Pastor Greg

The budget for season two appears to be less than for season one! Loud humming can be heard in all the church scenes! Sometimes the voices sound muffled or not properly miked. What is up with this?? And don't get me started on the choppy editing and bad slap-sticky acting at times, combined with obvious non-actors in minor roles! If you don't have enough money to do something properly - why do it in such a shabby way and invite certain criticism?? Also, why are major characters being replaced and recast in season two?? This also indicates chaos behind the scenes. I know the creators feel they have a "calling from God" but does a calling indicate doing things you can't afford? On a positive note, something about this series keeps drawing me back - maybe it's the "train-wreck" quality, or maybe the sincerity of all involved is somewhat appealing.

I honestly don't get this show. Oh I get why it was made and all that. No I mean I don't understand why this would have seen the light of day. It's absolutely terrible in every sense of the word.

Pastor Greg is about a guy that discovers Jesus when in jail and goes on to become a pastor and these are all his wacky adventures trying to spread the word. Great set up but terrible execution. Greg Robbins plays the titular Pastor and I don't know if this is the way he is in normal life but he seems to play him as a big, but well meaning, buffoon. You know the type. The one that does everything wrong, messes things up usually for the laughs and then goes back and fixes the problem usually with the help of his friends? Yeah that guy. Problem is Pastor Greg comes off as the unlikable man-child type of this character that people just put up with because they have to.

No expense was spared in getting the finest of community theater and non-actors to play the rest of the roles. Nobody speaks like a normal person, all the child actors are terrible, more than once people are looking directly into the camera. Direction? What's that? Everything is so over the top stupid and scenes go on way way longer than they should. A great example is during their Christmas episode. Greg has a tray filled with fast food, he turns, trips and it spills all over the guy standing behind him. A guy who doesn't react and just stands there with a hot dog in his mouth, chips all over him and what looked like a baked potato complete with a fork on his shoulder. And throughout it all Greg is meekly trying to clean him off. The scene goes on forever.

I understand the desire to have a Christian type sitcom with broad humor. But is it asking too much to have one that is actually funny?

Yes, this is a great show and if you are looking at it like a regular TV show that might be the disconnect. At first that was what I did and then I saw it as may have been intended it is a show on stage. Ever watch a theatrical performance? There is an adjustment required. Greg uses slapstick physical humor and the beats are different.A different pace. That is a credit to the entire group. It may seem kind of crazy to some that a pastor conduct himself this way but wait-How should a pastor behave? Too busy to take notice of you and your needs? Too big to find your concerns important? Don't we need to know that our pastor can be a little off sometimes like I can be yet rooting for me as I root for him ? That is one appealing quality about the character.Fear not your pastor here is not out to clobber you but love you .A question that he answers is :How would you like your pastor to treat you? With respect and kindness. Thanks Greg for your conviction to lead. Praise The Lord to keep Him on our mind to desire to follow Him.

Pastor, you could not have chosen your words more eloquently. I watched for five minutes and I want those minutes back. Was there some kind of malady going on with that actor? He looked as if he was suffering a brain aneurysm on camera. I have been involved with several college productions and us as a young crew had far more polished production values. I never watch these types of programs, I just stumbled across it. I even make it a point to stay away from shows on TLN and the like. However, you are right. Christians need to assemble a message that is not going to make them further targets of ridicule. If the show creators delivered a sitcom that was humorous and edifying, that is another thing. These people are more interested in entertaining themselves, friends and family and could care less about people outside that circle. Hopefully other spiritual folks will catch on and this show will dissolve into an event horizon in which it so richly deserves.

I am a Christian, too, and I think if this show is taken for what it is, a goofy non-serious slapstick sitcom, it can be entertaining. Is it great? No, but it is not awful. I remember the first season of "Home Improvement" and "Seinfeld" and neither was particularly funny. It took awhile for the characters and writers to find their stride, but they did. This show will too, as I think the writing has improved immeasurably by the end of Season 1 and I expect it will be much better in Season 2. Give this show a chance, if for no other reason than how many Christian sitcoms are there out there to compare it to? I read somewhere that the lady who played Mary Ann on Gilligan's Island, Dawn Wells, has joined the cast. I think adding a wonderful character actress like her is a great catch for a smaller budgeted series, and her presence will no doubt have an impact on all the talent on the show. Her experience alone in sitcoms will have a rising tide effect. Again, give this show a chance - it may be your last one to see a true Christian sitcom. (BTW, I do NOT work on this show or know anyone on the show. It is just an opinion.)