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T2 WHATS UP! October 21 - 27, 2018 BY KYLA BREWER TV Media I n many areas, church at- tendance has been on the decline as people continue to question the existence and nature of God. A new tele- vision series has the potential to spark thoughtful conversa- tions about spirituality and reli- gion, for believers and non-be- lievers alike. Brandon Micheal Hall ("The Mayor") stars as Miles Finer, an atheist whose life is turned up- side down when he accepts a social media friend request from someone claiming to be God in "God Friended Me," air- ing Sunday, Oct. 21, on CBS. Through a series of friend sug- gestions, "God" has led Miles to Cara Bloom (Violett Beane, "The Flash"), a struggling young journalist who becomes an unlikely sidekick as he inad- vertently helps those in need. While the premise may re- quire a leap of faith, TV indus- try pundits seem to have an open mind about the series, which has been featured in such high-profile publications as Vanity Fair and Variety. In a September vanityfair.com arti- cle, creator Bryan Wynbrandt ("Gotham") explained the pur- pose of the show. "The hope of the show is to focus on the positive when there is so much negative," Wynbrandt said. Before accepting the friend request, Miles had been pro- moting his atheist views on his podcast, which put him at odds with his father, Rev. Arthur Fin- er (Joe Morton, "Scandal"). A prominent preacher at Har- lem's Trinity Church, Arthur is, not surprisingly, hurt by his son's lack of faith. Miles' sister, Ali (Javicia Leslie, "Killer Coach," 2016), works as a bar- tender by day and studies psy- chology at night, often offering up advice to her brother and Cara as they try to solve the mystery behind the God ac- count. They also enlist the help of Miles' best friend, Rakesh (Suraj Sharma, "Life of Pi," 2012), a hacker who tries to find information about the account. In an effort to promote the show and get people talking about it, CBS served up an ear- Brandon Micheal Hall in "God Friended Me" Friends in high places continued on page T10 TV FEATURE