One Punk Under God (Sundance Channel)

The engaging reality series ONE PUNK UNDER GOD documents the efforts of 31-year-old Jay Bakker -- son of former televangelists/PTL Club hosts Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker -- as he tries to generate interest in, and funding for, a new religion he's created called the Revolution. On first impression, with his heavily tattooed arms, pierced lip, and black T-shirts, Jay comes across as a typical punk, but as the camera follows him around, viewers see that there's a down-to-earth, sensitive soul behind the rebellious facade. "All I want to do is love people," Jay says in reference to his preaching, and several times when he's talking -- to the camera, to his wife, or to a gathering of followers -- about his faltering relationship with his father, his emotions clearly well up to the surface. Jay's followers congregate in, of all places, a bar, and he receives financial support for his undertaking from his friend Stu, a father-figure type who owns an auto body shop. Jay's wife, Amanda, on the other hand, says in her interviews that she has no involvement whatsoever in Jay's mission but that she does give him her full moral support.

While today's teens may not know much about the Bakker saga, they'll probably be able to relate to Jay's story in many ways -- feeling confined as a child (in his case, by the rigid structure of religion), wanting to express himself in his own unique way and make his own mark in the world, and wanting to mend relationships with a parent but not knowing how. Jay's honest, straightforward manner draws viewers in as he embarks on his emotional and spiritual journey.