As George Michael sings in the pilot episode of Eli Stone, this show is about “faith.” It's rare for television to offer a substantive program that deals with religion. On the spectrum of religious TV, Eli Stone falls somewhere between the esotericism of John from Cincinnati and the naïve simplicity of 7th Heaven.

Eli Stone, premiering tonight at 10pm on ABC following the season premiere of Lost, tells the story of a young lawyer (Johny Lee Miller) who suddenly begins to hear and see things that aren't really thee, from cable cars in his building's lobby to George Michael performing a concert in his living room. Over the course of the premiere, he attempts to understand the significance of this.

Critics and viewers will be eager to draw comparisons to Ally McBeal, another show about a lawyer with wild fantasies. That seems wrong, as this show actually offers a reason for these visions, and it's also more grounded in what it's trying to say.

If Eli Stone deserves comparison to any other series, it should be co-creator Greg Berlanti's previous effort, Everwood. That was a charming, funny, sweet fairy tale look at a tiny hamlet and one family's attempts to come together. It addressed serious issues such as abortion in a frank and honest way without pandering to any side of the debate. So too does Eli Stone in its depiction of religion.

Perhaps that's why organizations like the Parents Television Council protested Everwood, and the same reason they'll probably oppose Eli Stone's suggestion that believing in God is the same as believing in love, faith, hope and goodwill towards men. How dare anyone suggest that religion and faith is about more than self-righteous dogma.

Lest I make it sound like a preachy morality lesson, Eli Stone is far more than that. It's also well cast and quite funny. Miller is just right to play the leading man. He's handsome, but not distractingly so. He's charming and funny without being glib. Imagine Boston Legal's Alan Shore, only likable.

The supporting cast is also more than welcome. The head of Stone's law firm is played by none other than Victor Garber (Jack Bristow on Alias), a man seemingly designed for such roles. Eli Stone's assistant Patti is played by Loretta Devine, the fabulous comedic actress known for her work on Boston Public and as the Chief's ex-wife on Grey's Anatomy. And for Everwood fans, you will be more than pleased with a small guest appearance by Tom Amandes (the delightful Dr. Harold Abbott) as one ot the law firm's senior partners, which gives us all hope of seeing him again.

If the pilot of Eli Stone had any flaws, it would be in the guest casting of Tom Cavanagh as Eli's father in various flashbacks. Now Cavanagh is an immensely talented actor, as a lead on Ed and Love Monkey or as a guest actor on Scrubs and Jack and Bobby. By my count, his house should be overflowing with awards. But he is sorely miscast as Eli's drunk father and is wholly unbelievable as someone who would abandon his young son to whet his whistle. To be perfectly frank, if Miller and Cavanagh simply switched roles, it would be a better, though completely different, show.

However, this is a minor quibble. Overall, Eli Stone is a refreshingly smart, funny and intriguing new series well worth watching. At a time when the writers' strike is leading to a dearth of scripted programming, and when many new scripted shows are on the level of the horrendous Cashmere Mafia, TV viewers should eagerly eat up any new show with Eli Stone's credentials.


-John Kubicek, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Image courtesy of ABC)