I guess this didn’t really affect me, since I couldn’t watch it after the pilot anyhow (it was pulled in Nashville due to complaints). Controversy aside, it wasn’t a very good show. I also had some problems with its portrayal of religion and the church. Cancelling it because it was bad and got poor ratings is one thing, but it bugs me now that conservative groups like Focus on the Family and American Family Association will take credit for getting it axed. That will only encourage them next time! Why oh why can’t FotF and AFA use their powers for good, like getting rid of truly offensive shows like Yes, Dear?
I saw part of the first episode. The ending was feel-good-y and didactic, IMHO. Not my thing, but not something that should’ve been shut down because some kooks have their panties in a buch.
Not that I would agree with the “offensive” label, seeing as how I never saw the show, nor am I in a position to have been offended, not being Christian and all, as was stated in the article that was linked in the OP:
I couldn’t get past the first half of the pilot. I didn’t find the content offensive. I found the cliche writing, mediocre acting and the fact that they tried way to hard to be edgy offensive.
This priest who is himself a sinner sees and talks to Jesus when he’s alone and Jesus keeps telling him to stop popping pills and try to love and understand his family and other people. Jesus is portrayed as a gentle person who befriends a sinner and listens to his problems, offering counsel but without being judgmental.
Oooo, they’ll suck flaming cocks in the lake of fire for that blasphemy.
Shame. Can’t say that I saw the show, but after listening to the Fresh Air segment in which Terry Gross interviews Aidan Quinn, the show sounded intriguing. Beyond that, anything that Donald Wildmon dislikes probably has some redeeming value.
I gave it a fair shot and I thought it stunk. I posted on this topic before, so I won’t repeat myself, but try to boil it down.
Every single character had a “hot” storyline. Even the housekeeper was shown tokin’ up. It wasn’t a story as much as a bunch of hot buttons that the producers could push whenever they wanted to piss off someone else.
I want to clarify my OP - I wasn’t personally offended by it. It was just too out-there to be taken seriously enough to be offended: it would be like being offended by behavior on Desparate Housewives or Days of Our Lives. The problem with the show, to parrot others in this thread, was not that it was too edgy or progressive or blasphemous. It was that as TV, it kinda sucked. So I’m not really bothered that it was cancelled (like I said, I was prevented from watching anyway) but that the groups mentioned in the OP will take credit from those who deserve it – the writers, producers and actors.
-Priest addicted to prescription drugs
-pot dealing daughter
-1 horny son
-1 gay son
-a ?brother? that stole the building fund money from the church
-money now in the hands of the MOB who is bribing the church
-priests father the bishop is cheating on his wife
-his wife has alzheimers
I know I left out several things.
Too corny, trying to push too many buttons. Too many problems in one family.
Priest’s wife likes her martinis
Priest’s sister-in-law is sleeping with her dead husband’s secretary
Horny son’s girlfriend’s mother is racist
Priest’s wife’s mother is controlling
It wasn’t funny enough to be comedy or serious enough to be good drama. All the issues were treated so lightly, they weren’t issues at all.
Daniel’s addiction didn’t cause him any problems, nor did mom’s martinis – they functioned just fine. Horny son had one girlfriend who he seemed to care for. Drug-dealing daughter sold enough to get her computer programs and stopped when she got caught. Gay son is content and well-adjusted. The lesbian sister was ditzy. Some of us might even sympathize with the adulterous dad.
Like Skammer says, it wasn’t edgy or progressive or offensive. Pretty PC, actually.
Anti-Christian bigotry? OK, I get that AFA by definition doesn’t watch the shows they blaspheme, but that show was not bigoted against Christians. If anything, it assumed a Christian culture. Of course, the more confused certain charlatans in pulpits can keep their flocks about the meanings of words like “blasphemy” & “bigotry,” the more they can obfuscate actual incidences of what those words really mean.
Uh…you didn’t get the sense that it was poking fun of religious types? I got that vibe. More “here’s a bunch of hypocritical religious people” than “here’s a bunch of religious people.”
What I found upsetting about the show was that it had a frantic amount of plots woven in and not one of them was interesting! If you’re going to write a show like you’ve got severe ADD, at least attempt to make the plots you need to cram in worth being there.
