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Joan of Arcadia

  • TV Series
  • 2003–2005
  • TV-PG
  • 1h
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
9.8K
YOUR RATING
Joe Mantegna, Mary Steenburgen, Jason Ritter, Amber Tamblyn, and Michael Welch in Joan of Arcadia (2003)
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Play trailer0:21
1 Video
23 Photos
Coming-of-AgeSupernatural FantasyComedyCrimeDramaFantasy

A teenage girl is visited by God, disguised as everyday people, and is given assignments and tasks that eventually have a positive outcome on people's lives.A teenage girl is visited by God, disguised as everyday people, and is given assignments and tasks that eventually have a positive outcome on people's lives.A teenage girl is visited by God, disguised as everyday people, and is given assignments and tasks that eventually have a positive outcome on people's lives.

  • Creator
    • Barbara Hall
  • Stars
    • Amber Tamblyn
    • Joe Mantegna
    • Mary Steenburgen
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.2/10
    9.8K
    YOUR RATING
    • Creator
      • Barbara Hall
    • Stars
      • Amber Tamblyn
      • Joe Mantegna
      • Mary Steenburgen
    • 105User reviews
    • 11Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 4 Primetime Emmys
      • 10 wins & 26 nominations total

    Episodes45

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    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 0:21
    Trailer

    Photos23

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    Top cast99+

    Edit
    Amber Tamblyn
    Amber Tamblyn
    • Joan Girardi
    • 2003–2005
    Joe Mantegna
    Joe Mantegna
    • Will Girardi
    • 2003–2005
    Mary Steenburgen
    Mary Steenburgen
    • Helen Girardi
    • 2003–2005
    Jason Ritter
    Jason Ritter
    • Kevin Girardi
    • 2003–2005
    Michael Welch
    Michael Welch
    • Luke Girardi
    • 2003–2005
    Becky Wahlstrom
    Becky Wahlstrom
    • Grace Polk
    • 2003–2005
    Christopher Rodriguez Marquette
    Christopher Rodriguez Marquette
    • Adam Rove
    • 2003–2005
    Aaron Himelstein
    Aaron Himelstein
    • Friedman
    • 2003–2005
    Mageina Tovah
    Mageina Tovah
    • Glynis Figliola
    • 2003–2005
    Elaine Hendrix
    Elaine Hendrix
    • Ms. Lischak
    • 2003–2005
    Mark Totty
    Mark Totty
    • Det. Carlisle
    • 2004–2005
    Patrick Fabian
    Patrick Fabian
    • Gavin Price
    • 2003–2005
    April Grace
    April Grace
    • Sergeant Toni Williams…
    • 2003–2004
    Catherine Petra Villalobos
    • Skater Girl
    • 2003–2005
    Derek Morgan
    • Undersheriff Roy Roebuck…
    • 2003–2004
    Annie Potts
    Annie Potts
    • Lieutenant Lucy Preston
    • 2004–2005
    Constance Zimmer
    Constance Zimmer
    • Sister Lilly Watters
    • 2004–2005
    Kris Lemche
    Kris Lemche
    • Cute Boy God…
    • 2003–2004
    • Creator
      • Barbara Hall
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews105

    7.29.7K
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    Featured reviews

    jwrowe3

    Quality=Doomed

    I discovered this show, just this last week. My 9 year old daughter had watched once or twice before and seemed to really enjoy it. I make it a point to watch what my children watch, to see if it's acceptable viewing. Surprise! Great Show!

    Without going over all the obvious details, I'll say this: Take the time for "Family Viewing" and have a look at this charming CBS Friday night show.

    9 out of 10 on my scale.

    2005 UPDATE....

    Yup, the goons at CBS have pulled the plug. What a shame. Quality DOES equal probable cancellation, I guess.....
    tamasin105

    WONDERFUL show

    This show is nothing like Touched by an Angel or anything insipid delivered on the Pax network. It is instead a deep reflection on how complicated it is to to be human. How do we find moments of consolation in those dark moments of desolation? How do we connect to ourselves and others?

    It just so happens, Amber Tamblyn as title character Joan Girardi, (one of my personal favorites since her days as Emily Quartermaine on General Hospital) plays a cynical teenager who sees God. But God doesn't perform miracles. And he/she looks a little different every week. Joan is just trying to figure out who she is, like any of us she's digging around "in the trash trying to find something that matters." Joan's family is going through some real stress in Season 2 with the lawsuit against the oldest son Kevin who was left permanently paralyzed after a drunk driving accident...

    Not being particularly religious, I feel incredibly drawn to the questions and issues this show raises every week.

    Incisive writing, compelling acting. I can't remember what I was taping Friday nights.
    littlewriter50

    Best show on TV

    It was disheartening to see that the first review was the one negative review in the bunch. When I opened the rest a sigh of relief echoed my quiet office. I think "Joan of Arcadia" is hands down the best show on TV. It has excellent actors, great writing, and each episode is more entertaining or satisfying than the last. This show touches me every time I watch it. The vehicle used is entertaining, the characters are wonderfully written, and a profound message is sent out without ever preaching. Having just been through the most faith-rocking year of my life, the truths illuminated in this series have provided comfort, insight, and peace. With all the faithless programming available, this show is a breath of really fresh air!
    magicbeauty

    GREAT show!

    I stumbled upon Joan of Arcadia near the end of the first season and quickly found one thing out: This is a great show!

    God speaks to Joan to have her try to make a DIFFERENCE in this world. The show is all about the choices we make in our lives that make a difference in the world around us. Through the choices Joan, her friends and her family make, we can learn something. Don't worry, it doesn't come off as all about religion, or all preachy. There is a great cast (especially Amber Tamblyn, Joe Mantegna and Mary Steenburgen), solid story lines and some really great music in between. I have been extremely impressed with Amber Tamblyn; she is perfect for this part.

    Sometimes sad, very often funny, there is always something you can relate to. Give it a chance; you will enjoy it!
    10dealingdreams

    Shame on CBS

    CBS recently canceled this truly original and uplifting show because it had lost viewers, and the age of the typical viewer (according to the lovely Neilsen ratings system) was over 50 years old. So what does CBS do? Say that a show about ghosts would "skew younger" than one about talking to God. Shame, shame, on you CBS. You promised that the show would be moved to another time slot before you canceled it, and you canceled it after making Barbara Hall introduce a new character that would hopefully bring in more viewers, while leaving the exit point for the show all the more sloppy and unresolved.

    Some other network needs to pick this show up now. It's been nominated for an Emmy, which it also might be again this year, and won the People's Choice Awards. It's got an estimated eight million viewers, which is pretty good considering it was up against Dateline and in a time slot when people are out and about (early evenings on Fridays, also not a time when a lot of the teenagers are home, so that also explains why the average age of the viewers was so high). It's really sad that a show which makes you think, feel, cry and laugh at the same time can be thrown away so easily, while all the reality TV junk and crime dramas that are all-too-similar are thriving. This show was the finest ever to grace TV, and I highly recommend it to anyone that is sick of the few choices left to watch on television anymore.

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    4.5
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    7.6
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    Related interests

    Elsie Fisher in Eighth Grade (2018)
    Coming-of-Age
    Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson in Ghostbusters (1984)
    Supernatural Fantasy
    Will Ferrell in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
    Comedy
    James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Sharon Angela, Max Casella, Dan Grimaldi, Joe Perrino, Donna Pescow, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Tony Sirico, and Michael Drayer in The Sopranos (1999)
    Crime
    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Elijah Wood in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
    Fantasy

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Show creator Barbara Hall wrote a list of guidelines for the writers, which she called "The Ten Commandments of Joan of Arcadia". These "commandments" are:
      • 1. God cannot directly intervene.
      • 2. Good and evil exist.
      • 3. God can never identify one religion as being right.
      • 4. The job of every human being is to fulfill his or her true nature.
      • 5. Everyone is allowed to say "no" to God, including Joan.
      • 6. God is not bound by time. This is a human concept.
      • 7. God is not a person and does not possess a human personality.
      • 8. God talks to everyone all the time in different ways.
      • 9. God's plan is what is good for us, not what is good for him.
      • 10. God's purpose for talking to Joan, and everyone, is to get her (us) to recognize the interconnectedness of all things - i.e., you cannot hurt a person without hurting yourself; all of your actions have consequences; God can be found in the smallest actions; God expects us to learn and grow from all our experiences. However, the exact nature of God is a mystery, and the mystery can never be solved.
    • Quotes

      God: Good is relative. Beauty's relative. Everything's relative. Except for me. I'm absolute.

      Joan: I thought that was vodka.

    • Connections
      Featured in The 61st Annual Golden Globe Awards (2004)
    • Soundtracks
      One of Us
      (aka "What if God was One of Us?")

      (Title Song)

      Written by Eric Bazilian

      Performed by Joan Osborne

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    FAQ19

    • How many seasons does Joan of Arcadia have?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 25, 2003 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • CBS
      • SCI-FI Channel
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Le monde de Joan
    • Filming locations
      • 1816 1/2 N. Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, California, USA(Skylight book store)
    • Production companies
      • Barbara Hall Productions
      • CBS Productions
      • Sony Pictures Television
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h(60 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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