One of the most pleasant surprises on network television last spring was a little sitcom called "Soul Man."
A lot of critics - including this one - wondered if Dan Aykroyd would prove to be likable enough to carry a sitcom. Particularly a sitcom in which he plays a clergyman and the widowed father of four.But as it turned out, "Soul Man" was a charming, funny, likable little show that appealed to both children and adults. And Aykroyd was pretty much perfectly cast as this former rebel-turned-Episcopal priest - a man he describes as "kind of unconventional."
(The show returns on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. on Ch. 4.)
Perhaps the biggest surprise of all was that Aykroyd, who hasn't done much television since he left "Saturday Night Live," agreed to star in "Soul Man." (He is also a producer and the host of the syndicated series "The Psi Factor," now in its second season.)
Even the "Soul Man" producers admit they were a bit surprised when Aykroyd accepted the role. But the actor says he loved the script and the character of Mike Weber.
"We hadn't really seen the church environment depicted in this way, and I felt it was something I wanted to be a part of," Aykroyd said in a recent satellite interview with TV critics. "I felt the character was one that I could grasp and I could make it my own. . . . And it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to make people believe that I have sort of a spiritual side and also have maybe kind of rebellious past that has to be tempered."
Some of the show's best moments come in the interactions between Mike and his four unruly children - like when he catches his 14-year-old son on his motorcycle and reminds the kids of the "11th commandment," which is, "Thou shalt not touch thy father's hog."
"I enjoy working with the children very much," Aykroyd said. "They're really good kids. They're real pros. And I have two - a 7-year-old and a 4-year-old - at home. So it's sort of like I have two families going here. I get a lot of practice at home and I think I'm applying all my parenting skills on the job here."
But the show will tilt a bit away from the kids this season with the addition of a couple of adult characters.
"We wanted to make sure that we kept the spirit and tone of the show, but we wanted it to be an adult show with lots of kids as opposed to a kids show with a few adults," said executive producer and creator Matt Williams, whose credits include "Cosby," "Roseanne" and "Home Improvement." "I feel we can tackle some adult stories, some adult issues, and still have the kids laced through the stories."
To that end, Helen Cates is coming aboard as Nancy, a temp secretary who ends up becoming permanent.
And former "Boston Common" star Anthony Clark will play the assistant minister who needs a bit of breaking in. For example, his character tells an older woman that her recently deceased dog has no soul and, thus, won't be going to heaven.
"I'm sorry it sounds so harsh, but that's what the Bible says. It's the Lord's will. Now suck it up," he says in an upcoming episode.
The producers were also somewhat surprised that, after starring in his own sitcom, Clark would be interested in taking a supporting role.
"Anthony was just sort of a joyful accident in some ways," Williams said. "I think what we're finding . . . is that as Dan and Anthony begin to find each other's rhythms and acting style, it's settling in and it's a really nice dynamic. It's a wonderful area to explore, the whole buddy relationship that we didn't have in the first season."
"I think we have an opportunity to create a really big breakout star," Aykroyd said of his new co-star.
The addition of the adult characters will allow the writers to explore other facets of Aykroyd's character.
"We get to see Dan's character not only as a minister but as a man dealing with a woman, as a teacher dealing with this assistant minister and, of course, as a father," Williams said. "The concept that we keep coming back to is that Dan is a father and a father - the father of his congregation and the father of his kids. And that fatherly point of view is what's driving the series."
While another ABC show about a clergyman - "Nothing Sacred" - is drawing protests and criticism because of its portrayal of a rather unorthodox Catholic priest, no one involved with "Soul Man" (a show about an unorthodox Episcopal priest) is expecting any similar problems.
"We have a great respect for the church," Aykroyd said. "We have a respect for priests. . . . So we're treating it with deference and with, I think, it's proper due.
"We're not going in there to undercut the Episcopalians or priests. We're not going in there to tear down institutions. We're going in there to more or less provide support for people who are in there ministering from day to day. I think it's our positive attitude that's going to save us there."
"I think you could say that we're having fun with it and not laughing at it," said executive producer Carmen Finestra.
Plus, "Soul Man" isn't planning to take on any religious hot buttons.
"Our hope is to deal with moral issues, issues of values, without falling into religious dogma," Williams said. "We look at our children and we want to raise them in a way that they grow up with some moral responsibility. We want to instill that into the stories without ever getting into any kind of preachy or dogmatic mode."
Within the context of comedy, the producers insist they're trying to do reality-based comedy and that they're trying to capture part of what real clergymen go through.
"We try to keep it close to what a real Episcopalian priest would be going through and true to his life," said executive producer David McFadzean. "But I think what happens to Mike Weber is not just specific to Episcopalians, but to many other denominations and religious experience.
"We're trying to show the joyful and the humorous side of a priest."
While "Soul Man" is not exactly a religious show, Aykroyd still hopes it will lift the spirits of viewers.
"I think it's wonderful as we come to the close of the millennium that people are starting to look to a more spiritual view of life and look for a little more meaning," he said. "And, hopefully, try to exploit the good values that are out there in the world. If we can help week to week with a little moral byplay as well as the comedy, then I think we're serving the public well."