God help her

Barbara HALL needs to focus on rewriting a script in her small, comfortable office at Sony Pictures Entertainment, but the interruptions won’t stop. An assistant comes through the closed door with a memo she needs to approve. A publicist sits on a couch, seeing to last-minute details about a coming interview. The phone rings and rings.

But Hall has a higher calling, and her demeanor remains cucumber-cool. As she occasionally fiddles with her short blond hair, her body language is that of a producer-writer relaxed and in control.

Her face bears no traces of the anxiety she has suffered the last several weeks, the sleepless nights, the stomachaches. She’s canceling a lot of her outside engagements, and she sees her social life shrinking as she becomes increasingly consumed with her newest, diciest project. While her 11-year-old daughter sleeps in the middle of the night, she wanders around their Pacific Palisades house, often winding up in solitary 3 a.m. meditation sessions.

Although hundreds of others -- network and studio executives, producers, writers, actors, cameramen, grips, secretaries, assistants -- are also keeping their fingers crossed about the uncertain future of the enterprise, the burden is heaviest on Hall’s shoulders. There are times when Hall feels isolated, alone in her mission.

One focus of Hall’s simultaneous excitement and angst is whether critics and audiences heap praise on her main characters. While other new shows have big stars such as Whoopi Goldberg and Charlie Sheen attached, Hall has a co-star without a trailer or entourage but is arguably the most well-known -- and certainly the mightiest -- name in the universe: God.

The all-knowing, all-seeing character is a key focus of “Joan of Arcadia,” CBS’ risky, often riveting new family drama from Hall about a 16-year-old girl who discovers that she can see and talk to God. The deity appears to Joan in various forms -- as a cute teenage boy, a brash cafeteria worker, a little girl. The plan is for God to appear a few times per episode, played each time by an unknown actor (at least that’s the plan for now). The series stars “The Ring” and “General Hospital” alum Amber Tamblyn as Joan; Joe Mantegna as her father, police chief Will Girardi; Mary Steenburgen as her mother, Helen Girardi; and Jason Ritter and Michael Welch as her brothers Kevin and Luke.

In describing the process of introducing a new series, particularly one with this subject matter, it’s hard not to evoke biblical imagery. If it is nowhere near as profound as Genesis, the launch of this unusual show -- from the early casting sessions up through shooting of the first few episodes -- involved its own acts of creation. For several weeks, actors, producers and production crews worked to build the entire “Joan of Arcadia” universe that once existed solely in Hall’s mind.

Producers and directors gathered regularly in small offices to discuss “tone,” tearing down almost line by line of dialogue in each scene to establish the emotion, as well as figuring out how to make the physical production smoother and more cost-effective. Specialists in charge of finding locations, makeup, props, lighting and other divisions also conferred regularly before episodes to break down each scene in minute detail to determine what’s needed on the set.

While the fickle and unpredictable taste of audiences make the launch of any new show difficult, especially on network television, the concept of “Joan of Arcadia” presents extra challenges that other new shows such as “Arrested Development” and “Threat Matrix” are not facing. The show is premiering at a time when the sensitivity over religion, as evidenced by the removal of a Ten Commandments monument from the rotunda of the judicial building in Montgomery, Ala., has once again become a hot national topic.

The subject of God in popular entertainment has its own baggage. The recent “Bruce Almighty,” in which Jim Carrey played an ordinary man given God’s power, was a major hit, and the “Oh God!” films featuring George Burns as the Supreme Being scored with audiences. But the last TV project to feature God as a character, the animated “God, the Devil and Bob” was yanked after a few weeks. That series portrayed God as a man who looked like the Grateful Dead’s late leader, Jerry Garcia.

In commercials and previews, Hall and CBS are attempting to inform audiences that they should not expect another “Touched by an Angel” with “Joan of Arcadia.” For one thing, the character of Joan is not religious, but God talks to her nonetheless. The show’s tone is grittier and unlike “Touched by an Angel,” the series is grounded in exploring God more from a metaphysical perspective than a religious standpoint.

Besides, it’s one thing to be merely touched by an angel and quite another to interact directly with the Supreme Deity.

Even so, CBS executives maintain that they don’t expect the series to be controversial. “I don’t think the character of God is a concern for us in terms of controversy,” said Nina Tassler, executive vice president of dramatic development for the network. “We do feel it will contribute to some interesting debate and that God is a dramatic and stimulating dramatic device.

Even if God weren’t a central character, the network would still be watching “Joan’s” progress closely. The series marks perhaps the most determined effort by the network, which is known for its older adult-skewing shows, to appeal to younger viewers with a scripted drama.

“This show is a big step for us,” Tassler said. “Our protagonist is a 16-year-old girl, which is a pretty progressive step for CBS. Yes, we hope this will help bring us a younger audience. But at the same time, we also want to continue to build on the audience base we already have. We know there is an audience who comes to us for our shows that have spiritual aspects to it, plus the following we have for our crime dramas.”

She added that she is aware that the concept of “Joan of Arcadia” may not be the easiest sell to viewers. “If someone else had come in with this pitch, we may have not been as accepting,” Tassler said.

“Judging Amy,” which Hall co-created, has become one of CBS’ most reliable series. In addition to producing stints on “Chicago Hope” and “Northern Exposure,” Hall has also written several novels, including “A Summons to New Orleans,” a fictionalized account of her own rape in New Orleans’ French Quarter in 1997.

“The No. 1 reason we’re doing this is Barbara Hall,” Tassler said.

The public awaits

And as the network and studios wait for the most important feedback of all, Hall is listening to her inner muse -- just as her young character listens to God -- as she moves forward on her stories. Like other show creators and producers who have conquered the first hurdle of selling their ideas and now must deliver on their vision, Hall is tensely defining the show’s creative direction while waiting to test it on the public.

“There’s just an inherent loneliness to this part of the job,” she says. “And we’re at the point where everything is being questioned by the network, by the studio. We haven’t been on the air yet, there’s no response from the outside world. And there are a lot of questions -- there’s a big need for clarification about where the show is going.” She has composed her own list of 10 commandments of what God can or cannot do (see related story).

As the premiere date grows closer, Hall is seeing more and more of the physical realization of the vision that has been in her head for years. Huge sound stages at the Culver City studio have been taken over by “Joan of Arcadia.” School hallways, faux kitchens, bedrooms and front porches are covered by cables and heavy equipment. Sepia-colored billboards featuring the show’s stars have sprung up across town. Crews from entertainment news shows have been visiting the set to interview cast members.

Hall says she is not trying not to worry too much about how the series will be perceived, but she can’t keep some concerns out of her head.

“There’s no bigger lightning rod than God,” she says. “I have to show how to make God palatable in this world, how to keep it interesting and smart. I have a lot of responsibility.”

Setting the bar high

“Joan of Arcadia” began taking shape in Hall’s mind when she was a consulting producer on “Chicago Hope” in the mid-1990s and evolved while she served as co-creator and executive producer of “Judging Amy.” The concept meshed her fascination with Joan of Arc (the 15th century Maid of Orleans who helped drive the British from France), her longtime interest in physics and metaphysics, and her desire to use drama and comedy to explore the existence of God in a “scary, not benign universe.”

“It’s a risky undertaking -- leaving that series to do this,” says Hall, 42. “I really wanted to do something that scared me. It’s important for me. The bar is set really high on this, and it’s difficult, to say the least. I knew I was going to be hard on myself.”

Working closely with her is executive producer James Hayman, who is the first to see a script after Hall finishes.

“If there’s a concept I’m not getting, then I point it out to her and we work on it,” Hayman says.

Giving herself a break from the loneliness and intensity of writing, Hall will wander down to the set at least once a day to joke around and connect with her cast, talk with her director and technicians.

Wandering through a hallway occupied by high-school-age extras, Hall shakes her head. “I’m still surprised when I see things taking shape, the actual sets,” she says. She recalls how she felt in 1992 when she saw the start of filming on the first pilot she sold, “On the Line,” starring Kelly Lynch.

“I had written these words. Then one day I drive to this location and I see all these big trucks and trailers, and I was overwhelmed. I started saying, ‘ ‘No, no, no, no.’ ”

An anxious time

As the curtain starts to rise on the fall season, Hall knows she is not alone with her anxiety. The four major networks will launch 39 new shows in the coming months, and the creators and other creative heads of the freshman TV class are simultaneously experiencing growing pains as they attempt to find their way in terms of tone, stories, casting and direction -- all without the benefit of knowing that their projects will connect with viewers.

Meanwhile, most decisions on the new shows are being closely monitored by network and studio executives who scan scripts, sit in on table reads and deliver a plethora of notes, suggestions and questions about story arcs, character development, and other facets of the productions.

Even without having the benefit of a character that is all-knowing and all-seeing, “Joan of Arcadia” has characteristics that set it apart from the rest of the premiering pack.

The series is a veritable squeezebox of genres. “Joan of Arcadia” is a family drama, a coming-of-age saga of a teenager, a high school drama and a gritty police show, all tossed together with a mix of fantasy and religion.

Said Jeanie Bradley, executive vice president of current programming for Sony Pictures Television, which is producing the series along with CBS Productions: “We’re very excited about this show. It’s going to be different for CBS. We’re being very careful not to make this ‘Touched by an Angel.’ We’re doing our own thing. We’ve got something special here.”

“Joan of Arcadia” co-executive producer Peter Schindler is trying hard not to look annoyed, but he’s not doing a very good job of it. Sitting at a conference room table along with several other key members of the “Joan of Arcadia” technical team for a late-afternoon general “concept” meeting, the shaven-head Schindler, wearing a black T-shirt, narrows his eyes as a couple of the main department heads from the “Joan of Arcadia” company rush in a few minutes late.

“Really, people, we have to start getting to these meetings on time,” he scolds the tardy specialists. “It’s very important.”

It’s a rare tense moment that quickly passes, and Schindler is soon back to the task at hand -- making sure that each part of the production is in agreement on the physical details on the coming shoot. The meeting will last at least an hour.

Schindler is the principal liaison between the writers and the production crew. “We have to figure out what the writers want, and then find a creative way or a creative alternative to pull it off,” he says.

An interior dinner scene in the Girardi kitchen requires the preparation of “Sloppy Joes,” which will mean keeping pots of the messy entree hot, manageable and edible for hours.

Jokes executive producer Hayman to David Touster, who oversees props, “Welcome to your nightmare.” Schindler also laughs. Discussions over the smallest of details, including whether a vending machine at a school should have sodas or juice and whether a remote location can accommodate wires, are hammered out.

“What’s good about this show is that Barbara makes sure we have scripts on time,” Schindler says. “A lot of shows, writers and producers are tinkering with the scripts until the last minute, and we don’t have time to prep locations. But she is very on top of things.”

Inundated with notes

Like all other creators and producers in television, Hall has to deal with “notes,” the questions and suggestions from executives giving their input on scripts, dailies and the finished project. Sometimes the notes are written directly on scripts, other times they are communicated orally.

Hall says she welcomes notes, which are mostly delivered during phone conversations with her colleagues at the network or studio. But the discussions are not only about characters, relationships or story points. They are mostly about God.

“The note sessions get into these theological discussions about what God can and cannot do,” she explains. “There is real interest in that, and I’m constantly explaining the character of God.”

It is clear that Hall enjoys the back and forth. It provides some relief from the immediate, larger question in front of her.

“The real test now is putting the show out there, and that’s what I’m dealing with,” she says. “I’m very eager to get feedback. The perception of the audience will define or redefine the show. And that’s what really matters now.”

In God she trusts.

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‘Joan of Arcadia’

Network: CBS

When: Friday, 8-9 p.m.

Premieres: Sept. 26

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Life with heavenly father

James HAYMAN is a television executive who has been searching for God. And he’s been successful. Assisted by the show’s casting director, Vicki Rosenberg, Hayman has found God in a 6-year-old girl and a hunky 18-year-old male. He has also located God in a 70-year-old woman.

Hayman, an executive producer on “Joan of Arcadia,” is on a constant search for unknown performers who can play God, who appears several times each episode to talk to teenager Joan Girardi (Amber Tamblyn).

“Usually in the beginning of the episode, we have a God who is more ditzy, absent-minded,” Hayman said. “The God we have at the end of each episode tends to be more serious, has to be more gentle and warm. That God is usually providing important information or teaching a lesson.”

Barbara Hall, the show’s creator, is certainly specific about who can’t play God: celebrities. “You’re not going to see Tony Danza as God, at least not this season.”

She has also written up her own 10 commandments as a guidepost of what God can and cannot do. It’s drawn both from her studies into various religions, as well as the needs of casting a weekly television series.

“It’s something that comes in very useful when I’m trying to explain how God works in the show,” she said. And those commandments are?

* God cannot directly intervene.

* Good and evil exist.

* God can never identify one religion as being right.

* The job of every human being is to fulfill his or her true nature.

* Everyone is allowed to say no to God, including Joan.

* God is not bound by time -- this is a human concept.

* God is not a person and does not possess a human personality.

* God talks to everyone all the time in different ways.

* God’s plan is what is good for us, not what is good for Him.

* God’s purpose for talking to Joan, and everyone, is to get her and us to recognize the interconnectedness of all things: All of your actions have consequences; God can be found in the smallest actions. However, the exact nature of God is a mystery that can never be solved.

-- Greg Braxton