8 TV reboots we actually wouldn’t mind seeing

TV reboots we’d actually like to see: Joan of Arcadia (2003-2005)

Joan of Arcadia was a fantasy/family drama hybrid that ran on CBS from September 2003 to April 2005. The title of the show is a play on the life of Joan of Arc, and centers around a young girl who gains the ability to see and speak with God, who gives her tasks to perform, often to help others in need. The tasks often appear to be trivial or contrary, but ultimately end up positively improving a much larger situation.

Each week, the episode would center around someone unknowingly in crisis, from strangers to members of her own family, who need help in some way. It wasn’t until the second season that the show developed an overall story arc, as opposed to a “case of the week” format. Despite being a “family show,” the series regularly touched on serious topics such as death, rape, and addiction.

The immensely talented cast consisted of Amber Tamblyn as Joan Girardi, a high school girl who suddenly begins to see and talk to God, Joe Mantegna as Joan’s father Will, the town’s police chief, and Mary Steenburgen as Joan’s mother Helen, an artist and school administrator. Jason Ritter and Michael Welch were cast as Joan’s brothers, Kevin and Luke respectively. Kevin became a paraplegic following a car accident a year prior to the start of the series, and Luke is the often overlooked straight-A nerd of the family. Chris Marquette and Becky Wahlstrom were added as series regulars in season two, as Joan’s best friends Adam Rove and Grace Polk.

During it’s initial release, the show was praised by critics and viewers alike, winning the Humantias Prize and a People’s Choice Award during it’s first season. The show was also nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series for season one. Joan of Arcadia debuted on the heels of Touched By an Angel, which had just ended its nine-year run, and became one of the highest-rated new shows of the 2003-2004 television season.

However, ratings steadily declined in its second season, in spite of the show garnering continued critical acclaim. The second season ended with the introduction of a menacing character, an amoral “tempter,” played by Wentworth Miller. The character was meant to be Joan’s adversary in the third season, with the show hinting at Joan revealing her abilities to her friends in order to enlist them in the fight against Miller’s character.

A modernized take on the character of Joan, who perhaps could interact with different types of gods from all religious backgrounds, would be a welcome breath of fresh air in today’s television landscape.