Hand of God (TV series)

2014 American TV series or program
  • Drama
  • Psychological thriller
Created byBen WatkinsStarring
  • Ron Perlman
  • Dana Delany
  • Andre Royo
  • Garret Dillahunt
  • Alona Tal
  • Emayatzy Corinealdi
  • Julian Morris
  • Elizabeth McLaughlin
Opening theme"An Honest Man", performed by Fantastic NegritoCountry of originUnited StatesOriginal languageEnglishNo. of seasons2No. of episodes20 (list of episodes)ProductionProduction locationLos AngelesRunning time45–66 min[1]Production companies
  • Universal Television
  • Alcon Television Group
Original releaseNetworkAmazon Prime VideoReleaseAugust 28, 2014 (2014-08-28) –
March 10, 2017 (2017-03-10)

Hand of God is an American drama television series created by Ben Watkins. The premiere episode is one of two drama pilots that Amazon streamed online in August 2014, along with Hysteria. Viewers were allowed to offer their opinions about the pilot before the studio decided whether or not to place an order for the entire series.[2] In October 2014, Hand of God was ordered to full series by Amazon Studios.[3]

The series officially premiered on September 4, 2015. A second season was ordered in December 2015, which premiered on March 10, 2017.[4] On September 15, 2016, Amazon Studios announced that the series would end after the second season.[5]

Plot

Hand of God follows Pernell Harris (Ron Perlman), a corrupt judge who suffers a breakdown and believes that God is compelling him onto a path of vigilante justice. He becomes a member of a church called Hand of God, which proves to be a dangerous cult.

Cast

Main

Recurring

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally released
1101August 28, 2014 (2014-08-28)
9September 4, 2015 (2015-09-04)
210March 10, 2017 (2017-03-10)

Season 1 (2014–2015)

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
11"Pilot"Marc ForsterBen WatkinsAugust 28, 2014 (2014-08-28)
22"Your Inside Voice"Marc ForsterBen WatkinsSeptember 4, 2015 (2015-09-04)
33"Contemplating the Body"Richard J. LewisBen Watkins & Daniel TuchSeptember 4, 2015 (2015-09-04)
44"He So Loved"Sarah Pia AndersonBecky Hartman EdwardsSeptember 4, 2015 (2015-09-04)
55"Welcome the Stranger"Ernest R. DickersonSam FormanSeptember 4, 2015 (2015-09-04)
66"For the Rain to Gather"Andrew BernsteinDeborah SchoenemanSeptember 4, 2015 (2015-09-04)
77"A Bird in Hand"Peter MedakTeleplay by : Mark Hudis
Story by : Mark Hudis & Ali Garfinkel		September 4, 2015 (2015-09-04)
88"One Saved Message"Mario Van PeeblesBen Watkins & Ben Cory JonesSeptember 4, 2015 (2015-09-04)
99"A Flower That Bees Prefer"Stephen WilliamsTheresa RebeckSeptember 4, 2015 (2015-09-04)
1010"The Tie That Binds"Brad AndersonBen WatkinsSeptember 4, 2015 (2015-09-04)

Season 2 (2017)

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
111"Gathering Dust"Mario Van PeeblesBen Watkins & Jim DunnMarch 9, 2017 (2017-03-09)
122"Telling Me Your Dreams"Peter MedakBen Watkins & Sam ErnstMarch 9, 2017 (2017-03-09)
133"We Can't Go Back"Christine MooreMichael AngeliMarch 9, 2017 (2017-03-09)
144"Not Writing a Love Letter"Sarah Pia AndersonDaniel TuchMarch 9, 2017 (2017-03-09)
155"I See That Now"Ali SelimShernold EdwardsMarch 9, 2017 (2017-03-09)
166"What Do You Hear..."Stephen SurjikDawn Kamoche & Ariella BlejerMarch 9, 2017 (2017-03-09)
177"When You Pull the Trigger"Tim HunterTeleplay by : Ben Watkins & Michael Angeli
Story by : Michael Kastelein & Chris Wu		March 9, 2017 (2017-03-09)
188"The Last Thing Left"Kate WoodsJim DunnMarch 9, 2017 (2017-03-09)
199"What a Man Can Be"Peter MedakSam ErnstMarch 9, 2017 (2017-03-09)
2010"He Must Be"Ben WatkinsBen WatkinsMarch 9, 2017 (2017-03-09)

Reception

The series has received mixed reviews from critics. On Metacritic, the first season has a score of 44 out of 100 based on 19 critics reviews,[6] and an 8.2/10 from IGN.[7] The average rating on TV.com is 8.3 out of 10 based on 33 ratings.[8]

Emily VanDerWerff of Vox called the show "mind-bogglingly bad".[9] Mike Hale of The New York Times wrote that it "loses its focus" and that it feels "attenuated and static".[10] Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times gave the series a negative review, writing that it had great acting but "little else".[11] David Sims of The Atlantic wrote that the climax of the series didn't "justify 10 depressing hours of television".[12] In contrast, Robert Rorke of the NY Post called the show "oddly compelling",[13] while Tirdad Derakhshani of The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote, "It's such an engaging, original, quirky, and thought-provoking drama, it should be seen."[14]

References

  1. ^ "Hand of God". Amazon.com. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  2. ^ Jarvey, Natalie (August 11, 2014). "Amazon Studios Sets August Premiere for Third Group of Pilots". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
  3. ^ Lewis, Hilary (October 3, 2014). "Amazon Picks Up Full Series of 'Hand of God' and Steven Soderbergh's 'Red Oaks'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 13, 2014.
  4. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (December 18, 2015). "Amazon Picks Up 5 New Primetime Series & 3 Kids Series, Renews 'Red Oaks' & 'Hand Of God'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  5. ^ Petski, Denise (September 15, 2016). "Amazon's 'Hand Of God' To End After Season 2". Retrieved September 17, 2016.
  6. ^ "Hand of God : Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved September 12, 2015.
  7. ^ Nicholson, Max (September 4, 2015). "Hand of God: Season 1 Review". IGN. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
  8. ^ TV.com. "Hand of God". TV.com. Archived from the original on 2017-05-14. Retrieved 2017-05-09.
  9. ^ VanDerWerff, Emily (September 6, 2015). "Amazon's new series Hand of God is excruciatingly terrible television". Vox. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
  10. ^ Hale, Mike (September 3, 2015). "Review: 'Hand of God,' on Amazon, Is a California Neo-Noir Thriller". The New York Times. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
  11. ^ McNamara, Mary (September 3, 2015). "Amazon's 'Hand of God' features miraculous acting, but little else". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
  12. ^ Sims, David (September 4, 2015). "Hand of God: A Dark, Violent, Vigilante Drama About Religion". The Atlantic. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
  13. ^ Rorke, Robert (September 2, 2015). "Far-fetched 'Hand of God' is Oddly Compelling". New York Post. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
  14. ^ Derakhshani, Tirdad (September 4, 2015). "Amazon's 'Hand of God' a fascinating, if uneven religious satire". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
  • Hand of God at IMDb
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