Living Biblically--CBS Sitcom

I saw an ad for this and found it in the on demand section of my cable providers TV show lineup. I've seen three episodes so far.

The premise--Chip Curry, a 30 something guy, an arts and entertainment critic, has his best friend die and then learns his wife is pregnant, all on the same day. While at a bookstore he accidentally puts a Bible in his shopping basket, surprised to see it at the checkout counter. Suddenly he has an ephiphany. He's going to change his life by adhering to the precepts of the Bible.

What follows is a mostly light-hearted, mostly wholesome sit-com about the guy's efforts to follow the guidelines set forth in the Bible. Along the way he learns life lessons and tries to become a better person. In the first episode he learns not to wear clothing with mixed fabrics (Deut. 22) and to always wear white (Eccl. 9) He doesn't lie and cover up for a co-worker that is committing adultery. In fact he attempts to stone him (sorta), which was the funniest moment in the show. In the second episode he learns he's been using his cell phone as an idol. In the third episode he has to "love thy neighbor" even though they make a noisy racket with thumping techno music which mostly covers up squeaking bedsprings.

Surprisingly it's not (very) offensive to Christians or Jews. Not surprisingly, it's only mildly funny. The lead actor, Jay R. Ferguson (Mad Men, Twin Peaks 2017) who plays Chip, is likeable as is his wife, played by Lindsey Kraft. Part of the humor is Chip's misinterpretation of Bible passages.

Chip frequently consults with a priest (invades the confessional with questions) who doles out biblical advice in a least common denominator style. Basically, "The Bible for Dummies." Chip sometimes takes advice from the priest's friend, a Rabbi, who similarly dishes advice that is pretty basic stuff. It's not theologically wrong, per se, it's just that it's so bland. Sadly, I get the feeling that this sort of advice is considered sophisticated by the general viewing public.

There is the usual amount of zany supporting characters, mostly Chip's co-workers. The show is brought to you by some of the same people that produce Big Bang Theory. If I were to rate the show based on the first three episodes, I'd give it a 6 1/2 out of 10. The strongest episode was the one about the cell phone becoming an idol for Chip. More episodes like that one and they might have a hit on their hands.