SCOTTSDALE, AZ - Christian entertainment options - whether television shows, films, or satirical websites - have long been thought of as second-rate compared to their secular counterparts. Critics claim the content is too sappy, cheesy, or preachy to have real value as art.
Pure Flix is looking to change all that with its new gritty drama Breaking Good. The streaming series tells the dark, existential tale of Mr. Noah White, a high-school chemistry teacher who cooks meth on the side but quickly finds Jesus, "making everything all better in a snap."
"What happens when you're pushed to your limit - that's the question we want Breaking Good viewers to be confronted with," said star and Pure Flix co-founder David A.R. White. "We want them to see that when life has you down, you pray a quick prayer, and Jesus makes everything OK. Or you reject him, become an atheist, and get run over on the way to a Newsboys concert. When you star in a Christian movie, you get saved, or you die - there is no middle ground."
When the protagonist gets saved several episodes into the show, his life quickly turns around. He gets a new job as a philosophy teacher at a local college, where he debates an atheist (who dies shortly after). He uses the proceeds of his drug empire to found Blue Sky Church, a megachurch complete with a fitness center, a fried chicken joint, and a car wash.
Helping round out White's wacky antics are his sidekicks, former gangbanger turned pastor Mike Fisherofmen and one-time pothead, now youth pastor Jesse Redletter.
"Jesus is the one who knocks," said White. "So make sure to answer the door!"
The series currently has a 0% on Rotten Tomatoes.