‘Living Biblically’ team hopes they have a prayer with comedy
LOS ANGELES—In the beginning, Patrick Walsh created the new CBS comedy “Living Biblically,” and he’s convinced it’s good. His creation follows Chip Curry (Jay R. Ferguson), a reporter who decides he’s going to literally live his life according to the Bible. His spiritual journey toward a more moral life will take some help from his wife, friends, a priest (Ian Gomez) and a rabbi (David Krumholtz).
Walsh tells TV critics that he knows not everyone will be a believer that a TV comedy based on the Bible is a good idea.å“I don’t think there is any scenario where the show wouldn’t bother someone in the world,” Walsh says. “But it is absolutely not the goal. And even those of us who aren’t religious I think have a great deal of respect for religion and what it’s trying to do.”
In doing his research, Walsh discovered that 84 percent of the people on this planet align themselves with some form of religion. But, the only time he can recall any discussion is either when it is being harshly criticized or sanitized to the point those of religious faith can’t recognize the message.
The main goal for Walsh is never to offend people of faith because that would not bode well for the future of the show. “I have a great deal of respect for them. I think people need guidance and help in their life, much like Chip does in our show, and it helps a lot of people, and we hope that we treat it fairly and with respect,” Walsh says.
Even before he did his research, Walsh had a solid understanding of religion. He says he was “raised very religious” but recalls how his father would tell him that as soon as Communion was done, they needed to get out of the church to beat the rush. So he grew up with the idea that religion is very important, but there’s no reason to spend an excessive amount of time in church.
Walsh is convinced many viewers will be able to relate to that way of thinking and find it funny. “I think religious people are not given credit for having a sense of humor, and I think nonbelievers are not given credit for being curious about religion and want to know more about it,” Walsh says.
Walsh isn’t alone on his journey. Johnny Galecki, who ironically stars on a show with a name that offers a different viewpoint on the creation of the world with “Big Bang Theory,” is an executive producer on “Living Biblically.” He’s done his own research and discovered that more than 100 million Bibles are printed annually and 25 percent of them are bought in the United States.
He says despite those staggering numbers, he’s never seen anybody at Starbucks reading one.
“It’s almost like there is a shame that you don’t have all the answers if you are religious and then a fear that because it’s such a personal sacred ingredient to each of us, it’s difficult to articulate, and there is a fear that you’ll be misunderstood and therefore judged,” Galecki says. “And even more so, a fear that you may offend someone else’s beliefs who might be within earshot.
“So as we all know, the best way to approach a conversation that people are uncomfortable with is with comedy, and that’s our goal here. One, to make people laugh, and, two, to hopefully inspire a conversation around the water cooler that people might have otherwise been uncomfortable with, no matter what the result of that conversation.”