it and finally I did, the night before New Years Eve (2005). I watched the pilot and was amazed. I then came home on New Years morning and continued watching the rest of disc 1, then disc 2. I ended with the episode titled "Death bringeth not whatever" I think thats what its called. By the time I finished watching this episode and heard the ending song(I think the musical director's choice of music is excellent by the way), I cried for at least 15 minutes, and by then it was 9:00 am. I've been a serious Christian since the age of 12(now I'm in my early 30's) and never have I seen a show with such depth, insight and truth as this show has. I've not yet seen season 2 but I tell you that I feel as if I've learned much more about God and how he truly relates to man from this show than my 19 years of being a Christian. This show confirms the things it took me 19 years to start to understand about God's character and how he relates to man, as well as how we should relate to each other. I'm sorry it was canceled but I'm not surprised. Anything that promotes truth, morality, and spiritual insight and positive change is often persecuted or looked down upon in this "New World Order". Our society or many that have authority in it would much rather promote the opposite of such things. I've also studied enough ornithology, anthropology, biology, zoology, archeology, geology, ancient, medieval, modern history, music and languages, and have had enough metaphysical experiences to confirm my personal spiritual beliefs. I'm not your regular Christian. Anyway, people I tell you that this world and this play that we call "Life" is an unreal reality and we're all actors in it and this show is one of the few that dared to reveal this. In the words of Maximus (Russel Crowe's character in Gladiator), "What we do in this life will echo through eternity" and in eternity I believe that many of us will look back and remember Barbara Hall and this show that changed our lives for the better called Joan of Arcadia.

first off: yay CBS for actually making a good show!! I mean, what, are we in our 10th season of JAG?

this show reminds me of My So-Called Life. and that's nothing to sneeze at. it's certainly not _as_ good, but it has the same feel with its realistic characters (and not just the main characters, but the supporting ones, too). it seems like kids who are teenagers now would relate to this show like kids of my generation related to MSCL in the 90s. I think the writers need to make the parents a little more accessible, but the way they show the many facets of the younger characters, especially Joan and her brothers, is really impressive.

the x-factor: Joan hangs out with God. I'm not a religious person, and if there are supposed to be religious overtones in this show, I'm not feeling them. It's almost like God is the trusty alien sidekick or something like that. It's cool, because even though I personally don't believe in God, I certainly have friends who do, and who knows? They might talk to God, too. It's nice that a TV show can address religion, which is such a part of so many people's lives, in a non-preachy way.

the show, however, isn't about religion. it's about a middle-class white suburban family and their personal struggles. I feel like the show could go up or down from here. there have been some really unique and interesting story lines (Joan's tame relationship with the "stoner"/artist Adam, the questioning of Grace's sexuality, the art-teacher mother's rediscovering of the art she created after being raped) and even the story lines that seem more boring and uninspired seem to be coming around (the condescending-macho chief of police dad being demoted, the wheelchair-bound former-star-athlete older brother regaining his confidence and returning to "player" status, despite his disabilities)

I think the show's sometimes-slow pace is a testament to how long it might last. I hope it stays around for a while, at least, even if I do have to keep staying in for a while on Friday nights :)