God Friended Me
An atheist gets friend requests from God on Facebook.
God Friended Me is an American comedy-drama television series created by Steven Lilien and Bryan Wynbrandt. The show aired on CBS from September 30, 2018 to April 26, 2020, spanning two seasons. It follows an atheist podcaster who receives friend suggestions from a Facebook account named 'God'.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Fantasy, Comedy drama
- Creator
- Steven Lilien; Bryan Wynbrandt
- Starring
- Brandon Micheal Hall
- Violett Beane
- Suraj Sharma
- Javicia Leslie
- Joe Morton
- Erica Gimpel
- Composer
- Michael Suby
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Seasons
- 2
- Episodes
- 42
Facts from the source article.
Plot
The series follows Miles Finer, an outspoken atheist and podcaster, who receives a friend request on Facebook from an account named 'God'. The account suggests new friends in New York City who need help. Miles follows the suggestions, beginning with a doctor who lost a patient. His second suggestion leads him to Cara Bloom, a struggling magazine writer. Together with his hacker friend Rakesh, Miles tries to uncover who is behind the account while assisting its friend suggestions. Miles' atheism sometimes creates tension with his father, an Episcopal pastor.
Cast
Brandon Micheal Hall plays Miles Finer, a skeptical atheist whose life changes when he is friended by a 'God' account on Facebook. Violett Beane portrays Cara Bloom, a journalist who becomes Miles' friend and later his romantic partner. Suraj Sharma plays Rakesh Singh, a hacker and friend of Miles. Joe Morton is Arthur Finer, Miles' father and a pastor who later becomes Bishop of New York. Javicia Leslie plays Ali Finer, Miles' sister. Erica Gimpel portrays Trish Allen, Arthur's girlfriend and later wife.
Production
Steven Lilien and Bryan Wynbrandt developed the pilot with Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter. Warner Bros. Television shopped the show to broadcast networks. CBS ordered a pilot on January 23, 2018, and picked it up straight-to-series on May 11, 2018. The series premiered on September 30, 2018, and was picked up for a full season of 20 episodes on October 19, 2018. A second season premiered on September 29, 2019. Production was suspended on March 13, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. CBS canceled the series on April 14, 2020, and the last two episodes aired on April 26, 2020. The final episode was reworked from the last-filmed episode, using stock footage from previous episodes. A scene set in the Himalayas used location footage shot in Utah during the pilot, reserved for a potential series finale. Brandon Micheal Hall was cast as Miles Finer on February 5, 2018. Suraj Sharma and Javicia Leslie joined as Rakesh and Ali, followed by Joe Morton as Arthur Finer, and Violett Beane as Cara Bloom. Erica Gimpel was promoted to series regular for season two.
Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds a 59% approval rating based on 29 reviews, with an average rating of 6.36 out of 10. The critical consensus for season one describes a sincere handling of spiritual themes that helps the show overcome its earnest premise. Metacritic assigned a score of 57 out of 100 based on 14 critics, indicating mixed or average reviews. Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe found the premiere promising as a thoughtful feel-good drama. Michael Starr of the New York Post noted the show sometimes enters saccharine territory but knows when to inject levity. Steve Greene of IndieWire gave a grade of 'C', calling it an overstuffed hodgepodge. Vinnie Mancuso of Collider gave three stars, praising Hall's performance but criticizing the show's portrayal of young adults. Hemant Mehta of Patheos wrote that the show presents Miles' atheism as resulting from his mother's death, which he said bears no resemblance to why many atheists do not believe. During season two, ratings in the key 18-49 demo averaged 25% less than season one, and overall viewership fell 20%. TVLine reported the show had the smallest gain via Live+7 DVR playback of any scripted CBS program.
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