| The Rising Son | |
|---|---|
Title card |
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| Format | Soap opera parody |
| Created by | Dave Drabik Benjamin Barak |
| Starring | Dan Mengini Andrew Benator Debra McDavid Bill Tush Tamara Morton |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 4 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 11 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Easily Avoidable Entertainment |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Adult Swim |
| Picture format | 16:9 HDTV |
| Original run | April 19, 2009 – May 10, 2009 |
The Rising Son is a live action television series on Cartoon Network's late night programing block, Adult Swim, that premiered on April 19, 2009, and ended on May 10, 2009, with a total of four episodes . The Rising Son is a sitcom/soap opera parody about Jesus, Joseph, and Mary.
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Very little is known about the series or its production history. The program initially aired in a 5:00 a.m. (ET) slot, and aside from being listed on the Adult Swim schedule The Rising Son was not advertised or even mentioned in the network's TV scheduling announcements. Episodes are available online through Adult Swim Video.
Most biblical references identifying characters as figures from the time of Christ are censored. For example, "Christ" is censored from "Jesus Christ", and Mary being identified as "the mother of the Messiah" is censored as well. Human failings (in characters normally regarded as saints) are emphasized while Pontius Pilate is shown as an acquaintance and business associate of the main characters. Although Jesus (unlike his family) is not shown as consciously sinning, he is shown doing things which are out-of-character such as accepting Mary-Magdalene as his personal savior and doubting the existence or relevance of God.
| Name | Role(s) |
|---|---|
| Judd | Dan Mengini |
| Joseph | Andrew Benator |
| Mary | Debra McDavid |
| Jesus | Sean Watkins |
| Pontius | Bill Tush |
| Judean | Tamara Morton |
| # | Title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | April 19, 2009 |
| Joseph struggles with telling his son Jesus who his real father is. Jesus supports Mary's and Magdalene's new philosophy about feet, meets their promoter Judd, and shows his father his newly found power to produce kittens from his intestinal tract. | ||
| 2 | "Touch My Couscous" | April 26, 2009 |
| While working at his father's furniture store Intelligent Design, Jesus gives away all of their stock to the poor. After Joseph fires him, Jesus gets a new job at Pontius Pilate's restaurant, the Lion's Den, after discovering a new power: the ability to turn couscous into a dessert that is soon named after Mary's new slave: Tiramisu. | ||
| 3 | "Satan's Cleavage" | May 3, 2009 |
| Both Joseph and Mary have a vision that God wants them to include a third in their marriage. They soon meet the beautiful Natasha, believing God sent her to them to fulfill this prophecy. When Jesus admits that he does not know a lot about women, Judd and Pilate try to encourage him to ask a young woman out. | ||
| 4 | "Deadbeat God" | May 10, 2009 |
| Series finale. Joseph attempts to sue God to get 23 years back child support for Jesus (without telling Jesus that he is not Joseph's son or what the suit is about). Joseph offers Pontius Pilate his usual 15% bribe to fix the case. Jesus is called as a character witness for Joseph. God (who is never seen or heard directly) sabotages the lawsuit with his divine powers by afflicting Joseph and the judge. | ||