One of my favorite shows ever.

There are several reasons I am bitter towards CBS. I mean, despite a slight decline in content quality and ratings in the past few years, I'm a fan. The Monday night comedies. David Letterman (much cooler than Jay Leno) and Craig Ferguson (as cool as Conan O'Brien). Andy Rooney on 60 Minutes. Gotta mention the editors of Big Brother - good work, guys. Speaking of reality shows, they've got Survivor, the original network reality show (which is actually probably as much a bad thing as it is good) and The Amazing Race, which really is as close to quality television as reality network TV gets. And of course, CSI, the greatest procedural drama on television (the Miami and New York spin-offs can be forgiven).

I do have a few problems with some of CBS's decisions. The story arc involving Sara and Grissom on CSI? Eurgh. Sara and Greg or even Sara and Nick would have been much less disturbing. And I was bummed when they cancelled The Class last year (but kudos for getting rid of the annoying blonde chick before ending the series). And seriously, Dr. Phil? Not to mention, they're the network associated with "Nipple Gate," the Janet Jackson / Super Bowl fiasco.

What I resent CBS for the most is the cancellation of Joan of Arcadia after its second season and replacing it with Ghost Whisperer or whatever the hell that Jennifer Love Hewitt show is. They gave Joan a crappy time slot (Friday nights at 8 pm?!?!) and then cancelled it when it didn't pull in enough viewers. NOTHING in that time slot ever does well! The end of the second season left viewers with a MAJOR cliff hanger that was never resolved. It was upsetting. It's still one of my favorite shows ever. Comfort TV. Hehe.

The whole premise of the show: a teenage girl moves to a new town with her family when her dad gets a job in the police department. Her mom works at her high school as an office assistant or something and eventually as an art teacher. She has an older brother out of high school who's a paraplegic, having gotten in an accident involving a drunk friend driving in his senior year, and her younger brother is in high school with her and a certified nerd. She's angsty and disgruntled with her life, and God starts talking to her, presenting Himself in several forms (cute guy, dog-walker, little girl, goth kid, old lady) and He starts setting her tasks. Mostly they seem simple - get a job, take AP physics, get an A on a test, join a club, etc. - but they always end up having much bigger consequences than she expects and teaching her something about life. It was really a great show. At least it's on DVD now. I was watching an episode from season 1 the other night, where God instructs Joan to help out around the house with chores and such. She ends up having to take care of her sick brother and make dinner and run errands and deal with a ton of little responsibilities, and over-booking herself with her friends and having trouble balancing it all with school. At the end, after she's had a really long, hard day and gets in all sorts of trouble and is frustrated in general, God approaches her the next day in school.

[Goth God approaches Joan at her locker]
Joan: Oh. You again. Do you ever show up when I actually need help?
Goth God: You don’t need me. You’re doing great.
Joan: Oh. Okay, and so you’re here to, what, show me your new nose ring?
Goth God: I want you to pick up some cream of wheat on your way home.
Joan: Cream of what?
Goth God: Cream of wheat. It’s got a lot of iron, and Luke needs it.
Joan: No. You don’t get it. I’m done. Luke gets to put on his space suit, Mom made it to her meeting, crisis averted, have a pleasant day.
[Walks away, pauses, turns around]
You’re not gonna stop me?
Goth God: It’s your choice to walk away. I just think it’s interesting that out of all the tasks I’ve given you, buying cream of wheat is the one you’re abandoning.
Joan: Because it’s endless! It’s a black hole of never-ending worries and responsibilities.
Goth God: It’s called growing up.
Joan: Well, what if I don’t want to?
Goth God: In the brief time we’ve been talking here, thousands of cells in your body have died and renewed themselves. You’re changing all the time. That’s how you know you’re alive.
Joan: It just seems so scary. [Pause] . . . And now here’s the part where you reassure me . . . ?
Goth God: It is scary. . . Fortunately, you’re not alone.

Later:
Joan: I always thought once you were an adult, you just sort of. . . wake up with all the answers.
Helen: Yeah, that’d be nice. There’s hardly ever any answers. . . just more questions.

That's kind of depressing. But kind of reassuring too. And that's what I loved about that show. It often faced hard truths, but always reminded you that you're not alone. <333