Fans of Greg Berlanti’s TV work are no stranger to the supernatural: The Flash’s speed; Arrow’s preternatural archery skills; those Riverdale kids, and their inexplicable ability to say things like “The Black Hood Killer” and “jingle-jangle” with totally straight faces. Now, though, Berlanti’s superpowered Tv empire is adding a real ringer to its roster, with Variety reporting that the mega-producer has just sold a show called God Friended Me to CBS.
The show’s premise is—almost distractingly—exactly what it sounds like: an atheist has his world turned upside down when God themself sends him a friend request on Facebook. “The proximity to the Holy Spirit makes him an agent of change in the lives of those around him,” according to a brief logline for the show; meanwhile, we can’t wait to see how it handles classic Bible stories like Noah’s Poke and The Blocking Of Isaac.
Honestly, it feels like we get one of these “God fucks around with regular jerks” stories every few years, whether in the form of Bob Hope, Morgan Freeman, or the various people who played the almighty on shows like Joan Of Arcadia. This is, at least, an ostensibly new spin on the concept—even if it feels like a half-baked joke you’d make while goofing around on the premise for a third ____ Almighty movie—with Berlanti serving as executive producer, and Gotham writers Steven Lilien and Bryan Wynbrandt both pitching in to make sure we don’t have another God, The Devil, And Bob situation on our hands. (Heaven forbid.)