Plot summary

Millions of people speak to God. What if God spoke back? Life just got a hell of a lot more confusing for teenage Joan Girardi, who already deals with feeling out of place in her family : her police chief father, her somewhat overbearing mother, her geeky younger brother and former football star older brother, now paralyzed. They'd never believe her if she told them that God is talking to her. Does Joan have a higher purpose on earth, or are these strange conversations just in her head?

About the show
Joan of Arcadia is about a teenage girl, Joan Girardi (played by Amber Tamblyn), who sees and speaks with God in the form of various people such as small children, teenage boys, elderly ladies, transients, passers by, etc. Joan is asked by God to perform tasks that often appear to be trivial or contrary, but the end result of which is always positive towards a larger situation.

An example is when Joan is asked to take a reclusive bully to the school dance. While both her mother and the assistant principal object, Joan follows through with God's task. At the dance, it is revealed the bully has a bottle of alcohol with him but Joan convinces him not to open it. Despite this the assistant principal later reaches into his jacket and, finding the alcohol, expels him. Joan later finds out from God that while this turn of events seems rather bleak, it was the lesser of two evils: in an alternate timeline he shot over a dozen students and teachers with a handgun, before turning the gun on himself.

The opening credits roll with the song "One of Us" by Joan Osborne, a hit single in the United States off her 1995 album Relish:

What if God was one of us?
Just a slob like one of us
Just a stranger on the bus
Trying to make his way home (repeated)

To fit the lyrics of the song, Joan first meets God as a teenage boy riding to school on the bus with her (although they don't actually speak to each other at the time).

Prizes and nominations
Won the prestigious Humanitas Prize, the People's Choice Award, as well as being one of the few television shows to be nominated for an Emmy Award in the first season, for Best Dramatic Series.

_____________________________________________

I loved this show when it was on tv. The story line was good, the acting was good, the actor who played 'cute boy God' was handsome ( ;) ). Some episodes made me laugh and some made me cry (when Judith died).



Music videos
One of Us. Great song :)!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjUCvBNkqY8

Bring it on!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyznRyncGTM

Talk of life with God/Death of Judith.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_OnMw1rkjc

Slipped away, video about Judith's death.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3Ztth-kWqA

Yes i loved that show..i use to watch it all the time!

Me too :) only too bad it just suddenly stopped! Good shows dissapear from tv while stupid shows (like reality shows) stay on tv :(!

Back when the show was still on-air I used to be obsessed with the name Joanne, I really thought I was going to name my child that way. No I don't think it's a nice name :P

ive loved that show..:) i always and still do think jason ritter is hott..:)

i liked the show...but i was never really a huge die hard fan. but now whenever i see amber tamblyn, i dont think of her as Joan, but i think of her as Tibby from The Sisterhood of The Traveling Pants :D

evertime i see her i think of Joan Of arcida

I never see her on tv :P

i know..she isnt on tv that much anymore