Here’s today’s dispatch from the crossroads of faith, media and culture.

Touched by an Angel as a crime drama. From The Hollywood Reporter: The network has given script orders to The Centurion, a high-concept drama about faith and responsibility from Immortals feature scribes Charley and Vlas Parlapanides, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. The drama centers on an elite force recon Marine who, after a near-fatal accident in combat overseas, makes a promise to God to clear the debt of the lives he’s taken if he safely returns home to his family. Once he does return home, he settles back into his former career as a police detective to make good on his promise, guided by the angel of his best friend, who died in the accident.

Comment: To quote Paradigm agent Michael J. Van Dyck (also from a Hollywood Reporter piece) “In this economy, people are starving to see real characters that have a relationship with God on the air. And as soon as one of those shows hits, whichever executive is behind it will appear to be a genius.”  I couldn’t agree more.

BTW, when it comes to blending gritty crime drama with faith, this classic (and genuinely-moving) scene from TV’s best cop show ever, NYPD Blue, remains, in my mind, the gold standard:

Encourage one another and build each other up – 1 Thessalonians 5:11