Watch God Friended Me

God Friended Me is a heartwarming drama television series that premiered on CBS All Access in the fall of 2018. The show follows the life of Miles Finer, a young man played by Brandon Micheal Hall, who is an outspoken atheist and feels like he is stuck in a rut. Miles's life takes an unexpected turn when he receives a friend request on Facebook from an account called "God." Initially, he thinks it's a prank, but soon he realizes that he's received an actual friend request from God who sends him various friend suggestions with a mission to help people in need.

Miles's bond with his father, a reverend played by Joe Morton, has been strained since Miles's mother died years ago. However, as Miles starts to receive the friend suggestions from God, he is inspired to reach out to these strangers and try to help them with their problems. After each experience, Miles realized that these people he was helping were unlikely connections that made him rethink life choices his perfectly-structured academic mindset had gone wrong.

Miles is not alone on this journey as he is joined by his sister Ali (Violett Beane) and his good friend Rakesh (Suraj Sharma). Rakesh works at a tech startup, and he helps Miles track down the people behind the friend suggestions with his computer hacking skills. Meanwhile, Ali is a writer whose articles often cause controversies. She initially reacts with skepticism to Miles's newfound faith in God, but ultimately, she supports him as she realizes the positive impact he is having on the people he's helping.

The show is a fresh take on the traditional faith-based show, which often bears a very strict format. God Friended Me offers diverse characters with individual beliefs but aiming to coexist under what they believe. Unlike other shows that force religion on people, the series offers the audience the freedom to believe or not, and it's also a representation of how society can function regardless of personal beliefs.

Although the show initially appears to be based solely on religious beliefs, it tackles various issues, such as societal divides, race, mental health, etc. The plot ranges from reuniting separated lovers seeking justice or stopping a bomb attack. Each episode follows a different friend suggestion from God, which leads Miles and his friends towards exciting adventures that challenge them emotionally and mentally, while giving a great overview of the diversity of New York society, with each character shown exploring new experiences.

God Friended Me is produced with a high quality of cinematography as it captures various locations in New York City, from bustling streets to serene rooftop gardens. The show's cast delivers outstanding performances, with Hall, Beane, and Sharma forming a strong lead trio. Joe Morton brings his A-game in the role of Miles's father, who struggles with his son's atheism, while Javicia Leslie, who comes in midway in the show, breathes life into the show's plot as she appears to further question Miles's constant mission. The guest stars, who play the people in need of help, also give delicate and powerful performances that further enhance the quality of the show.

God Friended Me has appealed to a diverse audience, as it strives to connect the lines between religion and skepticism, love and hatred, togetherness and loneliness, and selflessness and personal growth, all in a well-executed plot that will leave you wanting more with each episode. The show is a wholesome and respectful exploration of faith with an emphasis on human kindness and altruism, and doesn't spin a false prophecy of salvation. It's a show about personal beliefs, how people live with them, and how they can affect the world around them.

God Friended Me is a series that ran for 2 seasons (42 episodes) between September 30, 2018 and on CBS All Access