My Top 5 (Hopeful) Family Shows in 2015

The highlight of my summer so far as it concerns television has been watching America’s Got Talent with my family every Tuesday night. (FYI—my favorite from the beginning has been Piff the Magic Dragon.) We even watch it live, instead of off the DVR, which is something I haven’t done regularly since Lost went off the air. During this time I’ve been reminded of all the time I spent with my family growing up watching shows like The Cosby Show, Knight Rider, Family Ties, and Cheers. And this got me thinking, what else might be coming out soon that I can watch together with my children that we would all enjoy? From the looks of the upcoming 2015-2016 season, we might have a few options. Here are the top five shows I’m looking forward to watching with my family this year.

Best Time Ever

It’s impossible to watch America’s Got Talent this summer and not know about the upcoming NBC variety show Best Time Ever, with host Neil Patrick Harris. But in case you haven’t heard about it, it’s a one-hour live show that will feature celebrities, stunts, comedy skits, game shows, and hidden camera pranks. Just the kind of stuff my kids love to watch on TV and YouTube whenever they can.

The Muppets

It’s the Muppets—what else do we have to say? And with a slight twist, this version of the popular show will be done documentary style like recent comedies The Office, Parks and Recreation, and Modern Family have pulled off so well. And what better way to experience family television with your children watching the same show you might’ve watched with your own parents when you were their age?

Of Kings and Prophets

This may not be for the younger children, but I still think it’s a good idea to let your more mature kids watch with you and talk about afterward. Our kids need to see the stories of the Bible come alive on television and the movies when possible, even if there are differences from the actual account. These heroes we talk up so much in Sunday school and Vacation Bible School were flawed humans too, and yet God used them in great ways. What greater lesson is there to teach our growing children at this stage of their lives?

Coach

Don’t look for this one to come out until 2016 sometime, but I will be there when it premiers nonetheless. And yes, this is a continuation of the original NBC show, not a remake. Craig T. Nelson will be back, helping his son coach college football. Hopefully it stays as family friendly as it was in the ‘90s.

Doctor Who

This is obviously not a new show, but perhaps it is new to you. My family started watching it together last season (even my 7-year-old daughter gets giddy with excitement when it comes on!), and September 19 can’t get here soon enough to restart our family night with the Doctor and his adventures. More than perhaps any other show I know of, watch this one with your “God goggles” on and look for quotes and metaphors to share with your kids concerning truths about God. Last season also included an episode called “Kill the Moon,” which was basically a straight-up metaphor on abortion that had some incredible dialogue in it. And the finale had my favorite line ever from the show: “Do you think I care for you so little that betraying me would make a difference?” Go back and watch all of this show on Netflix if you have to. It will be well worth it.

In Defense of the Modern-Day Parable

“The kingdom of heaven is like . . .”

And here begins a common phrase used by Jesus to introduce his popular way of teaching to his disciples and the crowds around him. “The kingdom of heaven is like . . . treasure hidden in a field .  . . a merchant looking for fine pearls . . . a net that was let down into the lake . . . a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son .  .  .” And so on and so on.

Jesus told us about the kingdom of heaven by telling us stories. Uncomfortable, scandalous stories like the good Samaritan. Stories of estranged families like the prodigal son. Stories with so-called ridiculous premises like the laborers in the vineyard. Stories that were confusing and needed immediate interpretation like the parable of the sower.

It seemed Jesus was never without a great idea for a parable to use as an illustration to teach about the kingdom of heaven and to advance the gospel in new ways to a variety of crowds. Though humans certainly cannot come remotely close to having the omniscient knowledge of the eternal Son, Christ followers today still have an almost unlimited number of resources to pull kingdom-building parables from. But these don’t begin with the phrase “The kingdom of heaven is like .  .  .” Instead you’ll find these stories beginning with “Paramount Pictures presents . . .” Or “Disney Pixar Animation presents . . .” Or “Ridley Scott presents . . .”

I challenge all Christians concerned with reaching a pop culture–obsessed world to start looking at how many of today’s movies and television shows can be used as parables to communicate the gospel to a variety of crowds. And I’m not talking about only “church approved” movies like God’s Not Dead and Fireproof. I mean to imply the uncomfortable, scandalous stories, the stories of estranged families, the stories with so-called ridiculous premises, the artsy movies that are so confusing that they need immediate interpretation (Birdman anyone?). Just like Jesus’ parables.

“The kingdom of heaven is like . . . an astronaut drifting alone into eternal space who is found by the only person with the means to save her. At the cost of his own life, he provides for her all she needs to make it to the ship that can return her home.” (See 2013’s Gravity.)

“The kingdom of heaven is like . . . a mixed martial-arts fighter who is harboring so much resentment and lack of forgiveness for those in his life who have done him wrong that he cannot stop running from his own sins. In fact, he is so lost and his heart so hardened that he does not recognize his own need for forgiveness until it’s graciously offered to him freely by his enemy in the ring.” (See 2011’s Warrior.)

“The kingdom of heaven is like . . . a group of a cappella singers who need to win the international championship—” Okay, so not everything works well. But that’s okay. There are plenty of great options out there.

“The kingdom of heaven is like . . .” And fill in the blank. Could there by an analogy to make concerning The Walking Dead and those who look alive but are actually dead? What about the recent string of dead-coming-to-life shows like Resurrection and The Returned? Man of Steel and its forthcoming 2016 sequel Batman v. Superman are filled with stories about the world’s need for a Savior, even when they don’t agree or understand it completely. When all if finally revealed in this week’s Wayward Pines finale, I have to believe there’s going to be something deep to share. (And I will find it and write about it quickly, I promise!)

My fellow missionaries (and that’s all of you saved by Jesus, by the way), do not be afraid to use today’s parables told by Hollywood to teach truths about the gospel and the kingdom of heaven. Not everyone in your church crowd will love it all, or approve of it, but I don’t recall Jesus considering the opinions of the scribes and Pharisees before he knowingly told stories that would upset them. But they did reach the hearts of those who needed to hear it, just as you will when you use some of these favorite stories of theirs for the advancement of the gospel.

Kevin Harvey is the author of two books, including the 2015 HarperCollins release All You Want to Know about the Bible in Pop Culture, available at Barnes and Noble, Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club, and Amazon. You can also find him keeping up with the latest goings-on in pop culture on Twitter: @PopCultureKevin

The Original Superhero Origin Story

I love a good superhero origin story. This week we get treated to Hollywood’s version of the origin of Ant-Man, a.k.a. Scott Lang. Without having seen it yet, I can still honestly say Ant-Man has an uphill battle in comparing to some of the recent superhero origin stories we’ve seen.

The first Iron-Man was way more fun than I think anyone was expecting, and Robert Downey Jr. made us quickly forget that he had ever played any other role before he so smoothly became Tony Stark. Jon Favreau’s instant classic is tough to beat.

I’ll always have a special love for Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man origin story too. While I admittedly loved Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker portrayal, it’s hard to beat Toby Maguire putting on a hood and wrestling in a cage for money (with Bruce Campbell as the fight’s emcee!).

But probably my favorite recent superhero origin story would be Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins. Bruce Wayne’s metamorphosis from scared little boy to revengeful student to a man unsure of how to bring both justice and redemption to the city he once loved blew out of the water the stories told to us by way of Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, and (pause to swallow my vomit) George Clooney. Added to the fun was how Bruce and Lucius Fox slowly pieced together the armor that would eventually become Batman’s disguise.

In my recent book, All You Want to Know about the Bible in Pop Culture, I include a chapter entitled “Maybe the S Stands for Savior,” in which I compare recent superhero stories to that of Jesus Christ, Son of God, the real-life Superhero many of these DC and Marvel heroes have more in common with than one might initially think. One thing I didn’t consider in the short chapter was the origin story.

I wonder how a Hollywood director would handle Jesus’ origin story. Instead of being born in a manger with some farm animals sniffing his amniotic sac, would they place his birth amidst a garden of newly bloomed flowers, with royalty and media all around soaking up the incredible moment? Instead of having King Herod be hunting Jesus down by killing every male baby in the region, would they allow all to escape peacefully, with Herod repenting of the evil inside of him before any blood was shed? And how about the virgin birth? No way could someone in Hollywood portray that without implying at least a little that Joseph and Mary may not have been the innocent virgins we believe them to have been. Come on, they’re only human after all!

Yeah, Jesus’ origin story, if told truthfully, wouldn’t be the greatest Hollywood depiction. The typical director would most likely make some changes to the biblical story. No doubt it would be one of those “inspired by true events” films that takes major liberties with its storytelling.

Except, come to think of it, Jesus doesn’t even have an origin story! Do you think the virgin birth, manger, and shepherds story we hear so much about at Christmastime is the story of Jesus’ origin? Wrong. In Genesis 1:26, during the creation of the universe, God said, “Let us make man in our image.” Us. As in, God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Trinity. And John 1:1–2 says, “In the beginning was the Word [Jesus] and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.”

Jesus, the ultimate Superhero, always was. He has no origin story, for he has existed for all time. Like you, my mind cannot wrap around that, because we can’t think about time in any other way than with definite beginnings and ends. Batman once was not. Then he was. And at his death, he will be no more. A baby once was not. Then he was. And at his death, he will be no more (on earth, that is). Beginnings and ends. It’s the only thing that makes sense to us.

Which is what truly makes Jesus the Superhero he is. He is and always will be truly unique. No other religion even makes such a claim, let alone can stand next to it.

Ant-Man may end up being a classic when it comes to superhero origin stories. Maybe the future stories coming concerning Wonder Woman, Dr. Strange, the Fantastic Four, and (yet another) Spider-Man will be surprisingly great too. But for me, the best origin story will always be the one that doesn’t even exist. The one of Jesus our Savior.

Kevin Harvey is the author of two books, his most recent titled All You Want to Know about the Bible in Pop Culture, available at Barnes & Noble, Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club, and Amazon. You can find him on Twitter @PopCultureKevin writing about the latest TV,  movie, and other pop culture entertainment taking up probably too much of his time.

My Top 5 TV shows (so far) in 2015

This week marked the end of the first half of 2015. Which means we’re less than four months away from the events of Back to the Future 2. I’m starting to think that my down payment on that first hovercraft vehicle is not going to produce what I had hoped. (But perhaps the Cubs can still win the World Series!) In the meantime, I thought I’d share some of my favorite movies and TV shows thus far this year. I tried to rank these initially, but as we learned in Inside Out (yes, that made the movie list!), different emotions have their own strengths and importance in our lives, and in similar fashion different shows and episodes are simply better at different times in your life, depending on what’s going on. Sometimes we need a cry, sometimes we want to be thrilled with action, and sometimes we just can’t sleep until we figure out what’s going on in the town of Wayward Pines.

Without further ado… my five favorite television shows so far in 2015. (The move list can be found here.)

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

I’m typically a pretty mainstream guy, so I’m proud to start this list with a non-mainstream cult hit that I bet will pick up some major steam in the coming months as more and more people find it on Netflix. Ellie Kemper (Erin from The Office) absolutely shines as the way-too-cute-and-innocent title character who moves to New York City after living a dozen years with a deceiving pastor who talked her and a few others into joining him in an underground shelter to avoid the coming apocalypse. You’d think the jokes would get old concerning how Kimmy hasn’t caught up to the current pop culture yet (i.e., she say’s “hashbrown” instead of “hashtag”), but through twelve episodes, the writing remained as fun as the addictive theme song. (“Unbreakable! They alive!…”) When season 2 hits Netflix, I’m afraid my wife and I might end up pulling an all-nighter watching them all. It’s that good!

Parks and Recreation

Thank goodness for the Esquire network picking up the syndication of this now completed show. The way-too-short final season aired on NBC at the beginning of this year, and I miss it so much. I can’t think of another show that had more likable characters than Parks and Recreation. The always bubbly Leslie Knope; her genuinely loving husband Ben; the cutest married couple ever on television, Andy and April; and my favorite television character…ever…Ron Swanson. Just Google “Ron Swanson quotes.” You’ll laugh your heart out. One huge positive of this show that went largely unnoticed was the strength of all the marital relationships it displayed. There were no disrespectful Everybody Loves Raymond-type marriages. No divorces. Just husbands and wives working as the teams God intended them to be. Unfortunately, there is a lot about this show that we are unlikely to find again on primetime television. That’s why reruns are the best!

Wayward Pines

We’ve only seen six of the ten episodes so far, but the case for this being one of my top five shows of the year rests on the simple fact that my wife had no interest whatsoever in watching it after seeing the previews, but by the end of the first episode she was hooked. And so will you if you give it a try. At the very least, give it until the end of the fifth episode. If your jaw doesn’t drop, I’ll reimburse you every penny you spent on reading this article. (And don’t get attached to too many characters!)

The Returned

I add this show with caution. Because at the end of the first season of the similar Resurrection, I might’ve listed that as a top five show of mine. But then I lost interest halfway through the second season (as did many others apparently, since it was canceled). But there’s something this AMC show about dead people returning to life has that Resurrection didn’t that gives me great encouragement: Carlton Cuse, one of the minds behind Lost. Just like in Lost, I don’t need all the answers right away in season two, but we do need some. If they keep dragging everything out, adding even more questions, they risk going the way of Resurrection. So give us something…please! At least tell us why the Returned are always hungry!

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

If there is to be an adequate replacement for the already-missed comedy Parks and Recreation, it’s definitely Fox’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Through two seasons, the Andy Samberg-led ensemble cast continues to produce fresh, fun scripts with just as many likable characters as Parks and Recreation. Veteran actor Andre Braugher should be arrested by the team at the Nine-Nine for depriving us for so long of his comedic talents. I don’t believe there has been a single funny line written for Braugher’s straight-faced captain through two seasons, but his delivery of the simplest of lines rivals that of the best of history’s comedians. If for no other reason, tune in to Brooklyn Nine-Nine to see the nerdy, sometimes annoying soldier from 1989’s Glory become one of the funniest actors on television.

Honorable mentions are certainly due to Marvel’s Daredevil and Agent Carter, as well as the James Spader crime-mystery The Blacklist. As with Andre Braugher, James Spader also has proven in his later years the level of his comedic acting chops. Scorpion is fun, and Castle is, well, it’s Castle—it’s as good or as bad as it has always been, depending on your original opinion of the show. But what about you? What would make your top five list so far in 2015?