Customer Reviews

Joan of Arcadia - The First Season

5 star:		(130)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

This was one of the finest television series on the air. The writing was superb, the characters were believable, and the storylines were to die for.

If you loved the Touched by an Angel series, you will enjoy this one.

The main character, a high school girl named Joan talks to God all day every day as she sorts through the pains of growing up. What I love about this show is that God appears as every single race, color, creed and religion - from a middle aged chess player to a Gothic punk rocker. Joan never knows what God will look like, but has blind faith God is always there.

I also love that she does not always appreciate the advice she is given and gets annoyed with God from time to time. I can relate to not liking the answer I get to my prayers. I don't always get what I ask for. But I always get what I need. Just like Joan.

This show is certainly different from what we see on TV. The formula may be typical, but the approach to this theme is very original. Although it deals with Joan (Amber Tamblyn) talking to God, not everything is sweet and pink. Tragedy occurs, her family has to live with many ordeals in order to stay togethes. She can even be considered insane at some point because "talking" to God does not provide alla the answers needed. I fact sometimes it's confusing. The acting is very good, and the story very promising, so it's not a surprise that it has been a very popular show when TV is being ambushed by "reality" shows. I think Joan of Arcadia is here for the long run so if you haven't seen it, this is your chance to enjoy a very good show, and if you already see it, you can certainly enjoy them again.
I can't rate the contents of the DVD yet but I hope it's full of extras!

An entirely believable 16 year old girl with an entirely believable family, warts and all. The program handles complexity with great sophistication, often letting complex issues stay unresolved, forcing the viewer to reach her/his own conclusions. Manages to be spiritual without being theological; avoids confusing religion with spirituality. A definite viewpoint about God is here, without any attempt to proselytize. The best program I have ever watched dealing with spirituality. All the main characters are fine actors and the interactions with Joan's family and friends are witty, occasionally sad, always asking profound questions.

Good Friday, 2010. I'm updating the review below to thank the producers for finally releasing Season @ of Joan of Arcadia. I'm also asking them to release all episodes of Season 3 that were in the can, but never shown.

At the end of Season 2, a Satan or Mephistopheles figure was introduced, and a detailed preview of his havoc in the first episode of Season 3. The preview was detailed enough to show that least one Season 3 episode had been completed. I suspect and hope there are more. Whatever is there, I think we should all ask CBS to please release it. Even if it's only one episode, CBS could make a full release by including it in a batch of many unseen episodes of suddenly canceled shows that, in retrospect, should have been kept. I'd buy it, wouldn't you?

Here's the original review I wrote, demanding release of the second season and praising the show for the incredible gifts it gave and continues to give.
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Joan of Arcadia, as many others have noted, engages issues of faith, ethics, and life with intelligence and passion. A few viewers have panned it in comparison with "Touched by an Angel" and "The Waltons," or even on the basis of Ms Tamblyn's looks. The raves, which I am joining, always point out the humor, the excellent writing, the superb acting, the deep engagement that went into each show. I've seen the first season repeatedly, and each time I look, I find new levels of meaning to grip my mind and spirit.

I am also blessed in having many of the Second Seaason's shows on tape. Contrary to the statements of one reviewer, the Second Season actually builds on and widens the spiritual questing charted by the first. The show grows organically, right along with Joan and her family and friends, as they deal with with deeper and often more life-or-death choices. Never has spirituality been made so real on television.

Ever.

I was truly angry when this show was cancelled. But the refusal to release Season Two is even worse. If it were released, I'd be buying copies not just for myself, but for friends and family. The show is that good, and the network is doubly foolish if it continues to ignore the easy money to be made here.

Since 9/11 it's no secret that people have been anxious, asking questions and feeling unsafe. They have been looking for something comforting and the TV show Joan of Arcadia came along to fulfill this need. In some respects, it is the My So Called Life for the new Millennium. Both shows feature a young, teenage girl as the protagonist dealing with the trials and tribulations of growing up: boys, doing well in school, trying to have some semblance of a social life and, oh yeah, talking to God.

If you read the fine print on the back of the box, you will notice that some of the show's music has been changed. Apparently, they couldn't secure the rights to music by Avril Lavigne, Sinead O'Connor, The White Stripes and others. This is a glaring omission and one that takes away from the enjoyment of these episodes.

On the first disc is an audio commentary for the "Pilot" episode by the show's creator, Barbara Hall and episode director James Hayman. This is a chatty, engaging track as Hayman focuses on the more technical aspects while Hall talks about the show's themes.

There are five deleted scenes that include Will laying down the law with a subordinate in the "Pilot" and Joan butting heads with Principal Price in "The Fire and the Wood."

The second disc features three deleted scenes with Joan and her mom having a heart-to-heart in "Just Say No." There is more of Kevin getting sick of the special treatment he receives because of his wheelchair in "The Devil Made Me Do It" that just feels redundant.

The third disc features an audio commentary on "Jump" by Hall, Hayman and writer Hart Hanson. Hall points out that the early episodes establish what God can and can't do while Hanson talks about his script and the changes it underwent.

There are four deleted scenes that include Will meeting more resistance from a bureaucrat in "St. Joan" and an uncomfortable moment between Luke and Glynis in "The Uncertainty Principle."

On the fourth disc there is an audio commentary on "Recreation" by the Girardi family: Amber Tamblyn, Mary Steenburgen, Michael Welch, Jason Ritter and Joe Mantegna. This is something of a let-down as they spend the entire track joking around with each other and commenting on how different they looked back then.

There are two deleted scenes that include Joan standing up to Principal Price in "Double Dutch."

The fifth DVD features three deleted scenes with Kevin screwing up at work and then facing the ramifications of it in "No Bad Guy."

The sixth disc features an audio commentary on "The Gift" by writers Tom Garrigus, David Grae, Joy Gregory and Stephen Nathan. They point out that this is the episode where the Joan-Adam relationship peaks and that they wanted to examine the whole teen sex issue in a non-cliché way.

Hall and Hayman return for the audio commentary on "Silence." They deliver another strong track explaining their intentions with this episode. These two are the guiding creative forces on the show and speak very eloquently about it.

"The Creation of Joan of Arcadia" takes a look at how the show came together. The idea for it came to Hall while working on Judging Amy as contemporary take on Joan of Arc.

"Joan of Arcadia - A Look at Season One" is a substantial 18-minute overview. Hall talks about how she picked the show's writers and goes through the casting of the Girardi family and the actors talk about their characters.

"God Gallery" takes us through six reoccurring incarnations of God in the first season, identifies who plays them and why God looks like them. This is an enjoyable extra that provides insight into the casting of God.

Finally, there are two deleted scenes that feature little bits of business between characters that was rightly cut.

At times, like My So Called Life, Joan of Arcadia gets a little too touchy feely liberal for its own good but, surprisingly, it doesn't try to ram religion down our throats. Ultimately, the show deals with human frailties and notions of tolerance and compassion in a compelling and entertaining way that is comforting in these dark and uncertain times.

We caught the very first episode as a family (middle-aged parents and 16-year-old son) and have planned our Fridays around Joan ever since. The incredible writing, casting, directing and acting make every episode one that touches us personally, often leaving us unable to speak for a few minutes as we process what we just experienced.

I disagree with another reviewer who said the writers are hostile toward Christianity and religion and are presenting, essentially, "God Lite." One of the most talked-about topics around the coffee pot at my church on Sundays is that week's episode of Joan. I increased attendance in my Jr/Sr High Sunday School class by using episodes of Joan as a springboard for discussions about life, faith and God. I find the show to be very real in terms of the struggles we have between our self-centered human nature and our desire to hear and obey God.

So many times Joan is asked by God to do something she sees as really stupid (build a boat, become a cheerleader, join the band). She cannot see the relevance, but chooses to obey anyway. And usually she (and we) are able to see exactly how her actions fit into a plan that allowed God's love and grace to come into a situation. It always gives me goosebumps.

Joan asks God "why do bad things happen?" as many of us do. Joan tries to discern what God is trying to accomplish with her so she can take a shortcut to the end result (often with very funny results). Joan gets angry with God, complains that he's unfair, shares her joys and worries with God, apologizes for not trusting. She is a real person, not some perfect "role model." And yet I think she is a great role model as someone in a real relationship with God, which is what I think God wants with every one of us.

This show deals with free will, sin, grace, guilt, love, relationships, pain, joy, forgiveness. It will make you laugh, but it will also have a powerful impact on something deep inside you, regardless of your religious beliefs.

Shame on you, CBS! What a great show - well-acted, well-written. Easily the best show produced in the last five years, with all the "reality" trash that's so prevalent these days. What a shame that CBS is replacing it with a show about talking to ghosts, believing this will get higher ratings. Please join me in letting CBS know we want more programming like Joan of Arcadia, not less. Call the CBS programming office at (212) 975-3247. If you want to speak to a person, call between 10:00AM and 11:30AM, or 2:00PM - 3:30PM, Eastern Time. Otherwise, you can leave your comments on their machine. We need to let our voices be heard! Let's flood them with calls.

I am so sad that this show was cancelled. It happened just as I was getting into it. I have the first season on DVD and have probably watched each episode at least 3 times each. I cannot wait until the second season is released on DVD! I check at least every two weeks on Amazon to see if it has been released yet. This show is wonderful: it's insightful, witty, clever, and totally original. I am so sad that CBS decided to replace it with Ghost Whisperer, which is a total rip off of NBC's Medium. The reason why TV is so awful nowadays is because networks do not let the truly great shows gain an audience anymore. That is what happened to Joan of Arcadia. It happened to My So Called Life, Freaks and Geeks, and countless other great shows.

In the vast wasteland of TV, *Joan of Arcadia* was one and only shining exception to the sea of drivel. Happy, sad, touching and always well-acted. The only show in the history of TV to be nominated for best drama in it's first season. Wonderfully moving.

It doesn't offer the pat answers and convenient simplicities which appeal to fundamentalists. God is more complicated. I guess that's what happened to it, a show about Spirit, a show which made people think about religious or spiritual matters in a new and unusual way. Cynics hated it. Materialists didn't care. Fundamentalists were REALLY challenged.

It takes a person with some desire for growth to appreciate this show. JofA resonates with People of Spirit.

But if you want to see the real thing, to laugh and cry and think and be touched, Buy this series.

Also write to CBS:
524 West 57th st
NY, NY
10014 and tell them what you think.

go to the CBS website and leave FEEDBACK. or call the number below.

This show is too good to go without a fight.

I am so happy that the first season is finally on DVD! This show is thought-provoking, honest, and at times, funny. Like life. I am not a fan of the "typical" God shows--I think they are usually overdone. But Joan of Arcadia is a blend of realism and humor--it's quirky. Can't wait to have this set in my DVD player and enjoy all of the first season again . . . .(and I can't wait for Season 2's "Night of the Zombies" show--now, that WAS the best!)