TV shows look to God for religious-themed comedy
God is everywhere and in everything — including your favourite comedies.
The unexpected breakout star of winter TV is none other than the Lord himself, whose divine presence is felt in a number of cable and network shows this season.
Friday, Disney Channel airs an episode of coming-of-age dramedy “Andi Mack” that’s set entirely at a lead character’s bar mitzvah. On Monday, CBS premières sitcom “Living Biblically,” which follows a man named Chip (Jay R. Ferguson) who decides to live his life strictly in accordance with the Bible, after his best friend dies and wife Leslie (Lindsey Kraft) becomes pregnant.
Comedies including HBO’s “Crashing,” CBS’ “Young Sheldon” and Fox’s “The Mick” have also tackled topics of church, faith and spirituality in new episodes. So why are TV characters being born again?
“The reason that so few shows have been done about religion until right about now is it’s scary, it’s intimidating,” says “Living Biblically” creator Patrick Walsh (”Crashing”). “People feel so strongly in what they believe and don’t like it talked about. For whatever reason, this topic that unites so many people in the world is kept quiet.”
As sitcoms continue to wade into more serious subject matter, such as politics and race, “this is a great time to take things that are important to people, show them as they really are and use them for storytelling, and not for joke-telling,” says “Andi Mack” creator Terri Minsky (“Lizzie McGuire,” “Less Than Perfect”). “People are just freer to tell stories, and religion is an important part of people’s lives.”
That’s certainly true for Cyrus (Joshua Rush), best friend to Andi (Peyton Elizabeth Lee), who has spent the second season preparing for his bar mitzvah. The idea was pitched by Rush, who, like Minsky, is Jewish. Much of the character’s bar mitzvah, filmed in a Salt Lake City synagogue, is inspired by the actor’s real-life celebration.
“It had all the hallmarks of a real bar mitzvah — I might as well have just gotten the certificate while I was at it,” Rush
says, laughing. Ultimately, the goal is to “give kids at home a chance to see another person’s culture. The more that we see and understand each others’ culture, the more accepting we are of each other.”
Walsh similarly hopes to inspire conversations among people of different faiths with “Biblically,” loosely based on Esquire editor A.J. Jacobs’ non-fiction book “The Year of Living Biblically.” The show mines laughs from the modern-day struggles of trying to closely follow scripture, as Chip gives up false idols (his smartphone and social media) and tries to pray away his problems.
“I think most of us know people — sometimes really close friends and family members — that don’t share our beliefs, but we still love and cherish and want to share our lives with (them),” says Paul Asay, senior associate editor of Focus on the Family’s Christian pop culture site Plugged In. “Some of these shows reflect that tension, the desire for connection and even sometimes the beautiful interactions that can result.”
In the second-season première of “Crashing,” for instance, recently divorced comic Pete Holmes (playing a version of himself ) has a chance encounter with magician and atheist Penn Jillette, who makes him question his belief in God.
It’s a complicated yet funny spiritual journey that’s mirrored in “Biblically,” as Pete and Chip realize there’s no such thing as a perfect Christian.