Parents' Guide to Joan of Arcadia

TV CBS Drama 2003
Joan of Arcadia Poster Image

Common Sense Media Review

Common Sense Media By Common Sense Media , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 14+

God talks to a surly teen.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 14+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

age 11+

Based on 6 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In JOAN OF ARCADIA, a high school teen finds herself talking to God in everyday situations such as the halls of her high school. In so doing many questions of God and faith come up between her and her friends. Her geeky science-loving younger brother believes in God and says that science proves it's so; there's also a sassy sister and a brother in a wheelchair who is angry at losing his mobility due to a car accident. Joan's parents are played by Joe Mantegna and Mary Steenburgen.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say ( 6 ):
Kids say : Not yet rated

This show brings up the big questions -- who is God? What is our obligation to others? How do we know God's will? And it does all this in a surprisingly unpreachy and non-partisan way. But Joan of Arcadia might offend some who have concrete ideas of who God is and how God talks to us or irritate those who don't believe in God at all. These audiences probably should not watch.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about what kids think of portraying God this way in Joan of Arcadia. Do you think it's important to try to help others? What do you think about fate, purpose and interconnection?

TV Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by

Joan of Arcadia Poster Image

What to Watch Next

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate