"Save 'Joan Of Arcadia'."

Readers of The Fedora Chronicles respond to CBS canceling one of it's best Family Shows.

2007: Eric Renderking Fisk's notes: A few years back, some readers of The Fedora Chronicles wrote in and asked our support to help raise awareness of one of their favorite shows being taken off the CBS -Joan of Arcadia.

We’re posting some of the letters they have sent to us, which may or may not represent the management, the staff, or the guest contributors of The Fedora Chronicles.

The Campaign to "Save Joan" ended, the site that this page referred to is now down and up for grabs for anyone to buy from some cooperation that sucks up old used Site Addresses. Seems that the effort to save this show has failed and those involved have moved on.

So, why keep this up? It's pretty simple - the young women who wrote in make some good points about what's missing from Modern Television. And their efforts should be remembered when someone else takes up the cause of saving another show. It's not what you do, it's how you ask and how.

From Madelin Siedler
On May 18, 2005, CBS made the decision to cancel its most thought-provoking, original drama in its prime-time lineup.  Fans of ‘Joan of Arcadia,’ a sophomore drama which stars Amber Tamblyn as a high school girl who talks to God, were outraged.  A web site - www.savejoanofarcadia.com - was quickly formed with the goal to do one thing: save this terrific show from a premature cancellation.

‘Joan of Arcadia’ was a promising show that entire families could watch together.  Much unlike the infinite number of crime dramas and meaningless reality shows, ‘Joan’ had substance.  It was the kind of show that a group of people could use to bring up important issues such as faith and humanity.  But no one ever dared compare it with the saccharine ‘7th Heaven’ - it dealt with tough subjects, including the death of Joan’s friend and of a kid she baby-sits, remorse, revenge and sexual relationships.  However, the show brought up these issues in a touching way that adults didn’t feel they had to cover their children’s ears over.  In fact, many churches across the country used ‘Joan of Arcadia’ as a vehicle for discussion of the many good points it presented.

        The fans of ‘Joan’ aren’t going down without a fight.  June 11 marked the fifth and last wave of letters, postcards and varied symbolic items to Sony - the company that owns ‘Joan’ - and the networks to which it is currently trying to sell the drama.  Some of the items sent were chess pieces, which represented a first-season episode in which God tells Joan to join the chess club, and art supplies, which resembled Joan’s mother Helen and her love of art.

        The loyal viewers of the show make a point that ‘Joan of Arcadia’ was original and well-written, which is more than can be said for most of the filth populating the television screen in the past seasons.  It was chock-full of incredibly talented actors, including Tamblyn, Mary Steenburgen, Joe Mantegna and a number of others.  With the actors’ contracts running out June 15, the show’s window for renewal is rapidly shrinking.  However, the fans haven’t lost hope yet, and it just might be because of the lessons learned from every episode of ‘Joan’ - in one from the first season, God tells Joan, ‘What you have to ask yourself is what are you going to do now?  That’s what I’m all about - your next chance to do the right thing.’  The fans are persistent in trying to save what could be one of the last few quality shows on television.

From “Arcadia.”
Joan of Arcadia was a profoundly unique show about a young girl's average life. She did not seek out god, but he sought her out himself. He found her worthy of truth, faith, and knowledge that she couldn't see in herself.

        In the first episode many viewers saw Joan hanging with the in crowd, but latter she learned how to take on the perspectives of other classmates she normally would not have considered befriending, or envisions it as god giving her a situation where she could learn and grow through others. She discovers her true self through exploring the suggestions given to her by god. It’s not like the Angels in “Touched by an Angel”, he doesn’t say god loves you go do, but god answers her questions with questions, god makes her think.

        When people think of television they think of a nice night of relaxation. People do not view it as I am going to sit down and ponder what this episode of “Friend’s” means. This is the effect Joan had on it's viewers it gave them more then straight forward answers.

It let you come to your own conclusions about the characters on a higher level, then just the show. As a viewer of this creation, I feel torn and upset about CBS's choice to abandon the show after the second season. My view was that if the show was to be dropped, or it was even considered that they would at least end it properly. It was ended very inappropriately. Many fans are fighting in order to SAVE JOAN, but I am worried that our support is not enough. One of the biggest problems with trying to bring a show back is if the show is even considered for renewal how will the actors feel about it? Are these artists still willing to continue with it after a hiatus?

         Many cast members once a show is cancelled move on. The program may be viewed by some of its cast as having been a good step in jump starting their career especially if the show like "Joan of Arcadia" has done rather well and had a good fan base for that time period it was aired.

          The biggest problem created by CBS itself was time slot it was placed in. This was a Friday night slot at 8 p.m. when most adolescence are out with friends or renting movies. If the show had been moved to a different night during the 2nd season it may have had a better chance of surviving to the 3rd season. Now it is up to us the fans to support, and rock the networks to save this small part quality television. What affects us the most is the question of how many viewers actually know what quality is now? There are so many children, and teenagers that only know the now of television. Who think nothing of the quality of what they are viewing, but only how is this going to keep me interested, is it going to make me laugh, cry, and do I have to think about this? In order for Joan to be saved more people have to get involved in the forum online. The address for all of the news and information is www.savejoanofarcadia.com the forum leader's name is Stephanie, and she will be sending you e-mails and updates. Please help save this show so quality television and our enjoyment of it can continue.

You are probably wondering why you should read what I have to say. After all, I am only a twenty-one year-old college student, trying to make something out of her life. The answer to why you should continue reading is for one simple fact: you have probably at one point in your life felt the exact same way that I do now. What am I feeling? To tell you the truth, I feel that my voice, my opinion, what I have to say to the American public, is drowned out by the supposedly more "important" voices of society. Being one single voice, it is easy to feel you are silenced out by those who are seemingly more powerful: those who have the fancy title, the record deal, the radio program, the campaign slogan, the movie preview, the television program.

Yet I am going to pretend as though people in America and across the world could hear what I have to say. For I feel this strongly about the issue at hand. Just recently, CBS cancelled the critically acclaimed television show, "Joan of Arcadia" a show loved and respected by many. Sure, the numbers of viewers never reached the magnitude of the countless, murder-infested shows that glorify all that is wrong and destructive with society and has seemed, in particular, to become a plague within the CBS Network. However, we, the fans of "Joan of Arcadia" were loyal and faithful watchers. We watched because of the beauty of life and love the show radiated. It showed the potential for greatness within all of us, to those of us felt unheard and silenced in America because of the louder, more chaotic, more disturbing, and supposedly more important and more powerful voices in our society.

Why does it seem if you are not just another "number" watching the supposedly highest "rated" television shows, why are you so unimportant? I feel society has taught us all to believe that the "power of one" really cannot bring about change. Yet history has proved time and time again that this notion is simply incorrect. After all, Joan of Arc, the historical crusader for which the concept of "Joan of Arcadia" is based upon, she was only one person, and she brought about great change. Yet how often do we buy into the notion that our voice is not important? It is by uniting together, that our individual voices become a strong and powerful force. What great change we can bring about by this united force.

I am deeply saddened with CBS and its hasty decision to cancel "Joan of Arcadia." Some people might consider me a fanatic to go to such lengths to save a television program. Yet, I think most people can sympathize with a past history of having a favorite show cancelled. I think most people can also sympathize with the feeling that the values and standards that we are trying to live our life by, are trying to be destroyed by a supposedly more powerful force. I am asking anybody who cares, anybody who would like to help my voice be heard, along with the other supposedly small and insignificant voices of America, I ask you to get online and see what you can do to help save "Joan of Arcadia." For if we do not fight for the values and standards we believe in, then we are just buying into the false notion that we cannot bring about change. We can bring about change. Thank you.

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