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Television
God’s Silence on TV
Hugh Hamilton looks at how God is presented. Spoilers for the shows Lucifer, Preacher and Supernatural ahead.
With the Western world becoming more secular, the public are more open to non-reverential depictions of God. In particular, TV creatives are making shows about what God might be like, with a lot of it not positive. He’s often portrayed as uncaring or oblivious to human suffering – although there are shows that portray him as the classic wise and loving deity whom the protagonist grudgingly comes to like.
So, what are the most popular portrayals of God on television, and why is he portrayed in these ways?
Lucifer stills © Warner Bros Television
Lucifer
Originally a spin-off of the Sandman series written by Neil Gaiman, the Lucifer graphic novels were adapted into a TV show for Fox until that was cancelled, and then revived for Netflix.
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