Nothing Sacred Online

I loved this TV series. It was intelligent, inspirational and thought-provoking. I still remember every episode and I hope those episodes are eventually released on DVD. This was the best "spritual" TV series ever created--yet it was NOT conventional in the least. Kevin Anderson was brilliant as the priest who questioned his career and his life and he showed us that he was as vulnerable and "human" as those he helped. It was a wonderful show. A compelling and bold look at a modern priest trying his best to be a good person. And the co-stars were great, too.

I was disappointed when ABC cancelled this show without giving it a chance to survive and prove its worth. The traditionalists didn't like it and they were loud and vocal. Yet, the series was ahead of its time and it made us think and grow as human beings. I will always remember this show fondly, as it left an impression on me that will last a lifetime. The writing was high-quality. Kevin Anderson remains one of my favorite actors.

Nothing Sacred was one of the series that ever aired. ABC was cruel to it and the people who loved it. They never showed us all the episodes. This is unfair. There are plenty of loyal fans of NS who would love to see it get resurrected. If the powers at be are working, PLEASE put NS back on the air. Or put it out on video tape.

What a great show. I mean truly great. It had depth, drama, light-heartedness, wit and charm. Kevin Anderson as Father Ray will be one of my favorite television characters (it hurts to even see Kevin in a film, as it brings back the pain from knowing this show was cancelled). I also loved Scott Campbell as Father Eric.

The Christmas episode was one of my favorites -- though I looked forward to each one and enjoyed each immensely. I was lucky enough to have watched the pilot episode which totally got me hooked (I had not heard about it, just happened to be looking for something to watch that night). There has been so much, horrible junk on television, I was so taken by this show that was intelligent, creative and thoughtful -- how many shows can you say that about?? As dedicated a fan I became, I found it very difficult to keep up with the show, as ABC would change the showtime on almost a weekly basis, showing it on different days and at different times, with no warning to the viewer. I also recall that it was often put up against such audience-holding shows as 'Friends' and 'Seinfeld'. However, I managed to convince several people to give up these shows for Nothing Sacred!!

But then ABC pulled the plug. I was in complete shock!! I boycotted ABC for three years. I have been devastated ever since, and can't wait to get my hands on a taped set of the show -- of course, it's incomplete -- so much more could have been made and done with this show. What a complete shame -- I am positive that if it had been given more time (and a reliable schedule) it would have drawn in quite an audience. If you have seen, or are able to see Nothing Sacred, consider yourself lucky to have been witness to television's glimmer of hope.

Every so often TV gives us a show of real depth, beauty, intelligence & feeling. And when it does, it seldom lasts very long. "Nothing Sacred" is one of those shows. Each episode had the richness of a small film & could easily have been expanded into one. The series as a whole offered a stunning, insightful look into the nature of faith, the struggle to reconcile suffering & belief, and reminded us of the epiphanies waiting all around us, those moments of grace that illuminate the soul & the world around us. Father Ray's doubts & questions only served to strengthen his chosen calling in the end; in fact, the series as it stands could easily be seen as a mini-series about one man's journey to acceptance of his life's true meaning. But how I would love to have seen several seasons of it! The series dealt with the pressing issues of the day, and didn't insult the viewer with pat, simplistic answers -- if anything, it challenged the viewer to think about those issues, consider all aspects of them, and come to his or her own conclusions. Simply a wonderful show in every way!

The writing was wonderful -- and each episode had a 'moment of grace' that blew me away each time it happened. Most people didn't get to see the show because it was moved around constantly and then was pulled off the air. But those of us who have seen and loved it - would do ANYTHING to get a DVD release.

Churches across the country would use it for adult discussion groups.

I saw two of the unaired episodes at the St Francis Xavier - the church that the show was modeled after. The last episode took place on the Easter Vigil. In fact the writing of the series was designed to follow the liturgical year.

If it were for sale, I would consider purchasing it and trying to release it myself.

This show had excellent casting, unbelievable writing, superb acting, great visuals, and the condemnation of the Catholic Church. There are simply not enough Kudos to be given. It was not afraid to tackle some of the stickiest problems facing Catholics in America. The poignant looks at abortion, divorce, alcoholism, celibacy, the poor and homeless, were just short of perfect in every episode. The show received critical acclaim, and virtually no viewership. What gives? There is/was so much other virtual junk on TV at that and this time, that I would actually rent or buy the entire series again, just to review and ponder upon the emotions which are brought to the fore from this wonderful series. For some reason I see only two other user comments in the imdb about Nothing Sacred, and that seems to echo the low viewership. What is it that I saw in this series that ABC and the rest of the world did not? I called ABC months after I could not find it on the air, and they advised that it had the lowest viewership of their entire programming. What a sad comment on TV watchers! Do you know some of the other, pardon me, c**p that is/was on? I wonder if the owners of these episodes have tried to sell them to Lifetime, A&E, HBO, or any cable network which has the courage to air them. Is it true (from one of the other user's comments) that we did not see all the episodes? What a shame. Several shames, one on ABC, one on the general viewing public, and shame on the Catholic Church for condemning it.

Boo and hiss to the cowards at ABC who still refuse to put this show back on the air, in spite of the lack of good shows to put on! "Sacred" featured totally believable performances by Kevin Anderson and Scott Campbell as the yin/yang of the Catholic Church, one questioning its actions, one only slowly looking at both sides. The Christmas episode with its parallels to Mary and Joseph is one of the most unforgettable shows I have ever seen. Especially in today's climate of protest and acknowledgement of the Catholic Church's cover-ups, this show should be brought back or at least shown so others can see what a shining light ABC had and how stupid they were to douse it!

This show was amazing and I thought the conservative Catholics who opposed it were shooting themselves in the foot - at the time I believed the show was a great recruiting tool for winning back ex-Catholics with remembrances of the depth of our religion. I cried at least once with faith and joy or sadness during most episodes, especially meaningful were the show with the singing of the Panis Angelicus and the Christmas Show with the priests in prison sharing a meal while the parishioners in the church were sharing communion. Powerful imagery! Across the years I've learned that Nothing Sacred is aired in other countries, most recently Belgium in which all episodes were shown including the ones never shown in the U.S. Why, oh why, can not all shows be released on DVD in the U.S.???!!

As i am writing this, a new series, "The book of Daniel" is about to premiere on NBC. Seeing the previews immediately brought to mind the wonderful,ill fated "Nothing sacred". Lets hope the powers that be give "daniel a better chance" As a high church cradle Episcopalian i really enjoyed "Nothing sacred". Kevin Anderson was terrific as Father Ray(and as I understand,he is a semi lapsed Catholic. One episode that sticks out in my mind featured a beautiful rendition of Panis Angelicus featuring Anderson, an unidentified soloist and guest star John Cullum that was amazing. Its too bad that the powers that be decided that the show was not proper....

Should be interesting to see how the whole thing pans out, and i would be in favor of releasing Nothing sacred on DVD !!

Lee Ann

Having been fortunate enough to see Kevin Anderson in a wonderful revival of "Come Back Little Sheba" I was of course reminded of "Nothing Sacred" and just how disappointed I was at the short shrift given to this excellent show by ABC. I must agree with all the comments at this site. At a time when Mother Church is in serious need of redirection and engagement with the reality facing its faithful, this show was a breath of fresh air, examining a host of important spiritual issues in a most thought-provoking way. I can remember the remarkable experience of savoring each of the too few episodes --feeling that my own sentiments and opinions were acknowledged by the writers and being truly inspired by many of the dramatic moments along the way. It is difficult to understand why the entire series has not been made available on DVD. Does anyone know where to direct a letter about this?

I felt like someone dear to me had died when this program was cancelled. Whole convents of nuns were praying to keep it going. Donahue sp? was too picky about content where the priest did not give or do the action Donahue wanted. We don't want "Going My Way" which, had I seen it before my conversion, I probably would not be Catholic today. Can't a priest have doubts about the best thing to do? I did not find that at all offensive, but realistic. Sr. Maureen (Ann Dowd?) played the Mother Superior on Broadway in "Doubt"--also worth seeing. Like other commentators,my favorite is the Christmas one, which I fortunately copied and watch every Christmas to get the real Christmas spirit.

Nothing Sacred was one of if not the best TV drama ever produced. The acting and writing were superb. Having worked for the Catholic Church for 21 years it was true to life for many parishes of the time. I don't think it was the church that had anything to do with pulling it from the air but a very conservative group that thought it was destructive of the church. Anything but destructive it showed the vibrancy of what it is to have faith and a deep spirituality. I would buy this in a heartbeat if it came out on DVD and I normally do not buy many DVDs. To be honest I don't watch much TV anymore except what I find on PBS. They do not make shows like this and why should they as they got burnt by a very vocal what I would hope was a minority.

I'm pleased to see that all the comments on this wonderful series (so far) are favorable. I suppose some things were exaggerated for dramatic purposes, but this series gave a realistic view of life as is really is in urban Catholic parishes. One of the comments above claimed that the series was "condemned by the Catholic Church," and I don't think that's true. It did receive vehement criticism from Catholic traditionalists, a very vocal minority who do not necessarily reflect the thinking of mainstream Catholic priests and religious and laity.

The "National Catholic Reporter" newspaper gave strong support to this show. In almost every episode, you'll see a copy of the newspaper in some noticeable location - one of the most interesting "product placements" I've seen.

I certainly hope this series comes out on DVD.

The British Catholic philosopher J.M.Cameron once wrote that poor taste was the infallible mark of the religious right. The tragic fate of this superb series is a case in point. I saw only one or two episodes, and what I saw was serious, intelligent drama of a high order.The Commonweal, which is probably the finest serious Catholic periodical in the English speaking world, praised it. However, it had an enemy, in the form of the far right, scare mongering, ultra-traditionalist Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights. Oh how shocking! A priest who actually wrestled with the doubts and ambiguities of mature faith, and who did not dispense easy answers. Clearly a demonic blasphemy.

I would rank this series with I'll Fly Away, Homefront, Slattery's People, the Defenders. Naked City, Route 66, Friday Night Lights, East Side West Side,Call To Glory and maybe one or two others among those rarities, intelligent dramas for intelligent people.

This show haunts me even now. I am not a Catholic but I am a person of deep religious faith and conviction and in my opinion, NS accurately portrays a faithful person living and balancing that life in a world that is full of contradictions and is more gray than black and white. I tell people about this show and no one has any idea what I'm referring to. Oh, how I wish this was on DVD! So many lives would be uplifted, challenged, changed. I don't remember whole episodes or what happened when. I do remember a white marble statue being spray painted black to be more reflective of a young man's appearance and hands being shown scrubbing that statue to restore its pristine image (because after all, Jesus was white and not a person of color; hah!), a woman standing on the steps of the church in a snow storm pronouncing a benediction and the congregation singing Angel's Wings.

I had forgotten about this show until I recently saw Ann Dowd get great reviews for Handmaid's Tale. It took me a while to find because her character was what I remembered most except that this show suddenly disappeared off the radar after it stepped on toes. Considering the climate today, its' challenges to established thought were quite tame (but subtle, thought provoking and intelligent). I wish it were available on Netflix or Amazon Prime. I would love to watch it again.