Mass Appeal

Two Jews produce a TV show about a perplexed priest.

MICHAEL ELKIN
-especial to The Jewish News

s nothing sacred on today's TV?
ABC is finding out the
answer this season.
The network explores the
irreverent side of religion in
"Nothing Sacred," the Thursday
night series by two Jewish producers
about a perplexed priest whose path
to God is pitted with moral potholes.
Kevin Anderson stars as Father
Ray, who fights like the devil to
ensure quality of life for his impover-
ished parishioners while staving off
the demons that have made him lust
for some of the sinful aspects of a
secular life.
pct that the series focuses on
Oil es
o is no altar boy has
ntagonized some Catholics, leading
'to an ad boycott. Nevertheless, ABC
just ordered a full season of the
drama series. Ranked 94th in the
Neilsens, executive producers Richard
("thirtysom ethin " "My So-Called
Life") Kramer and
g' David S-C
(othe films
Birdy and The Cemetery Club)
'Manson are doing their best to
'ensure
t nothing is taken for
granted in making "Nothing Sacred"
successful, including having a Paulist
priestinoved in writing scripts.
Yet,
these two executives corn-

Michael Elkin is entertainment editor
of the Philadelphia Jewish Exponent.

mitting the sin of hubris, producing a
show alien to their own backgrounds?
Does it hurt matters that the creators
of this controversial series about
Catholics are Jews?
Confess, Richard Kramer and
David Manson: Would you be
offended if non-Jews conjured up a
show called "The Renegade Rebbe"?
Why not a "Bar Mitzvah Blues" or
seder sitcom, reasons Kramer; it
would be a mitzvah. Within reason,
he adds, noting that a "Murder, He
Kvetched" could be out-of-bounds.
"Hopefully, [the character] will
not be a rabbi who solves crimes or
does operations on the side," kids
Kramer, referring to other TV charac-
ters who moonlight in mischief.
But there's room for all types of
clerics on TV "I would love to see a
great, hip rabbi on television," he
says.
Kramer aV ,..:Ocided to pass
over the opportudy to be execu-
tive producer of "Nothing
Sacred."
"I came onto the show after thg
pilot had been picked up by the
network, and when David
[Manson] : sent it to me, I said,
`How could I possibly be
interestedltr this. I
barely know any
Catholics.'"
After watch-
ing the Pilot,
Kramer,'

faith in the writing guided his deci-
sion. "I said, 'This is about every-
body I know. This is about me. This
is about somebody who is trying to
make sense of day-to-day life.'
"This is a show about a guy and
his job as much as it is about a priest.
It's a workplace show."
Father Ray as star of "Dilbert and
the Deity"? In a way, concedes
Kramer.
But how many offices have time
clocks set for eternity? "The parish
house is the emergency room, the
legal office, the police station. It's
really about going to your job every
day and trying to figure out, am I

Kevin Anderson
stars as
Father Ray
in
"Nothing
Sacred"

doing well, can I stay here? Is this the
right place for me? Do I belong
here?"
Does a Jew belong at the helm of
such a show? "I think I bring an out-
sider's perspective," notes Kramer.
That perspective most likely will be
reflected in the show's ecumenical
episodes focusing on Jewish-Christian
clashes.
Kramer and company can't feel
touched by an angel, given their less
than promising time slot, opposite,
ironically enough, "Promised Land,"
another show with celestial season-
ings, and the megahit "Friends."
But, says Kramer, keep the faith:
"If an audience gives us a sampling,
and we're confident that it will,
they're going to fall in love with the
show and come to it in sizable
enough droves to keep us healthily on
the air."
In the meantime, Kramer
blessed to have an opportuteio do
such a series. In its exploraiten of the
and wrongs of religio*
ing Sa
not about noth-
sowthing to

t m
,.„.,more Jewis
says of his otien
'''' s
- earchin
feel , kz,:,
makes me feel closer to my r
For those fugitives from r
Kramer says the chase is wor

e

0.4

11/21
1997

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