Higher-power tech
God stars as ‘Friend’ in a new — original — scripted TV series
What if God is real? Better yet, what if God is tech-savvy?
That’s the wild premise of “God Friended Me,” one of the few original TV shows — read: not a remake, reboot, spinoff or sequel — this season, pulled from the minds of “Alcatraz” co-creators Steven Lilien and Bryan Wynbrandt.
If the concept sounds heretical, that’s because it may be; there’s literally a burning bush. But there’s also a message of hope and of believing in something bigger than ourselves, whether or not that higher power knows how to send Facebook friend requests.
“It’s not about religion, but about talking to people,” star Brandon Micheal Hall told the Daily News. “Once you get past the title and get past thinking it’s ‘7th Heaven,’ it’s dope.”
Hall plays Miles Finer, an atheist with a radio show who receives a friend request from God. The 25-year-old “Mayor” alum — who studied at Juilliard and was raised by his single mother, a preacher — said he fell in love with the script.
The pilot, the only episode provided to critics, quickly moves beyond a religious whodunit. Family, those we have, those we want and those we pushed away, is at the center of “God Friended Me.”
The family includes Cara Bloom (Violett Beane), a journalist whom Miles saves and ends up befriending before helping her find her mother. Joe Morton — Eli Pope on “Scandal” — plays Miles’ estranged father and a reverend at the local church. Miles’ sister Ali (Javicia Leslie) wants to see her family back together.
“What sets it apart from other family shows is that it tells every side of the story,” Beane, who previously had roles on “The Flash” and “The Leftovers,” said. “Every character is individually different in the way that they think, way that they look at problems.”
For Lilien, who said the idea for the show began in the early days of Facebook and took almost a decade to bring to life, viewers don’t need to be religious to understand “God Friended Me.”
“Our goal is for our audience to tune in each week and see themselves, see the ups and downs and remember that the world, as big as it is, can be a great place where we have these great connections,” he told The News. “If you believe or don’t believe, believe in each other. It’s about faith in each other and in humanity.”
It’s almost impossible to judge a TV show on one episode, but “God Friended Me” has promise and deserves credit for being a truly original story in the age of revivals.
The pilot is steeped in millennial clichés — Cara hasn’t turned in an article in six weeks, Miles’ best friend Rakesh (Suraj Sharma) won’t stop whining about Tinder — the title is enough to scare anyone off. But if the show can stay true to the heart of its message, it could make the nonbeliever believe, at least a little, at least in something.
“In 2018, the world has gone to a very strange place. It’s dark and, at times, unforgiving. We wanted to bring a ray of light and hope to the world,” Wynbrandt told The News.
“Life is beautiful and this show is a reminder of that. It’s easy, in this day and age, with social media and the 24-hour news cycle, to forget that there are really powerful moments and people that are going to cross your path and change your world.” “God Friended Me” premieres Sunday at 8 p.m. on CBS.