Search - Joan of Arcadia - The First Season on DVD

Beautiful transfers, good extras...so where's the music?

Cubist | United States | 05/13/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Since 9/11 it's no secret that people have been anxious, asking questions and feeling unsafe. They have been looking for something comforting and the TV show Joan of Arcadia came along to fulfill this need. In some respects, it is the My So Called Life for the new Millennium. Both shows feature a young, teenage girl as the protagonist dealing with the trials and tribulations of growing up: boys, doing well in school, trying to have some semblance of a social life and, oh yeah, talking to God.

If you read the fine print on the back of the box, you will notice that some of the show's music has been changed. Apparently, they couldn't secure the rights to music by Avril Lavigne, Sinead O'Connor, The White Stripes and others. This is a glaring omission and one that takes away from the enjoyment of these episodes.

On the first disc is an audio commentary for the "Pilot" episode by the show's creator, Barbara Hall and episode director James Hayman. This is a chatty, engaging track as Hayman focuses on the more technical aspects while Hall talks about the show's themes.

There are five deleted scenes that include Will laying down the law with a subordinate in the "Pilot" and Joan butting heads with Principal Price in "The Fire and the Wood."

The second disc features three deleted scenes with Joan and her mom having a heart-to-heart in "Just Say No." There is more of Kevin getting sick of the special treatment he receives because of his wheelchair in "The Devil Made Me Do It" that just feels redundant.

The third disc features an audio commentary on "Jump" by Hall, Hayman and writer Hart Hanson. Hall points out that the early episodes establish what God can and can't do while Hanson talks about his script and the changes it underwent.

There are four deleted scenes that include Will meeting more resistance from a bureaucrat in "St. Joan" and an uncomfortable moment between Luke and Glynis in "The Uncertainty Principle."

On the fourth disc there is an audio commentary on "Recreation" by the Girardi family: Amber Tamblyn, Mary Steenburgen, Michael Welch, Jason Ritter and Joe Mantegna. This is something of a let-down as they spend the entire track joking around with each other and commenting on how different they looked back then.

There are two deleted scenes that include Joan standing up to Principal Price in "Double Dutch."

The fifth DVD features three deleted scenes with Kevin screwing up at work and then facing the ramifications of it in "No Bad Guy."

The sixth disc features an audio commentary on "The Gift" by writers Tom Garrigus, David Grae, Joy Gregory and Stephen Nathan. They point out that this is the episode where the Joan-Adam relationship peaks and that they wanted to examine the whole teen sex issue in a non-cliché way.

Hall and Hayman return for the audio commentary on "Silence." They deliver another strong track explaining their intentions with this episode. These two are the guiding creative forces on the show and speak very eloquently about it.

"The Creation of Joan of Arcadia" takes a look at how the show came together. The idea for it came to Hall while working on Judging Amy as contemporary take on Joan of Arc.

"Joan of Arcadia - A Look at Season One" is a substantial 18-minute overview. Hall talks about how she picked the show's writers and goes through the casting of the Girardi family and the actors talk about their characters.

"God Gallery" takes us through six reoccurring incarnations of God in the first season, identifies who plays them and why God looks like them. This is an enjoyable extra that provides insight into the casting of God.

Finally, there are two deleted scenes that feature little bits of business between characters that was rightly cut.

At times, like My So Called Life, Joan of Arcadia gets a little too touchy feely liberal for its own good but, surprisingly, it doesn't try to ram religion down our throats. Ultimately, the show deals with human frailties and notions of tolerance and compassion in a compelling and entertaining way that is comforting in these dark and uncertain times."

Can't believe CBS cancelled this Gem !

A Viewer | Mt. Airy, MD USA | 05/19/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Shame on you, CBS! What a great show - well-acted, well-written. Easily the best show produced in the last five years, with all the "reality" trash that's so prevalent these days. What a shame that CBS is replacing it with a show about talking to ghosts, believing this will get higher ratings. Please join me in letting CBS know we want more programming like Joan of Arcadia, not less. Call the CBS programming office at (212) 975-3247. If you want to speak to a person, call between 10:00AM and 11:30AM, or 2:00PM - 3:30PM, Eastern Time. Otherwise, you can leave your comments on their machine. We need to let our voices be heard! Let's flood them with calls."