Joan of Arcadia

Sixteen year old Joan Girardi is approached by someone claiming to be God. He gives her a mission, get a job. Will Girardi, Joan's dad and new Chief of Police for Arcadia, is trying to solve the case of a serial killer.

Joan heeds God's advice to stop squandering her potential by enrolling in an advanced-placement chemistry class. There, she's partnered with two of the school's biggest underachievers. Elsewhere, Will is frustrated when a murder trail goes cold due to an arson investigator's overly-thorough examination of the crime scene; and Helen is eager for Kevin to get a car after he passes his driver's ed test.

God encourages Joan to learn how to play chess; Will must work with a psychic on a missing toddler case; Helen hopes a miracle will enable Kevin to walk again.

Helen questions her daughter's sanity when, like Noah, Joan builds a boat; and Will faces second-guessing from his rank and file for refusing to connect the murder of one cop to the slaying of another within the same week. Meanwhile, Kevin struggles with feelings of bitterness when he's encouraged to join a wheelchair-basketball team.

God asks Joan to hold a yard sale. When Will gets involved in a rape case, Helen is reminded of an unpleasant event from her past. Meanwhile Kevin gets a job as a fact-checker at a local paper but reacts badly when he overhears some of the staff discussing him (& his disability), and a cool, popular radio DJ from high school flirts with Joan.

God suggests that Joan try out for cheer leading. Will looks for a mother who abandoned her baby in a dumpster. When leads point to Joan's high school, Helen is asked to copy and distribute a list of "bad girls" composed by the vice-principal and she gets involved as well. Meanwhile, Luke stresses over whether his being attracted to a girl who's commonly thought to be a lesbian might mean that he's gay.

God asks Joan to be on the lookout for people needing help and she ends up babysitting for an over-stressed waitress struggling with her job, a death-obsessed child and night-school. Meanwhile Will is dealing with the fall-out from a possible case of police brutality, Helen talks to a priest about grieving, and Joan learns why Adam hates November.

God asks Joan to keep Adam's work out of the school art show but Joan is clueless as to how. Was it really God? Meanwhile Will is considering whether or not the shooter of an armed burglar should be brought to trial, and the question reawakens some of his past feelings surrounding his shooting of a bank robber.

God asks Joan to ace her history test - on Joan of Arc. In doing so, Joan is accused of cheating (she's usually a C student) and Grace starts a revolution on her behalf. Meanwhile, the family go to a counselor as Will's job is becoming increasingly stressful.

God tells Joan to take her driving test. Meanwhile Will Girardi follows through on his new "no tolerance" policy and Helen takes a pregnancy test.

God seems to be playing matchmaker when he encourages Joan to ask a school ruffian to the winter semi formal. Joan's date choice doesn't sit well with her parents, however, especially after Will learns the boy has a juvenile record. Will's also digging up some distressing information about his predecessor as chief of police, who, it turns out, is still cashing a paycheck under another person's name. Meanwhile, Luke looks forward to entering this year's science fair with Grace Polk as his partner.

Joan is saddened when she learns Rocky ("Death Be Not Whatever") has passed away, causing her to further question God about life and death. Will loses his job when his discovery and public revelation of the town's political corruption causes the city government (including the police department) to be dissolved by the State Governor. Luke continues to work on his science fair project and his growing attraction to Grace, while Kevin is injured in a game of wheelchair basketball.

At Helen's insistence, she and Will take a getaway to a spa, but all does not go well when Will cannot forget about his job. And with the parents away, the kids are up to a little recreation of their own. Kevin and his boss, Rebecca, find it hard to ignore their mutual attraction; Joan, as she is trying to sort out her feelings for Adam, is instructed by God to throw a party while her parents are away; Luke helps Joan pull off a successful party.

Joan is less than pleased with her latest heavenly assignment, which finds her partnered on the debate team with a severe stutterer, and arguing in favor of the unpopular installation of metal detectors at school. Meanwhile, Will investigates the vicious beating of a minister, Helen tries to come up with a good candidate for art teacher, and Kevin accepts an invitation from Rebecca for dinner at her place.

Joan is excited about going to a White Stripes concert with Adam, but the thrill is gone after he becomes infatuated with a girl in his art class. Elsewhere, Will is already operating on a dangerously short fuse when he loses his composure over an unwanted work assignment, and Kevin receives pointers about maintaining a sex life, while Luke acts resentful of his older brother's returning confidence.

Joan jumps into the pastime of double dutch and befriends a 16-year-old girl who has fallen on hard times; Helen wounds Adam's ego with her constructive critique of his art project; Kevin is assigned to interview an attractive musical therapist who works with autistic children. Also, before Will gets taken off desk duty and put back on the street his therapist strongly suggests that he participate in Bring Your Kids to Work Day.

Joan wants revenge after classmates humiliate her by circulating an inadvertently snapped photo of her changing for gym, but God suggests the teen relieve her frustration by joining the school band and playing percussion. Meanwhile, Will's back on active duty investigating a 72-year-old man whose car plowed through a crowded farmers' market, killing six; and Helen's paintings are on exhibit.

Joan feels that growing up is "a black hole of never-ending worry and responsibility" as she tends to a sick Luke, makes dinner, studies for tests and helps Adam set up for his first art show. Also, Will gets stuck in an elevator with an embezzler and a very pregnant woman; and Kevin believes he is experiencing "feelings" in his stomach.

Joan's trying to figure out how she can pass math when God tells her to take piano lessons from a teacher (Louise Fletcher) who may be the crankiest woman in Arcadia. Meanwhile, the teen learns a family secret that her father has kept hidden for years.

When Joan complains that everyone has something they're good at except her, God sends her to the yearbook staff to help out.

God gets Joan to take a class on cosmetology where she gets a good foundation on the principles of self-concept and esteem, leading her to renounce makeup and regular bathing. Meanwhile, Kevin reunites with a former girlfriend.

When God tells Joan to give Adam a gift and she subsequently finds a condom in Adam's backpack, she wonders if God wants her to give sex as the gift, and she considers taking this next step in their relationship. 

In the first-season finale, a sick and feverish Joan is confused when God visits her in more incarnations than usual and delivers several contradictory messages. Meanwhile, Helen and Will each have strange yet spiritual experiences that cause them to ponder their faith.