Joan of Arcadia: The First Season

CBS' Friday night series Joan of Arcadia became one of the unexpected hits of the 2003-04 season, although the success of the program--about a high-school girl (Amber Tamblyn) who is approached by God each week in some human form to serve, however reluctantly, as Heaven's earthly instrument--shouldn't have been a surprise, given the warm welcome for predecessors such as Highway to Heaven and Touched By an Angel. The networks have always had room, it appears, for uplifting tales with a vaguely religious twist, and in such company this show ranks fairly high. Joan's inability to comprehend the deity's plans or reconcile God's power with her own family's myriad problems lends a Job-like quality to the proceedings, adding a bit of complexity where feel-good simplicity would normally prevail (any network program that calls to mind both a 15th-century mystic and one of the most challenging books of the Old Testament is certainly a step above the typical stories of angels assisting people). The cast is also strong, with veterans Joe Mantegna and Mary Steenburgen providing fine support as Joan's parents, and Jason Ritter and Michael Welch excellent as her brothers. Still, Joan of Arcadia can slide into mawkishness, and its premise proved hard to sustain; the network recently announced its cancellation after only two seasons on the air (so it's possible that the short-lived series will become a cult phenomenon). DVD extras on this 23-episode set (along with the pilot) include audio commentaries on selected episodes, deleted scenes, a pair of featurettes, and a “God Gallery” showing the various guises in which the deity appears. Recommended. (F. Swietek)