Nothing aggravates me more then when a decent series gets cut short in its prime. I was reminded of a perfect example a couple of weeks ago when Paramount decided to release the DVD set for the second and final season of "Joan of Arcadia." This was one of those shows that was just unusual enough to get my attention and I actually watched most of the series when it originally aired. It had one of those extremely quirky plots that most viewers just didn’t know how to take. "Joan of Arcadia" starred Amber Tamblyn as a high school student who gets messages from God. That's right… God. But she didn't get them in the ways you might expect. She didn’t hear voices in her head, he didn't visit in her dreams, and there wasn't even a burning bush to speak of. What God does is appear to Joan as average everyday people and simply has conversations with her. He might appear as a student, or a man walking his dog, or even an old lady. She never knows it's Him until He starts talking to her. And much to her frustration, He usually has some cryptic thing He wants her to do, and never tells her why.

The series also starred Joe Mantegna and Mary Steenburgen as Joan's parents and Jason Ritters as her brother, Kevin. His is an especially tragic figure as he used to be an athlete until he was felled by a car accident. Joan is constantly upset with God because He uses her to help others, yet won’t cure her brother. Ritter is the son of the late John Ritter, and I still remember seeing him in the first episode of the series and thinking to myself just how much he looked like a younger version of his dad. Finally we have the youngest member of the Girardi family, Luke, played by Michael Welch. Luke is one of those science nuts who you know will end up making more money than anyone.

The series did rather well during its first season, but during the second the ratings started to decline. I honestly couldn’t figure out why. The second season was every bit as good as the first and even allowed the premise to evolve, giving Joan a boyfriend and eventually bringing in another character that can talk to God. Unfortunately this character was brought in during the final episode and since the series was cancelled right after, the season finale cliffhanger became a series finale without a resolution. We never do get to find out this new character's motivations.

Still, I was glad that Paramount decided to release the second season. I was beginning to wonder if they ever would. In the past, most of their full season sets were released fairly quickly, unless it was a currently running series, but this time they waited a full 18 months between releases. On the bright side, they did take the time to add quite a few extra features. These include four commentaries, which I have listed below. All of these commentaries are exceptionally insightful and served to make me wish there was at least a third season to allow things to be tied up.

There are also several featurettes, starting with a "Look at Season 2", which I expected to be one of those clip features. I was close as it also included a little over 15 minutes of interviews from the various cast and crew. "The Making of Queen of the Zombies" is an 11 minute look behind the scenes of this episode, also with numerous interviews. You'll also find a lengthy tour of the high school set by production designer Bill Eigenbrodt. Most interesting to me however was footage of a table read of the episode "Common Thread." Here you get the chance to see the actors sitting around a table reading through the script.

"Joan of Arcadia" really should have been allowed an additional season, or even half-season to keep it from ending on a cliffhanger. It was a decent show with a very creative premise.

Episodes:
Only Connect (Commentary by Barbara Hall and James Hayman)
Out of Sight
Back to the Garden
The Cat
The Election
Wealth of Nations
P.O.V.
Friday Night (Commentary by Stephen Nathan and James Hayman)
No Future
Book of Questions
Dive
Game Theory
Queen of the Zombies
The Rise and Fall of Joan Girardi
Romancing the Joan
Independence Day
Shadows and Light
Secret Service
Trial and Error
Spring Cleaning
Common Thread (Commentary by Stephen Nathan and James Hayman)
Something Wicked This Way Comes (Commentary by Barbara Hall and James Hayman)

Starring: Amber Tamblyn, Joe Mantegna, Mary Steenburgen, Jason Ritter, Michael Welch
Extras: A Look at Season 2, The Making of "Queen of the Zombies", A Tour of Joan's High School, "Common Thread" - A Table Read, Audio Commentaries by Barbara Hall, James Hayman, and Stephen Nathan
Specifications: Widescreen, Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Sound
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: 11/28/2006
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give Joan of Arcadia: Season 2 a B.