Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Religious Music and Entertainment
Without a Trace to Receive CIMA Award

Without a Trace to Receive CIMA Award

Last updated on: March 27, 2009 at 11:40 am by Sister Rose

Without a Trace to Receive CIMA Award 2009-03-27T11:40:48-06:00 Sister Rose

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The Catholics in Media Awards will be given out this Sunday, March 29, 2009 at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

The Catholics in Media Award

I had a wonderful opportunity to interview executive producers Greg Walker and Jan Nash who will be present to receive the award:

Sr. Rose: I have a friend who said that your show, from the very beginning reminded her of the Good Shepherd, looking for the lost ….

Greg Walker: Jan and I came on the show after the first episode and we have always operated from the premise of the characters looking to try to find a spiritual center (emotional/intellectual) on each episode…Our FBI guys deal with lost souls and need to bring them back into the fold….

We were always puzzled, or challenged, by who would do the job in terms of the FBI looking for the lost in each episode, and what would happen when they would lose, or get lost in their own lives.

And the premise for each episode is that Jack Malone (Anthony LaPaglia) is a “hope junkie.”

SR: We in CIMA have been talking about Without a Trace for years and in fact gave the show a commendation early on and it is always on our recommended list. But do you know which episode really decided us? “The Miracle Worker” on January 14, 2009.

GW: We thought it was that one! It was a special episode. The characters want good outcomes. This idea has guided how the agents exist within the show since the beginning. And even when the outcomes are not positive, that the story show that the loss will not have been in vain.

Jan [Nash], with her background in spirituality, well, she really is able to bring much depth to the stories. In the world of story-telling there are so many that can end in any way possible, but we strive to achieve a balance in our stories to let the audience go to sleep at 11:00pm!

SR: Jan, I am intrigued. Can you share with us something about your spiritual background?

Jan Nash: I am a big fan of God… a big, big fan…. I grew up in a Baptist household in Wheaton, IL. God, spirituality, has always been a big part of my life. Without a Trace is a terrific vehicle to inject spiritual questions into people’s daily life and work. We are interested in what really matters to people.

SR: Without a Trace is in its 7th season. What does this mean to you?

GW: Without a Trace is of those shows where you have the freedom to chart a personal journey for the missing person, and if it can center on a human and spiritual relationship it provides a framework for people, characters to strive to do what is right.

SR: Greg, what is your spiritual background?

GW: My perspective comes more from education about social justice. I went to Bellarmine, a Jesuit High School in Santa Jose, CA. My wife and children are Catholic as well. And this is important to us.

SR: So, what was your first reaction to learning of the Catholics in Media Award?

GW: If we had nominated an Emmy I wouldn’t have been as proud as seeing the letter in my inbox. There are a few priest teachers in Bellarmine High School in San Jose who will be happy to learn of this award! More than anything I am overwhelmed at receiving this award, this acknowledgement. It felt to me like the honor I was always seeking that I didn’t know existed.

JN: My first reaction was: An award? What for? Here we are in our 7th season, operating under the radar, doing jobs we enjoy which is a source of great satisfaction. So to me, winning this award is unexpected, delightful and it caught us by surprise.

SR: Going back to “Without a Trace” and to another episode from Season 2 with Hector Elizondo playing a priest, an episode I have never, ever been able to forget, you treat the themes of spiritual darkness with such reverence and respect.

GW: Jan wrote that episode called “Revelations” in Season 2 and it’s great that you remember it so well. But going back to “The Miracle Worker”, when we, with the director Paul McCrane, and the team of writers, can access big emotions early on, and here it was about ten minutes in when the first emotional break happens in the montage of people praying, it can turn out really well.

And our FBI agents do make fun of the weeping statue at the beginning. But at the end, when Jack brings his prayer on a little piece of paper and tucks it under the statue, well, that was a strong emotional moment.

JN: TV is a lot of people rowing in the same direction, and when they do, you get some great stories.. The idea for “The Miracle Worker” came from one of our staff writers. We have nine other colleagues who write and figure out how this episode – and all of them – work.

GW: It takes a long, long time; you need to have a lot of people in the room. This episode went through at least ten different incarnations before it was finished. The director gets a lot of the credit.

JN: One of the other great things about being in TV is that there is a short time between writing and producing the show and it being on TV, and it is there week in and week out and is a show that people watch. Well, this gives us a lot of satisfaction as story-tellers. We hear stories about how people respond so positively to the show and we get a lot of validation when this happens.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

March 26, 2009

THE NO. 1 LADIES’ DETECTIVE AGENCY

Next Post

March 27, 2009 Mark Derwin (The Secret Life of the American Teenager) to host CIMA Awards

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Adolescent Adult Faith Formation Advertising Analysis Animals Pets Animation art Authors Awards best pope pictures Bible BioPic Blogs Book Reviews Books books into film Catechesis Catholic comedy Catholic Social Teaching Catholic Social Teaching (CST) Catholics in Media Christian genre Christmas movies Church and cinema Cognitive science Comedy Comics Commerntary Communication Cooking Courses Critics and Criticism Dance Daughters of St Paul news Devil movies digital games Documentary Drama Economics Ecumenical Education and Technology Education: Access and Empowerment electronic Environment Events Exorcism movies Eye on Entertainment Faith and film Faith formation Fantasy Film Essays Film Festivals Film History Film Retreat Film Reviews Film TV about Ultra Orthodox Jews Food General Grace Historical thriller History Horror How to Images INNdustry with Sister Rose Internet Interviews jesuits Kindness Lectures Lent Life Lists Literature media Media analysis Media Literacy/Media Mindfulness Music Musical National Catholic Reporter New on DVD Non-violence Nonviolence Obituaries On Faith and Media Oscars Ovis et bovis et universe pecore Parenting Pastoral Communication Pastoral communications Pauline Books & Media pax christi PCMS & Online Courses Peace Philosophy Photos Planning for Communication pope francis Popular Culture Radio RCL Benziger reality tv Reflections on life and grace religion Religious Lif Research Resources Retreat Rosary Sacraments Science and faith Social justice Social Media spirituality Spirituality and Media Sports Sr Rose Faith and Media Sr. Rose movies St. Anthony Messenger Stage & Theater stereotypes story Streaming series Survey Television the bible the bible movie The INNdustry with Sr Rose the voice Theater Themes of Catholic Social Teaching theologizing violence Theology theology of violence TV reviews and notes Uncategorized Video Video games Violence VR Games War War films Women World Film Young Adult YouTube

Select a Month September 2025 March 2025 December 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 December 2022 October 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 May 2021 April 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 December 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 January 2019 December 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What Persian king chose Esther as queen?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Darius Xerxes (Ahasuerus) Artaxerxes Cyrus