Product Description

An average 16-year-old, Joan is going through the growing pains typical of any teenager. But after she and her family (Joe Mantegna, Mary Steenburgen, Jason Ritter, Michael Welch) relocate to Arcadia, her life gets especially interesting when God starts paying her visits.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4736 in DVD
• Brand: Paramount
• Released on: 2006-11-28
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: AC-3, Box set, Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 6
• Dimensions: .75 pounds
• Running time: 968 minutes

Amazon.com
For two years, CBS's Joan of Arcadia managed the neat trick of warming the heart, while keeping the gag reflex at bay. And for a family drama based around faith--and the lack thereof--preachiness was always in short supply. At the end of the first season, Joan (Amber Tamblyn) decides it's all in her head: God isn't really speaking to her. Over the summer, she attends a camp for troubled kids, and now she makes lamps. Her boyfriend, Adam (Christopher Marquette), is as confused as ever; he was just starting to believe her. While Joan questions God's existence, her mother, Helen (Mary Steenburgen), plans a return to the Catholic Church. To that end, she starts meeting with chain-smoking former nun Lilly (Constance Zimmer, Boston Legal) to help with her confirmation. Joan's father, Will (Joe Mantegna), older brother Kevin (Jason Ritter), and Helen must also contend with the lawsuit filed by the boy who caused Kevin's accident, while Joan's younger brother, Luke (Michael Welch), continues to see the surly Grace (Becky Wahlstrom) in secret.

New Arcadia arrivals include Will's controlling boss, Lucy (Annie Potts), Joan's "crazy camp" friend, Judith (Sprague Grayden), and enigmatic do-gooder Ryan (Wentworth Miller, Prison Break), who shares Joan's gift. Despite critical kudos and respectable ratings, Joan of Arcadia wasn't picked up for a third season, but its spirit lives on in such disparate shows as Medium, in which a woman communicates with the dead, and My Name Is Earl, in which a man goes around doing good deeds. This six-disc set features commentary by creator Barbara Hall, producer James Hayman, and writer Stephen Nathan. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Customer Reviews

Should Have Had A Third Season!
I couldn't believe that CBS cancelled this wonderful show after only 2 seasons! It received a lot of attention and even won awards during its first season, but for whatever reason, was dismissed in its second season. The season/series finale had the show poised for a terrific third season, had the show continued, with Joan now battling her foe, a young man possibly working for Satan, just as she was "working" for God. What a shame that this gem was instead cancelled. Joan was one of the most realistic portrayals of a teenager on television, aside from the fact that she often talked to God, and Amber Tamblyn, her portrayer, is a stand-out. I also loved the portrayal of Joan's older brother, played by Jason Ritter, as a former high school jock who seemed to have everything going for him until a car accident left him in a wheel chair and all the implications this tragedy had for Joan's entire family. The concept of this show was very clever and although Joan talked to God, it never felt too religious or preachy. It was also extremely well-written and acted. This is a show that people of all ages can enjoy and that families can actually watch together. How rare is that nowadays?

Intelligent, Spiritual, and thought Provoking, Joan of Arcadia Season Two arrives on November 28th.
I stayed away from this show for several years, mainly because it was branded as a "religious show." Imagine my suprise when I rented the first disc of Season 1 and actually sat down and watched the show with an open mind. I was amazed by the sincerity, depth, and heart this show has, and how God is portrayed in this series. This is a show about humanity and spirituality, rather than any specific religion, and how we are all intertwined on this earth. Season two of Joan of Arcadia builds on the success of the amazing first season, where God appeared to average American teenager Joan Girardi in various forms and requested that she engage and influence the lives around her.

This is the kind of television that makes you think, touches your heart, and still honestly portrays family life and the reality of being a teenager. In this show, as in real life, life isnt perfect. When we mess up our actions have direct consequences on those around us, and even our successes can have consequences. Joan of Arcadia forced you to think and address deeper issues than most one hour dramas, and perhaps that contributed to CBS's monumentally stupid decision to cancel the show after just two seasons. The best and most intelligent series are always the ones to be cancelled.

Season 2 contains 22 full length episodes, including the final and mysterious series finale "Something Wicked This Way Comes." Season 2 explores more in depth the reasons why Joan was chosen as a vessel of God, and this shift allows for a deeper and darker exploration of the intricaties of good and evil and human existence, and subsequently makes for a much improved drama. The DVD box set is tentatively scheduled for a November 28 release. The first season set has some great extras, and its anticipated that Season 2's set will also. Joan of Arcadia is one of the few shows that is intelligent, thought provoking, and doesn't insult your intelligence, and doesn't attempt to pander to anyone. Releasing on November 28th, this is great TV and a must own for your DVD collection with Season One. Highly Recommended.

A.G. Corwin
St.Louis, MO

Real-world, and not preachy. My favorite TV show.
I started watching "Joan" near the beginning of season 2 and was completely astounded episode after episode. This show has strong characters with real-life problems, and it discusses God and religion in a neutral, down-to-earth way that didn't offend me at all (and I am easily offended both by extreme right-wing Christianity, and by extreme left-wing secularism).

Joan of Arcadia is one of my favorite TV shows (better than The Simpsons, Jeopardy, Joey (the Friends spin-off, remember?) and Law & Order).

Great even if you haven't seen Season 1.