Living Biblically
Living Biblically is an American television sitcom created by Patrick Walsh and executive produced by Walsh and Johnny Galecki, with co-executive producers Andrew Haas, Spencer Medof, and director Andy Ackerman. The series was based on A. J. Jacobs' best-selling book, The Year of Living Biblically. The Warner Bros. Television-produced series began airing on CBS on February 26, 2018.[1] The running time was thirty minutes per episode[2] and included a laugh track.[3] On May 11, 2018, CBS canceled the series after only eight of the thirteen first season episodes had aired.[4][5] The network aired the remaining episodes from July 7 until July 21, 2018.
| Living Biblically | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | |
| Based on | The Year of Living Biblically by A. J. Jacobs |
| Developed by | Patrick Walsh |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Original release | February 26 – July 21, 2018 |
Plot
The series chronicles a married film critic and expectant father's decision to improve his life by living according to the Bible, literally, after the death of his best friend.
Cast
Main
- Jay R. Ferguson as Chip Curry, a film critic for a newspaper who decides to improve his life by following the Bible literally after the death of his best friend.
- Lindsey Kraft as Leslie Curry, Chip's overbearing, pregnant wife who does not believe in Chip's new interest in Christianity.
- Ian Gomez as Father Gene, a liberal priest who is amused that with Chip's plan to follow the Bible by the book but remains supportive. His full name is Eugenio Alberto Del Castillo Cabeza de Vaca.
- David Krumholtz as Rabbi Gil Ableman, a rabbi at the local synagogue who is supportive of Chip.
- Tony Rock as Vince Williams, Chip's skeptical but supportive friend and co-worker.
- Camryn Manheim as Ms. Meadows, Chip, Vince and Cheryl's strict and selfish boss, who cares only about money and the newspaper's success. Her first name is never mentioned.
- Sara Gilbert as Cheryl, a sarcastic co-worker of Chip's who writes obituaries.
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code | US viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | Andy Ackerman | Patrick Walsh | February 26, 2018 | T11.10117 | 5.011[6] |
| After the death of his best friend, film reviewer and dad-to-be Chip Curry tries to turn his life around. When he accidentally purchases a copy of the Bible, he decides to live by it "to the letter" much to the confusion of his non-believing wife Leslie and the bemusement of his priest, Father Gene. Chip's newfound faith is put to the test when Gary (Joe DeRosa), a co-worker who is committing adultery, wants Chip to lie for him. | ||||||
| 2 | "False Idols" | Andy Ackerman | Sophia Lear | March 5, 2018 | T12.15904 | 4.476[7] |
| After smashing his phone to avoid "worshiping false idols", Chip decides to go old school and rely on actual maps and compasses. He ends up over sleeping and forgets his "Love–Iversary" with Leslie and decides to get her Beyoncé tickets to make up for it. Vince, Cheryl and Meadows become concerned when he does not arrive for work or call in sick and decide to go look for him. | ||||||
| 3 | "Love Thy Neighbor" | Andy Ackerman | Patrick Walsh | March 12, 2018 | T12.15902 | 4.67[8] |
| 4 | "Thou Shalt Not Steal" | Andy Ackerman | Michael Lisbe & Nate Reger | March 19, 2018 | T12.15903 | 4.06[9] |
| 5 | "Honor Thy Father" | Andy Ackerman | Michael Hobert | March 26, 2018 | T12.15910 | 3.98[10] |
| 6 | "Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness" | Andy Ackerman | Charles Brottmiller | April 2, 2018 | T12.15905 | 4.14[11] |
| 7 | "Let Us Pray" | Andy Ackerman | Bill Martin & Mike Schiff | April 9, 2018 | T12.15907 | 3.84[12] |
| 8 | "Show Hospitality" | Andy Ackerman | Jon Silberman & Josh Silberman | April 16, 2018 | T12.15906 | 3.55[13] |
| 9 | "Never Let Loyalty Leave You" | Andy Ackerman | Jess Lamour | July 7, 2018 | T12.15909 | 1.18[14] |
| 10 | "Submit to Thy Husband" | Andy Ackerman | Allison Bosma & Jon DeWalt | July 7, 2018 | T12.15908 | 1.22[14] |
| 11 | "Thou Shalt Not Covet" | Katy Garretson | Michael Lisbe & Nate Reger | July 14, 2018 | T12.15911 | 1.12[15] |
| 12 | "It's Better to Give Than to Receive" | Andy Ackerman | Bill Martin & Mike Schiff | July 14, 2018 | T12.15912 | 1.14[15] |
| 13 | "David and Goliath" | Andy Ackerman | Patrick Walsh | July 21, 2018 | T12.15913 | 0.97[16] |
Ratings
| No. | Title | Air date | Rating/share (18–49) | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | February 26, 2018 | 0.8/4[6] | 5.011 |
| 2 | "False Idols" | March 5, 2018 | 0.7/3[7] | 4.476 |
| 3 | "Love Thy Neighbor" | March 12, 2018 | 0.7/3 | 4.67[8] |
| 4 | "Thou Shalt Not Steal" | March 19, 2018 | 0.7/2 | 4.06[9] |
| 5 | "Honor Thy Father" | March 26, 2018 | 0.7/3 | 3.98[10] |
| 6 | "Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness" | April 2, 2018 | 0.8/3 | 4.14[11] |
| 7 | "Let Us Pray" | April 9, 2018 | 0.6/3 | 3.84[12] |
| 8 | "Show Hospitality" | April 16, 2018 | 0.6/2 | 3.55[13] |
| 9 | "Never Let Loyalty Leave You" | July 7, 2018 | 0.2/1 | 1.18[14] |
| 10 | "Submit to Thy Husband" | July 7, 2018 | 0.2/1 | 1.22[14] |
| 11 | "Thou Shalt Not Covet" | July 14, 2018 | 0.2/1 | 1.12[15] |
| 12 | "It's Better to Give Than to Receive" | July 14, 2018 | 0.2/1 | 1.14[15] |
| 13 | "David and Goliath" | July 21, 2018 | 0.2/1 | 0.97[16] |
Production
On May 12, 2017, the show was ordered to series under the title By the Book.[17] On November 21, 2017, it was announced that the series, now titled Living Biblically,[18] would premiere in the spring of 2018 and air on Mondays at 9:30 P.M. The series premiered February 26, 2018, on CBS and was given a thirteen episode order. On April 19, 2018, CBS pulled the series from the schedule after eight low-rated episodes, leaving five episodes unaired, and announced that the series will remain in production for all thirteen episodes and would return to the schedule at a later date.[19] On May 11, 2018, Living Biblically was cancelled after one season.[20] On June 7, 2018, it was announced that the show would return to the schedule on July 7, 2018 and the remaining five episodes would air over a three-week period.[21] The final episode aired on July 21, 2018.
Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 18% based on 17 reviews, with an average rating of 4.26/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Living Biblically commits the cardinal TV sin of wasting the outline of a refreshingly unusual premise on broad, hammy acting and stock sitcom laughs."[22] On Metacritic, the series has a weighted average score of 47 out of 100, based on 8 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[23]
References
- Holloway, Daniel (12 May 2017). "'The Big Bang Theory' Star Johnny Galecki's 'By the Book' Lands Series Order at CBS". Variety. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- "Living Biblically". February 26, 2018 – via IMDb.
- "New show 'Living Biblically' lets Christians laugh at themselves, but it never gets too deep". Dallas News. February 22, 2018.
- Nemetz, Dave (19 April 2018). "Living Biblically Pulled From CBS Lineup, Replaced by Big Bang Reruns".
- Kimball, Trevor (11 May 2018). "Living Biblically: Cancelled Sitcom Returning to CBS". tvseriesfinale.com.
- Metcalf, Mitch (February 27, 2018). "ShowbuzzDaily's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.26.2018". ShowbuzzDaily. Archived from the original on February 28, 2018. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
- Metcalf, Mitch (March 6, 2018). "ShowbuzzDaily's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.5.2018". ShowbuzzDaily. Archived from the original on March 7, 2018. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
- Porter, Rick (March 13, 2018). "'The Voice' and 'iZombie' adjust up, 'Good Girls' adjusts down: Monday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on March 13, 2018. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
- Porter, Rick (March 20, 2018). "'American Idol,' 'Good Girls,' all others hold: Monday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on March 21, 2018. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
- Porter, Rick (March 27, 2018). "'American Idol' and 'The Good Doctor' adjust up, 'Good Girls' adjusts down: Monday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on March 28, 2018. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
- Porter, Rick (April 3, 2018). "'The Crossing' adjusts down: Monday final rating". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 4, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
- Porter, Rick (April 10, 2018). "'American Idol' and 'Kevin Can Wait' adjust up: Monday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 11, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
- Porter, Rick (April 17, 2018). "'The Voice' and 'American Idol' adjust up, 'Good Girls' adjusts down: Monday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 17, 2018. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
- Metcalf, Mitch (July 10, 2018). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Saturday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 7.7.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on July 10, 2018. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
- Metcalf, Mitch (July 17, 2018). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Saturday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 7.14.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on July 17, 2018. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
- Metcalf, Mitch (July 24, 2018). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Saturday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 7.21.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on July 24, 2018. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
- Daniel Holloway (2017-05-12). "CBS Series Orders: 9JKL, Me, Myself & I, Instinct, Wisdom of the Crowd, Seal Team, S.W.A.T." Variety. Retrieved 2017-05-26.
- Assassin (2017-11-24). "By the Book - Title Changed by CBS". SpoilerTV. Retrieved 2018-07-15.
- Nemetz, Dave (19 April 2018). "Living Biblically Pulled From CBS Lineup, Replaced by Big Bang Reruns".
- Kimball, Trevor (11 May 2018). "Living Biblically: Cancelled Sitcom Returning to CBS". tvseriesfinale.com.
- "CBS to Burn Off Comedies "Me, Myself & I," "Living Biblically" on Saturday Nights Beginning July 7". The Futon Critic. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
- "Living Biblically: Season 1 (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
- "Living Biblically: Season 1 reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved April 9, 2018.