Nothing Sacred (TV series)

This article is about a TV series. For other uses, see Nothing Sacred.

Nothing Sacred
Genre	Drama
Created by	Bill Cain David Manson
Written by	Jeanne Blake Lee Blessing Michael Breault Jason Cahill Bill Cain Sandy Kroopf David Manson Marlane Meyer Jan Oxenberg
Starring	Kevin Anderson Bruce Altman Scott Michael Campbell Ann Dowd Brad Sullivan Jose Zuniga Tamara Mello
Theme music composer	Mark Isham
Composer(s)	Jeff Beal
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	20 (4 unaired)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Richard Kramer David Manson
Producer(s)	Bill Cain Greer Shephard Cyrus Yavneh
Running time	60 mins.
Production company(s)	Sarabande Productions 20th Century Fox Television.
Broadcast
Original channel	ABC
Original run	September 18, 1997 – March 14, 1998

Nothing Sacred is an American drama series that aired from 1997 to 1998 on ABC. The series was created by a Jesuit priest named Bill Cain and producer David Manson.

Synopsis

Nothing Sacred starred Kevin Anderson as a liberal and retro-1970's priest with self-doubts, and was criticized by many for its portrayal of faithful Catholics as cold and cruel while glorifying heterodoxy and irreverence. The show and its sponsors were targeted for boycotts by the Catholic League, a Roman Catholic civil rights organization.^[1]

Despite promises that the show would air for at least one full season, after the failure of the program, ABC canceled its order for the final four episodes, and then canceled the series entirely after the March 14, 1998 episode (with four completed episodes left unaired).

The show won the Peabody Award, being described as "an honest portrayal of the complexity of faith in the modern era."^[2] It also won the 1998 Humanitas Prize for a sixty-minute television series.

Production

It was filmed in the administration of St. Thomas' church, a Roman Catholic parish in Chicago, Illinois.

Nothing Sacred premiered on September 18, 1997 at 8:00pm/7c on ABC, replacing the cancelled/ended High Incident's Thursday slot.

Broadcast history

• Thursdays 8:00 p.m. (September 18, 1997 - December 18, 1997)
• Saturdays 8:00 p.m. (January 17, 1998 - March 14, 1998)

Cast

• Kevin Anderson.....Father Francis Xavier "Ray" Reyneaux
• Bruce Altman.....Sidney Walters
• Scott Michael Campbell.....Father Eric
• Ann Dowd.....Sister Maureen "Mo" Brody
• Tamara Mello.....Rachel
• Brad Sullivan.....Father Leo
• Jose Zuniga.....Juan Alberto Ortiz

Episodes

Season 1

Ep #	Title	Airdate
1	"Proofs for the Existence of God"	September 18, 1997
2	"Song of Songs"	September 25, 1997
3	"Mixed Blessings"	October 2, 1997
4	"Parents and Children"	October 9, 1997
5	"Roman Catholic Holiday"	October 16, 1997
6	"Spirit and Substance"	October 23, 1997
7	"Calling"	November 6, 1997
8	"Speaking in Tongues"	November 13, 1997
9	"A Bloody Miracle"	November 29, 1997
10	"House of Rage"	December 11, 1997
11	"Hodie Christus Natus Est"	December 18, 1997
12	"Signs and Words"	January 17, 1998
13	"A Nun's Story"	January 24, 1998
14	"Kindred Spirits"	March 7, 1998
15	"The Coldest Night of the Year"	March 14, 1998
16	"Holy Words"	Never aired
17	"Sex, God and Reality"	Never aired
18	"HIV Priest: Film at 11"	Never aired
19	"Sleeping Dogs"	Never aired
20	"Felix Culpa"	Never aired

Award nominations

Year	Award	Result	Category	Recipient
1998	ALMA Award	Nominated	Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series	Jose Zuniga
			Outstanding Drama Series	-
	Art Directors Guild		Excellence in Production Design Award (Television Series)	Cate Bangs and Michael Baugh
	Emmy Award		Outstanding Main Title Theme Music	Mark Isham
			Outstanding Art Direction for a Series	Cate Bangs, Michael Baugh, and William Vail (For episode "Hodie Christus Natus Est")
	Golden Globe Award		Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series - Drama	Kevin Anderson
	Humanitas Prize	Won	60 Minute Category	Bill Cain
	Peabody Award		-	-
	PGA Awards	Nominated	Television Producer of the Year Award in Episodic	David Manson
	Television Critics Association Awards		Program of the Year
			Outstanding New Program of the Year
			Individual Achievement in Drama	Kevin Anderson
	Viewers for Quality Television Awards		Best Supporting Actress in a Quality Drama Series	Ann Dowd
			Best Actor in a Quality Drama Series	Kevin Anderson
		Won	Founder's Award	David Manson
	YoungStar Award	Nominated	Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Drama TV Series	Erika Christensen
1999	Writers Guild of America Award	Won	Episodic Drama	Paul Leland (For episode "Proofs for the Existence of God")
	Young Artist Award	Nominated	Best Performance in a TV Drama Series - Guest Starring Young Actress	Kimberly Cullum

Opposition

The Catholic League and Alan Keyes, on its board of advisors, specifically, declared the show in 1997 a "sacrilege" according to one commentator, who also quoted Keyes as calling it "propaganda dressed up as entertainment[, infused with] belief that there are no moral absolutes."^[3]

References

1. ^ Armbrust, Roger (1997-10-09). "Catholic League Boycotts ABC's "Nothing Sacred"". allbusiness.com. http://www.allbusiness.com/services/amusement-recreation-services/4593300-1.html. 
2. ^ "Ellen Wins Peabody Award". The New York Times. 1998-04-03. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D01E5D8173AF930A35757C0A96E958260. 
3. ^ Dowd, Maureen, "Liberties; The Devil in Prime Time", The New York Times, September 24, 1997. Retrieved 2010-11-10.

External links

• Nothing Sacred at the Internet Movie Database
• Nothing Sacred at TV.com
• Saint Patrick's Breast Plate