Losing Their Religion

By Joshua Alston | NEWSWEEK
Published Jul 17, 2009
From the magazine issue dated Jul 27, 2009

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  • Posted By: sshuford @ 08/01/2009 11:44:36 AM

    Michael Green is right. NBC didn't reach out to part of the core audience who would have watched this excellent show. If they had...

    My company (FrontGate Media) is the largest faith-based entertainment audience available in the market: 15 million email subscribers, 25 million page views per monht, 600,000 at our events, 45 million TV households, but there was no attempt to reach out to our faith-based audience.

    It's like not marketing a Tyler Perry project to the urban market audience.

    The Christian market is just like the urban or asian or gay/lesbian or any other market. A segmented marketing approach would have served NBC well.

    How you can have such a great show like Kings, with awesome themes and excellent characters and not reach out to the core target audeinces... I ran across it somehow in toward the end of season one and within one episode, our family was in every week...

    ...and I'm a huge Battlestar Gallactica fan as well. Bring on the next similar series! Maybe I'll hear about it. ;)

  • Posted By: emmy1 @ 07/23/2009 3:15:43 AM

    As an atheist, I was not interested in watching "Kings" until I read some reviews, and watched the first few episodes. I *loved* this show. It wasn't necessary to know the mythology upon which the show was based to enjoy it. Which is by way of saying, yeah, they definitely had a problem promoting the show.

  • Posted By: strutter172 @ 07/22/2009 12:18:36 AM

    I agree with what nooneinparticular said, particularly regarding having a writer that knows and understands religious faith. As a Catholic, I'm constantly dismayed by the portrayals of Catholics on TV. I'm the first one to admit that the Church, which is run by humans who are not perfect, has made errors in the past and has had scandal caused by imperfect priests etc, but it's difficult to watch one negative diatribe after another without ever really getting to see all that is good and holy about what the Church teaches. There are 75 million Catholics in the US and it seems like not one of them lives in Hollywood. There are so many stereotypes and misconceptions that are portrayed it's really disheartening. I'd love to see some kind of network family show based on a Catholic family that takes up a topic each week regarding what the Church truly teaches and why vs. the stereotypes and misconceptions and shows the family dealing with the topic. If it was done right, it would make for great TV. I think it would attract Catholics, lapsed Catholics, people of other faiths and non-believers who think they know what the Church teaches. It just might be a pretty eye-opening experience for Catholics and non-Catholics alike. I know it's pretty unlikely, but one can always hope...

  • Posted By: theone09 @ 07/19/2009 12:56:41 PM

    Few shows give me chills when I am through with an episode. Part 1 of the Kings season (series) finale did that for me. This show was really never given a chance and I think if you could get a captive audience for 2-3 episodes then you would have a loyal fan base. Ian McShane should have at least been nominated for an Emmy. I am very disappointed that the show is no more because it really was true quality.

  • Posted By: nooneinparticular @ 07/18/2009 7:19:41 PM

    to truly reach a vast audience with a God themed show, it would behoove show creators to begin a gradual approach by showing singular episodes on existing shows that do not demonize Christians (as most movies and tv shows do) while at the same not be smarmy preachy (which is what offends secular audiences) then both Christian and secular alike will eventually embrace an actual show that can do what the main audience will respond positively to. One that does not paint religion (especially Christianity) as something to roll the eyes with disgust at, and as something not blashpemeous enough to offend the faithful. It would require a delicate balancing act and that is a challenge that only a very creative writer that knows and understands religious faith, and is able to see the secular side of things as well could do.

  • Posted By: Celtia @ 07/17/2009 8:37:29 PM

    What would Jesus watch? Not Bill O'Reilly, Ann Coulter, or Fox "News" that's for sure.

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