Faith makes a TV comeback
From snake handlers to trivia buffs, entertainment with religious overtones has gilded the fall TV lineup with the renewals of such ratings-busting shows as 鈥淭he American Bible Challenge鈥� (GSN), now in its third season, and the return of 鈥淏reaking Amish: L.A.,鈥� including a bonus reunion event (TLC). Add ongoing reality shows such as 鈥淧reacher鈥檚 Daughters鈥� (Lifetime) and the list just keeps growing.
鈥淲e are certainly in the midst of a rush of interest in faith-based shows,鈥� says Martha Williamson, executive producer of the CBS hit 鈥淭ouched by an Angel,鈥� which ran from 1994 to 2003.
The appetite for faith-based shows should hardly be surprising. Some 78 percent of Americans say they are 海角大神, according to a poll by the Pew Research Center鈥檚 Project on Religion and Public Life.
The phenomenal success of the History Channel鈥檚 鈥淭he Bible,鈥� produced by husband-and-wife team Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, has confirmed for many that, done right, religion as entertainment can be both hot and profitable, says Angie Schuller Wyatt, a faith counselor and granddaughter of Crystal Cathedral founder Robert Schuller.
Much to their surprise, CBS executives learned the same lesson in 1994. 鈥淭hey thought [鈥楾ouched by an Angel鈥橾 might air for maybe six episodes, until they could get the next Don Johnson action show on the air,鈥� says Ms. Williamson.
While faith and mass entertainment are not mutually exclusive, they coexist in a delicate balance that risks cheapening religion in order to give it mass appeal, says Bryan Stone, academic dean at Boston University鈥檚 School of Theology. 鈥淐onsumer culture may render a religious tradition more accessible, but our relationship to that tradition remains one of 鈥榮hoppers鈥� and 鈥榗onsumers鈥� who engage [with it] as a disposable commodity,鈥� he says.
Of equal concern, says Professor Stone, is the fact that Hollywood is attracted to the bizarre and unusual in religion, and tends to focus on those in its programming.聽 鈥淪nake Salvation,鈥� which began airing in September on the National Geographic Channel, features a pair of snake-handling Pentecostal preachers. Expect it to draw a sizable audience, Stone says, 鈥渁nd we can likely expect similar programming on the way.鈥�
Indeed, more is not necessarily better, says Tom Forman, chief executive officer of Relativity Television, who spoke at a June faith-based entertainment conference sponsored by the Hollywood trade magazine Variety. 鈥淭he good news is there is going to be a lot more of it,鈥� he told the audience. 鈥淭he bad news is that a lot of it is going to be awful.鈥�
