Promised Land

The first two seasons were what the show was all about, every episode different and refreshing. Then in the third season I guess the studio heads who think they know better turned it into an urban show like every other on TV and it completely lost its charm. If they would have continued for a fourth season by some amazing chance, I would not have watched.

I love this show with its warmth, love,caring and morel values that unfortunately, society nowadays lacks. I'm more a sci-fi , action adventure fan but this show (Promised Land) is my absolute favorite. I only just a few weeks ago (April 2000) discovered this show and it has made me do a lot of thinking. This show has values that people should follow as it will make them better people. I recently discovered that Promised Land is no longer in production and that saddens me greatly. The Characters and actors who portray them, have entered my life and my heart and I hope I never forget them and the show. I love it.

Although it has been off the air for 6 years now, Promised Land was one of those shows that comes along once or twice in a generation. Good cast, supporting cast(among them, Richard Thomas and Ossie Davis) and crew. The plot is believable with McRaney packing up his family and just saying "to hell with it all" after being subjected to so many disappointments and incidents since his return from Vietnam years earlier. I think a lot of Vietnam-era veterans, myself included, could really relate to McRaney's thought process in finally deciding on his course of action. Many of us did precisely the same thing in real life, after returning from that war and finding that America was not the same place we left. The show imparts not only values but a glimpse into what took place in one veterans life. In those two respects alone, I think it is one of the more poignant TV series of our time. Why this program only ran for 3 years is beyond me.

I only just discovered Promised Land in 2004, but I can't believe how long it took for me to find it, afterall I enjoyed Touched By An Angel very much and the crossovers with the Greene's were always quite powerful. But WOW! I never could have anticipated how dramatic Promised Land would be. I absolutely love Gerald McRaney...he is so talented playing Russell Greene, because this character is so warm and strong that he is such a great father figure..I admire McRaney incredibly for portraying such an caring and wise character. But Wendy Phillips is also extremely talented, I love the chemistry between Gerald and Wendy its so intense. The truth is everybody on this show were all great actors, Celeste Holm is one of those legendary, great actresses who always shines with maturity, Austin O'Brien and Sarah Schaub gave PL more depth and angst and Eddie Karr amazes me with his older-then-his-years humor. Promised Land is by far the very best..and I can't believe it got cancelled, it has great morals and values..it taught me a lot. I enjoy it much more then TBAA, because these people aren't angels..they are just going from place to place lending a hand and changing people's lives for the better. The acting is so much more deeper and spiritual. I hope I'll never forget this show or the people in it and the ones portraying them..it has truly entered my heart and I hope it will never truly leave. I'll take what I have learnt from it and take it with me for the rest of my life.

I think it's great to see that someone out there promoting strong values (a term I hesitate to use because it is so often abused for corrupt political intentions) understands that morals are about love and compassion rather than hate and judgmental, holier-than-thou attitudes. You don't win people over to strive for good things by creating negativity and it's nice to see that recognized. Additionally, I've worked as a background actress on this series and everybody on the set put a lot of heart into what they were doing. That's the way TV ought to work, because it's not just about communication. It's an art form too. PL did a nice job with that.