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Joan of Arcadia - The First Season
Directors: Steve Gomer, Bethany Rooney, Peter Levin, Ron Lagomarsino, Elodie Keene
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Retail Price (not our price): $39.98
Release Date: 2005-05-10
Theatrical Release Date: 2003-09-25
Studio: Paramount
Run Time: 1028 minutes
Format: Array
Format: Box set, Color, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Discs: 6


Editorial Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):

1) Amazon.com
Once in awhile a show comes along that breaks the mold. Most such programs fail, but Joan of Arcadia set out to do something new, beat the odds, and found an audience. Created by Barbara Hall (Judging Amy), it's a unique hybrid of My So-Called Life, The Commish, and--well, something different. Unlike CBS predecessor Touched by an Angel, faith creates more questions than answers (and God even has a sense of humor). Joan (Amber Tamblyn) is an ordinary 16-year-old. Father Will (Joe Mantegna) is the local Arcadia police chief, mother Helen (Mary Steenburgen) is a teacher/administrator, younger brother Luke (Michael Welch) is a fellow student, and older brother Kevin (Jason Ritter, son of John Ritter) is a high school graduate who was paralyzed the year before. He used to be popular and athletic. Now he watches TV and builds models. In the pilot, God speaks to Joan for the first time, as a cute boy, and asks her to get a job. Once she's convinced He's really God, she does. Her action inspires Kevin to get one, too, and his process of rejoining the world begins. As in Joan Osborne's theme song, "One of Us" (featured on two episodes), God will continue to appear to Joan in a variety of guises--even as a dog walker who looks like Russ Tamblyn (Amber's father). He'll often ask her to do things that make her uncomfortable, but she'll always learn from the experience and some good will always come from it. Unfortunately, she isn't able to talk to anyone about this or they'd think she was crazy, not even friends Grace (Becky Hahlstrom) or Adam (Christopher Marquette). By the season finale, faith will be replaced by doubt, setting the scene for the second season, in which Joan's faith will be restored. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

2) Description
After patriarch Will gets a job as the chief of police, the Girardi family moves to the small town of Arcadia from the big city. Middle child Joan isn't happy, and her family, consisting of science nerd Luke, paralyzed former jock Kevin, and their perpetually flustered mother Helen, isn't helping. Joan finds herself talking to God, in the form of random people who give her assignments to help the people around her. Joan keeps following God's assignments, never sure if she's really speaking to him, or just going crazy!

Customer Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5

1) Life Changing   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
Every once in a while a message comes along that restores your hope and faith in yourself, and Joan of Arcadia carries that message in every episode. Regardless of what your religious persuasion is, this series always makes you feel that God really is out there encouraging all of us to be better people. Even though there were moral lessons that drove the story line, I felt the more important meaning I got from the show was that God is talking to me every day. You don't need to be a "chosen one" for God to take an interest in your life; and even though he doesn't give you the answers, he helps you come up with the right questions to do what is right. I truly feel the world would be a better place if we still had this wonderful show to give us hope in ourselves again, but I'm thankful we were given two wonderful seasons.

2) Charming and fun to watch   [Rating: 4 out of 5]
This probably won't go down as the best tv series ever - it's certainly not as iconic as 'Buffy, although I can see where the comparison comes from. Apart from being told mainly from the point of view of a 16 year old High School student, it's witty and fun to watch. There are annoying moments, usually when Mary Steenburgen's character starts whining, annoys the priest, or becomes over-protective, but then I never liked the Mrs Summers character in 'Buffy' very much either, for similar reasons. The central premise, however, is an engaging one: God showing up in various guises, giving the main character tasks in the form of suggestions, the purpose of which only becomes clear once she has followed through with them. Free will means she can choose not to follow them (although her curiosity and the God characters' frequent appearances ensure that she always does), and it is up to her how she gets the task done. Sometimes she gets it wrong and although the result is always as intended, there is a lesson that the means does not necessarily justify the end. Over the run of this first season, we are introduced to the various and varied characters whom God uses to contact Joan, some are cheeky, some funny, others more serious, but all have a sense of humour, while never robbing the character of dignity and caring; this is brought across quite poignantly in the last scene of this season, when God is watching over an ill and delirious Joan.

3) joan of arcadia - the first season   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
wonderful television, great ideas, well written and actedwish it was still on the air

4) AMAZING!!   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
This show was a surprising dose of reality. There was so much truth in it, and yo do not even have to believe in God to like it!! I am an aethiest and this show still remains my favorite! There were moments that made me laugh, ones that made me smile, and ones that made me cry (just like when the series ended). Why end such a beautiful show? I wish they would make a third, fourth, fifth, sixth, etc. season!!!!!

5) Brilliant Drama   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
This is an excellent series. It is a shame there aren't more like it. Amber Tamblyn is a superb actress along with the ensemble cast. They all have bright futures!