“Joan of Arcadia,” CBS, Fridays 8 p.m.

Telltale quote: “I don’t look like this. I don’t look like anything you’d recognize. You can’t see me. I don’t sound like anything you’d recognize. You see, I’m beyond your experience. I take this form because it’s something you’re comfortable with – it makes sense to you.”

Overview: At first, the idea of God talking to a teenager in various forms seems less like the formula for a hit show and more like a skit on “Saturday Night Live.” But “Joan of Arcadia” may prove to be a strong drama for CBS nonetheless.
   If the casting is any indication, the series is primed for success. Amber Tamblyn stars as Joan Girardi, the middle child of three and the only daughter of the chief of police. Tamblyn may be best remembered for her 7-year role as Emily Quartermaine on ABC’s “General Hospital.” 
   Oldest son Kevin was recently left wheelchair-bound after a car accident, and the family is still learning how to be sensitive to his situation. Ironically, Kevin is played by Jason Ritter, whose father is the late John Ritter. The Girardi parents are played by Joe Mantegna and Academy Award winner Mary Steenburgen.
   While the premise of the show deals with God talking to Joan, creator Barbara Hall (“Judging Amy”) doesn’t expect the series to focus on the traditional ideals of religion, but the crossroads of science and spirituality. Joan’s conversations with God overlap with her father’s investigations as part of a series of “errands” Joan is expected to help execute.

Verdict: “Joan of Arcadia” may take awhile to find a comfortable niche on Fridays. The heavier subject matter and thought-provoking content may be a challenge in the 8 p.m. hour against sitcoms and NBC’s “Miss Match.” However, the show’s well-crafted dialogue and intriguing premise offer a distinct alternative that should draw audiences searching for more substantive programming.

By John Rash

“Joan of Arcadia,” CBS, Fridays 8 p.m.

   “What if God was one of us?  Just a slob like one of us?” singer Joan Osborne wondered in her 1996 pop hit "One of Us." That's the question posed and partially answered in the intriguing “Joan of Arcadia.”
    The pilot works because audiences empathize with young Joan, in both her worry and wonderment as God appears as a lunch line lady, a shadowy figure in the night and the cute new boy in school. (OK, every schoolgirl thinks the cute new boy is God, but viewers get the point.)
    What doesn't work is that the writers cannot resist the temptation -- even in a show about God -- to include the forensic focus of so many other CBS shows: Joan's dad just happens to be the chief of police investigating a serial killer's forensic clues. Why, just for variety, can't he be a forensic accountant? Or a Fortune 500 executive, a forest ranger or a Formula 1 racecar driver? This contrivance is contrary to the spiritual side of the series, and for the show to reach its heavenly potential it will need to emphasize enlightenment and not just use Joan's divine intervention as a superior power to fight crime, like a Joan of Arc action hero.

For past Media Life reviews of the new fall shows, click below.

NBC's "Coupling"

CBS's "Brotherhood of Poland, N.H."

CBS's "Navy NCIS"

ABC's "I'm With Her"

WB's "One Tree Hill"

NBC's "Las Vegas"

CBS's "Two and a Half Men"

WB's "Like Family"

Fox's "Luis"

ABC's "Threat Matrix"

UPN's "All of Us," "Rock Me Baby"

UPN's "Eve"

WB's "All About the Andersons"

WB's "Steve Harvey's Big Time"
WB's "Run of the House"
UPN's "The Mullets"

UPN's "Jake 2.0"

NBC's "Whoopi"
NBC's "Happy Family"

A.J. Livsey's fall season overview