"Joan of Arcadia" (2003) TV series 2003-2005

Creator:

Barbara Hall

Seasons:

1 | 2

Release Date:

25 September 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy

Plot:

Millions of people speak to God. What if God spoke back? Life just got a hell of a lot more confusing for teenage Joan Girardi...

Plot Keywords:

God | Assignment | Friendship | Police Chief | Atheist

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 6 wins & 17 nominations

Cast

Joe Mantegna	...	Will Girardi (45 episodes, 2003-2005)
Mary Steenburgen	...	Helen Girardi (45 episodes, 2003-2005)
Amber Tamblyn	...	Joan Girardi (45 episodes, 2003-2005)
Jason Ritter	...	Kevin Girardi (45 episodes, 2003-2005)
Michael Welch	...	Luke Girardi (45 episodes, 2003-2005)
Becky Wahlstrom	...	Grace Polk (44 episodes, 2003-2005)
Chris Marquette	...	Adam Rove (44 episodes, 2003-2005)
Aaron Himelstein	...	Friedman (33 episodes, 2003-2005)
Mageina Tovah	...	Glynis Figliola (23 episodes, 2003-2005)

Runtime:

USA:60 min (including commercials) | 45 min (45 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Certification:

Australia:PG | Argentina:13 | USA:TV-PG

Filming Locations:

El Segundo High School - 640 Main Street, El Segundo, California, USA

Company:

Sony Pictures Television

Trivia:

Show creator Barbara Hall wrote a list of guidelines for the writers, which she called "The Ten Commandments of Joan of Arcadia". These "commandments" are: - 1. God cannot directly intervene. - 2. Good and evil exist. - 3. God can never identify one religion as being right. - 4. The job of every human being is to fulfill his or her true nature. - 5. Everyone is allowed to say "no" to God, including Joan. - 6. God is not bound by time. This is a human concept. - 7. God is not a person and does not possess a human personality. - 8. God talks to everyone all the time in different ways. - 9. God's plan is what is good for us, not what is good for him. - 10. God's purpose for talking to Joan, and everyone, is to get her (us) to recognize the interconnectedness of all things - i.e., you cannot hurt a person without hurting yourself; all of your actions have consequences; God can be found in the smallest actions; God expects us to learn and grow from all our experiences. However, the exact nature of God is a mystery, and the mystery can never be solved.

Quotes:

[Joan, Adam, and Grace are studying]
Joan: What should we do first?
Grace: Ask your brother for the answers.
Joan: To be humble you have to be proud.
Adam: Wait, arent those opposites?
Grace: Ah, ask him ask him.
[Luke just walked in]
Joan: No, no lets just break it down ok. Is there a chemical formula for twigs?
Adam: Uh
[from the top of is head]
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Family Guy: Fast Times at Buddy Cianci Jr. High (#4.2)" (2005)

Soundtrack:

One of Us

WONDERFUL show

This show is nothing like Touched by an Angel or anything insipid delivered on the Pax network. It is instead a deep reflection on how complicated it is to to be human. How do we find moments of consolation in those dark moments of desolation? How do we connect to ourselves and others?

It just so happens, Amber Tamblyn as title character Joan Girardi, (one of my personal favorites since her days as Emily Quartermaine on General Hospital) plays a cynical teenager who sees God. But God doesn't perform miracles. And he/she looks a little different every week. Joan is just trying to figure out who she is, like any of us she's digging around "in the trash trying to find something that matters." Joan's family is going through some real stress in Season 2 with the lawsuit against the oldest son Kevin who was left permanently paralyzed after a drunk driving accident...

Not being particularly religious, I feel incredibly drawn to the questions and issues this show raises every week.

Incisive writing, compelling acting. I can't remember what I was taping Friday nights.