Miracle Workers is an American anthology comedy television series, based on the writings of humorist Simon Rich — with each season being based on a different work. The first season was based on Rich’s 2012 novel What in God’s Name and the short story Revolution provided the basis for the second season. The series was created by Rich, and it stars Daniel Radcliffe, Steve Buscemi, Geraldine Viswanathan, Jon Bass, Karan Soni, Sasha Compère, and Lolly Adefope. In May 2019, TBS renewed the series for a second season, titled Miracle Workers: Dark Ages, which previewed on January 19, 2020, with its regular timeslot premiere on January 28, 2020. In August 2020, the series was renewed for a third season.
Premise
Season 1
The first season follows Craig, a low-level angel responsible for handling all of humanity’s prayers, and Eliza, a recent transfer from the Department of Dirt. Their boss, God, has pretty much checked out to focus on his favorite hobbies. To prevent Earth’s destruction, Craig, along with Eliza, must achieve their most impossible miracle to date. The season is based on Rich’s novel What in God’s Name.
Season 2
The second season is set during the Dark Ages, and is based on Rich’s short story “Revolution.” It stars Steve Buscemi as Eddie Shitshovelor, Geraldine Viswanathan as Alexandra Shitshoveler, and Daniel Radcliffe as Prince Chauncley. It follows their journey and shows humour in the dark ages.
Cast and characters
Main
- Daniel Radcliffe as Craig Bog (season 1) / Prince Chauncley the Pretty Cool (season 2)
- Geraldine Viswanathan as Eliza Hunter (season 1) / Alexandra “Al” Shitshoveler (season 2)
- Karan Soni as Sanjay Prince (season 1) / Lord Chris Vexler (season 2)
- Jon Bass as Sam (season 1) / Michael “Mikey” Shitshoveler (season 2)
- Sasha Compère as Laura (season 1)
- Lolly Adefope as Rosie (season 1) / Maggie (season 2)
- Steve Buscemi as God (season 1) / Edward “Eddie” Murphy Shitshoveler (season 2)
Guest
Season 1
- John Reynolds as Mason
- Angela Kinsey as Gail, an angel in the Department of Angel Resources
- Tim Meadows as Dave Shelby
- Chris Parnell as God’s Dad
- Margaret Cho as God’s Mom
- Tituss Burgess as God’s Brother
- Ruby Matenko as God’s Sister
Season 2
- Peter Serafinowicz as King Cragnoor the Heartless
- Tony Cavalero as Ted Carpenter
- Jessica Lowe as Mary Baker
- Jamie Demetriou as Town crier
- Kevin Dunn as Bert Shitshoveler
- Fred Armisen as Percival Forthwind
- Kerri Kenney-Silver as Lila
- Dee Ahluwalia as Lucas
- Jack Mosedale as Wesley Pervert
- Sinead Phelps as Trish
- Greta Lee as Princess Vicki
Episodes
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | ||||
| 1 | 7 | February 12, 2019 | March 26, 2019 | ||
| 2 | 10 | January 28, 2020 | March 31, 2020 | ||
Season 1 (2019)
| No. overall |
No. in season |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | “2 Weeks” | Jorma Taccone | Simon Rich | February 12, 2019 | 1.20 | |
| God decides to blow up earth and focus his efforts on a new restaurant. Eliza, recently moved to the Prayer-answering department, makes a bet with God that if she and Craig can answer one “impossible” prayer within two weeks God will spare earth. The “impossible” prayer they decide upon is to bring Sam and Laura, two socially awkward people with crushes on each other, together to kiss as a couple. | |||||||
| 2 | 2 | “13 Days” | Jorma Taccone | Cirocco Dunlap | February 19, 2019 | 1.03 | |
| Eliza and Craig manage to pull off the difficult task of getting Sam and Laura to find each other and exchange phone numbers. Although Eliza and Craig’s efforts are successful, their overall mission is challenged when Laura meets a charming man named Mason. Meanwhile, God assigns Sanjay with the tedious task of exploding Bill Maher’s penis. | |||||||
| 3 | 3 | “12 Days” | Ryan Case | Jeff Loveness | February 26, 2019 | 0.94 | |
| While trying to finish their plan, Eliza and Craig encounter a troublesome human. After learning his mistake, Sanjay attempts to burnish his credentials record. | |||||||
| 4 | 4 | “6 Days” | Ryan Case | Heather Anne Campbell | March 5, 2019 | 0.95 | |
| Sanjay joins Craig and Eliza’s team, somewhat supplanting Craig. With much effort, they arrange a date between Sam and Laura. The team discovers that Sam’s beloved grandmother is scheduled to die immediately before the date. | |||||||
| 5 | 5 | “3 Days” | Maurice Marable | Mitra Jouhari & Gary Richardson | March 12, 2019 | 0.94 | |
| Rosie is offered a great job on another world, but can only take it after the Earth is destroyed. Nonetheless, she helps trick God into signing an extension of life waiver for Sam’s grandmother. | |||||||
| 6 | 6 | “1 Day” | Dan Schimpf | Lucas Gardner | March 19, 2019 | 0.93 | |
| Despite Craig’s objections, Eliza, Sanjay, and Rosie attempt to get Sam and Laura to kiss on the kiss cam at a basketball game, but the results are so catastrophic that the couple goes home angry with each other. God pitches his restaurant idea to his family, who decline to invest, due to the failure of Earth. God decides not to destroy his creation, but as there is no going back on the deal, Sam and Laura still must kiss. | |||||||
| 7 | 7 | “1 Hour” | Maurice Marable | Dan Mirk | March 26, 2019 | 0.90 | |
| Minutes before the end of the world things go sideways, Sam and Laura kiss. | |||||||
Season 2: Dark Ages (2020)
| No. overall |
No. in season |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 1 | “Graduation” | Jarrad Paul & Andrew Mogel | Simon Rich | January 28, 2020 | 1.10 | |
| Alexandra Shitshoveler graduates from school and is ready to make her life successful, but reluctantly follows her father’s footsteps and shovels the town’s feces as her lifelong occupation. Meanwhile, Prince Chauncley attempts to please his father by fighting battles for the kingdom, but decides at the last minute to instead lead the kingdom by being nicer to the peasants instead of through war. | |||||||
| 9 | 2 | “Help Wanted” | Jarrad Paul & Andrew Mogel | Lucas Gardner | February 4, 2020 | 1.10 | |
| When Mikey finds Chauncley’s pet duck, Chauncley scams him out of it, causing him to feel guilt for the first time. Alexandra is offered a job at the medical center, gaining the respect of her peers, but is forced to become a whistleblower when she realizes the doctor is a complete fraud. | |||||||
| 10 | 3 | “Road Trip” | Daniel Gray Longino | Anna Drezen | February 11, 2020 | 0.81 | |
| The invention of the indoor pit toilet threatens Edward’s business. Vexler accidentally screws up an important diplomatic mission, but Chauncley takes the blame. | |||||||
| 11 | 4 | “Internship” | Daniel Gray Longino | Georgie Aldaco | February 18, 2020 | 0.84 | |
| Chauncley realizes he has no connection with common workers and asks Vexler to find him a job. He ends up interned to Edward and nearly destroys his business. Mikey falls in with a ‘merry band,’ who turn out to be a gang that robs his house. | |||||||
| 12 | 5 | “Holiday” | Dan Schimpf | Lucas Gardner | February 25, 2020 | 0.95 | |
| The kingdom celebrates Harvest Day. Alexandra gets into a fight with her uncle over politics. Chauncley attempts to organize a family game night with his extended family, culminating in a bloodbath. | |||||||
| 13 | 6 | “Music Festival” | Dan Schimpf | Jen Jackson | March 3, 2020 | 0.85 | |
| Alexandra becomes jealous of Maggie’s commitment to work and her new friend. Chauncley organizes a music festival to impress Alexandra, but the star is rude and temperamental. | |||||||
| 14 | 7 | “Day in Court” | Dan Schimpf | Zeke Nicholson | March 10, 2020 | 0.73 | |
| After a royal goat eats their garden, Alexandra and her father sue the crown for damages. Vexler files a counter-lawsuit, but Chauncley defuses the situation. | |||||||
| 15 | 8 | “First Date” | Steve Buscemi | Jen Jackson | March 17, 2020 | 0.86 | |
| Alexandra is swept off her feet by a handsome astronomer, angering Chauncley, who also has feelings for her. Edward befriends a Druid woman, forcing his friends to confront their prejudices. | |||||||
| 16 | 9 | “Moving Out Part 1” | Tamra Davis | Dan Mirk | March 24, 2020 | 0.94 | |
| Alexandra plans to move to Paris with her astronomer boyfriend, breaking Edward’s heart. Chauncley is forced into a political marriage. Chauncley defies his father, causing war to break out, as Alexandra returns home to make sure her family is safe. | |||||||
| 17 | 10 | “Moving Out Part 2” | Tamra Davis | Dan Mirk | March 31, 2020 | 0.84 | |
| With invaders overrunning the village, King Cragnoor flees. Alexandra, Chauncley, and Vexler all have a chance to escape, but elect to stay and save their friends. They drive off the enemy by tricking them into believing the town is stricken with plague. Alexandra and Chauncley head for Paris, leaving Vexler with the throne. | |||||||
Production
Development
On May 17, 2017, TBS announced that it had given the production a series order for a first season consisting of seven episodes. The series was created by Simon Rich and based on his novel What in God’s Name. Executive producers were expected to include Rich, Lorne Michaels, Andrew Singer, Daniel Radcliffe, and Owen Wilson. Production companies involved with the series were slated to consist of Broadway Video and Studio T. On October 19, 2017, it was announced that Wilson would no longer be serving as an executive producer and would be replaced by Steve Buscemi.
On May 15, 2019, the series was renewed for a second season. On November 20, 2019, it was announced that the second season titled Miracle Workers: Dark Ages would premiere on January 28, 2020. On August 6, 2020, the series was renewed for a third season that will focus on the Wild West and Oregon Trail
Casting
Alongside the initial series order announcement, it was confirmed that Daniel Radcliffe and Owen Wilson would star in the series. On October 19, 2017, it was announced Steve Buscemi had replaced Wilson in the role of God after the latter had decided to vacate the part. In November 2017, Deadline Hollywood and Variety reported that Geraldine Viswanathan, Jon Bass, Karan Soni, and Sasha Compère had been cast in series regular roles. On March 25, 2018, it was announced that Lolly Adefope had joined the cast in a main role.
Filming
Principal photography for the series took place in December 2017 and January 2018 in and around Atlanta, Georgia. Filming took place in Norcross, Georgia on December 29, 2017 and in Piedmont Park on January 16, 2018.
Release
Promotional poster.
On December 4, 2018, TBS announced that the series would premiere on February 12, 2019. On February 8, 2019, TBS released the first episode of the series on its official YouTube channel. In Australia the series has same day release on the streaming service Stan.
Marketing
On December 5, 2018, TBS released a teaser trailer for the series. On December 19, 2018, the official full length trailer was released.
Premiere
On January 26, 2019, the series held a screening of the pilot episode during the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. Those in attendance included Daniel Radcliffe, Geraldine Viswanathan, Karan Soni, and Simon Rich.
Reception
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, the series’s first season has an approval rating of 74% based on reviews from 39 critics, with an average rating of 6.26/10. The website’s critical consensus reads, “More charming than clever, Miracle Workers functions as a palatable showcase of Daniel Radcliffe and Steve Buscemi’s quirky star power.” On Metacritic it has a score of 61 out of 100 based on reviews from 19 critics.
Ratings
Season 1 (2019)
| No. | Title | Air date | Rating (18–49) |
Viewers (millions) |
DVR viewers (millions) |
Total viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | “2 Weeks” | February 12, 2019 | 0.4 | 1.20 | 0.88 | 2.09 |
| 2 | “13 Days” | February 19, 2019 | 0.4 | 1.03 | 0.69 | 1.72 |
| 3 | “12 Days” | February 26, 2019 | 0.3 | 0.94 | 0.51 | 1.45 |
| 4 | “6 Days” | March 5, 2019 | 0.3 | 0.95 | 0.49 | 1.44 |
| 5 | “3 Days” | March 12, 2019 | 0.3 | 0.94 | 0.64 | 1.59 |
| 6 | “1 Day” | March 19, 2019 | 0.3 | 0.93 | 0.61 | 1.54 |
| 7 | “1 Hour” | March 26, 2019 | 0.3 | 0.90 | 0.65 | 1.55 |
Season 2 (2020)
| No. | Title | Air date | Rating (18–49) |
Viewers (millions) |
DVR viewers (millions) |
Total viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | “Graduation” | January 28, 2020 | 0.4 | 1.10 | TBD | TBD |
| 2 | “Help Wanted” | February 4, 2020 | 0.4 | 1.10 | TBD | TBD |
| 3 | “Road Trip” | February 11, 2020 | 0.3 | 0.81 | TBD | TBD |
| 4 | “Internship” | February 18, 2020 | 0.3 | 0.84 | TBD | TBD |
| 5 | “Holiday” | February 25, 2020 | 0.3 | 0.95 | TBD | TBD |
| 6 | “Music Festival” | March 3, 2020 | 0.3 | 0.85 | TBD | TBD |
| 7 | “Day in Court” | March 10, 2020 | 0.2 | 0.73 | TBD | TBD |
| 8 | “First Date” | March 17, 2020 | 0.3 | 0.86 | TBD | TBD |
| 9 | ” Moving Out Part 1″ | March 24, 2020 | 0.3 | 0.94 | TBD | TBD |
| 10 | ” Moving Out Part 2″ | March 31, 2020 | 0.2 | 0.84 | TBD | TBD |