Living Biblically Creator Patrick Walsh Talks About Family, Faith and His Spiritual Sitcom

Asay:  Do you think that television is more open to dealing with faith and its issues than they’ve been in the past?

Walsh: I do. I think it’s starting now. … I see it in more of what the networks are picking up, and I think that’s a great thing.

This is just a very tense time in America, and I think if everyone just keeps to their own kind, let’s say, I don’t think that’s going to help. … I think people just need to see more positive portrayals of religion and people of faith. I think it’s a very important thing.

Asay: Obviously, serving as a cultural bridge is a lot to put on a sitcom. But do you feel like Living Biblically could be a sort of bridge between people?

Walsh: I think that would certainly be a dream for me. But I think you saw more of a nationwide impact like that when there were three channels. A show like All in the Family probably did wonders for helping [deal with] racism and other huge issues because everybody in America was watching that show. I can’t expect to have that kind of an audience. But if the people who watch it get something out of it, and find something in themselves, making positive changes in just their family and their parents and their friends and their spouses, I would be thrilled by that. … I think that this could be a great show to be discussed even in a church setting, or a youth group setting, because I think it really does contemporize these issues that are discussed all the time. I think it can be hard to make things relevant, and I think that’s really the point of this show, to bring [themes of faith] into modern day.

Asay: As you were putting together this show, how did this show impact your own view of faith?

Walsh: I would say I’ve learned a bunch. We had a priest and a rabbi advise us. They read every draft of the script, so that got us into some very, very interesting discussions. I intentionally put together a room of writers that had a wide variety of religious backgrounds.

I’ve been writing for sitcoms for 10 years, and generally the discussion is, did anybody have a bad date that we could make into a [episode]? I really, really loved going into work every day and having just these in-depth discussions about faith and spirituality. It was very interesting, and that definitely bled into the show. [We’d hear about] everyone’s upbringing, and everyone’s experience, and a big part of this show is about when and how do you introduce your children to religion. People said, you know, I use it as a moral code, because I didn’t know what else to do, and it wound up changing my life.

That’s a long answer to your question, but absolutely, it effected my viewpoint on faith, and it comes at a time when people need something. They need something to turn to, I think.

It’s hard to say [that religion’s] on the rise again, but I really do think it is. People need answers. I think everybody in the [writing] room, regardless of background, came away from the experience blown away by how these discussions of faith were really making an impact in our lives.

Watch Living Biblically tonight, Feb. 26, on CBS.