Miracle Workers premiered on February 12, 2019, with its seven-episode first season. A second season, subtitled Dark Ages, premiered in January 2020, and a third season, subtitled Oregon Trail, premiered in July 2021. In November 2021, the series was renewed for a fourth season, subtitled End Times, which premiered on July 10, 2023. In November 2023, the series was canceled after four seasons.
Premise
In the first season, Craig is a low-level angel responsible for handling all of humanity's prayers, and Eliza is a recent transfer from the Department of Dirt. Their boss, God, has checked out to focus on his favorite hobbies. To prevent Earth's destruction, Craig and Eliza must achieve their most impossible miracle to date.[2] The season is based on Rich's novel What in God's Name.
The second season is set during the Dark Ages and is based on Rich's short story "Revolution".
In the third season, Reverend Ezekiel Brown leads his dying, famine-stricken town for a better life on the Oregon Trail, taking in notorious outlaw Benny the Teen as trail master.
In the fourth season, taking place in a postnuclear apocalyptic world, Road Warrior Sid and Warlord Freya Exaltada, along with their War Dog Scraps, leave behind the ravaging Wasteland for a more normal life in Boomtown.
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.
Although Eliza and Craig manage to pull off the difficult task of getting Sam and Laura to find each other and exchange phone numbers, their mission is threatened when Laura meets a charming man named Mason. Meanwhile, God assigns Sanjay with the tedious task of exploding Bill Maher's penis, which is hampered by repeated complications.
While trying to finish their plan, Eliza and Craig encounter a troublesome human. After learning his mistake, Sanjay attempts to burnish his credentials record.
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.
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.
Over 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 depart the game separately, 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 since there is no going back on the deal, God joins the others in their efforts to get Sam and Laura to kiss.
Sam and Laura walk separately through the city streets, the angels have only a half hour left before the end of the world to manipulate them back to each other. They enlist the help of Heaven Inc.'s union workers, who celebrate the impending end of the world, but offer their technical expertise. God offers his help too, but Sanjay, fearing that he will only ruin things, attempts to keep him occupied with a meaningless task. The angels are rendered powerless to affect the couple when the electricity goes out at their command central. Eliza manages to restore it, but instead of using their tools at their disposal, she instead points to the couple, who despite their shyness, end up sharing a kiss on their own, saving the Earth.
Alexandra Shitshoveler graduates from school and is ready to make her life successful, but reluctantly follows her father's footsteps to shovel 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.
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.
The invention of the indoor pit toilet threatens Edward's business. Vexler accidentally screws up an important diplomatic mission, but Chauncley takes the blame.
Note: This episode is dedicated to Brandt Michael Screamface who passed away on October 30, 2020 at the age of 58 after being diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Reverend Zeke prays for someone to lead his dying town to Oregon. Outlaw Benny the Teen shows up and takes the job to escape from the law. Zeke betrays Benny to a bounty hunter known as The Gunslinger, but later rescues him with his friend Prudence.
When the wagon train reaches a river, they find they are too overweight to float across and must abandon someone. Zeke volunteers to stay behind and build his own raft. Todd insists he and Prudence take the ferry, where they meet a pair of laid-back adventurers. Prudence decides she wants an adventure as well and returns to the ford in time to save Zeke from drowning.
With the party out of food, Todd leads a buffalo hunting expedition. Zeke, in an attempt to look manly, comes along. Todd admits how much he loves Prudence but can not express himself; Zeke writes a love letter for her husband Todd to read to her. Prudence, bored with the sewing circle, asks Benny to teach her banditry. They survive a shootout with the Gunslinger, but after learning how Benny had been betrayed by his adopted daughter, Trig, Prudence decides she's not outlaw material.
After many days on the road, the party decides to take a small detour to relax at a town called Branchwater. In Benny's words, this town is known to be the manifestation of the idea of the wild West, with many bar fights, thriving prostitution and more, but when the party arrives they discover the town has changed enormously to accommodate the growing tourism. Zeke, prompted by Prudence's advice to relax, drinks a salesman's supposed miracle drink called Snake Oil, and becomes drunk, resulting in daring words and an unforgettable stage dance. Todd loses his fortune in a series of card games while Benny and the Gunslinger trade memories of the old Branchwater. The next morning, Zeke finds himself ashamed of his behaviour and tries to blame it on the drink, only to discover it had no effect whatsoever and all he did was on him alone. He confesses his feelings for Prudence, but she tells him she needs some time to process and think.
The party is raided by a gang led by Benny's estranged daughter, Trig. Benny attempts to reconnect with her, but they end up fighting over how to execute the Gunslinger, causing Trig to angrily leave. A group of religious zealots called the Noonans, led by Jedidiah, offers to help the party get back on their feet. Zeke becomes engaged to Phaedra, a member of the party. Prudence, who finds Phaedra to be dull, breaks them up by announcing Zeke's (extremely minor) sins to the congregation, but later helps reunite them and they marry.
The wagon train reaches Independence Rock on the fourth of July and everyone celebrates Independence Day. Benny, embarrassed that Trig has supplanted him as the area's worst outlaw, attempts to execute an Uncle Sam impersonator, but stops when he realizes he's upsetting the children. Humiliated, he abandons the wagon train. Phaedra strongly disapproves of Zeke's intense patriotism. As Phaedra prays and Todd is passed out drunk, Zeke and Prudence kiss.
Benny is captured by a group of Blackfeet who are unimpressed with his reputation. When a general from the Bureau of Indian Affairs comes to kick the Natives off their land, Benny insists on negotiating on their behalf, leading to a cavalry attack. The Natives repel the soldiers, causing Benny to realize he is not the white savior and he returns to the wagon train.
Zeke and Prudence carry on an affair under their oblivious spouses' noses. Trig attacks Benny, furious that her exploits are still being compared to her father's, but is subdued by Zeke and Prudence. When a series of disasters befall the wagon train, Zeke thinks God is punishing him and he confesses the affair, causing him to become an outcast. Trig convinces Todd to release her. Todd sends the wagons hurtling down the mountain before escaping with Trig and a captive Prudence.
Stranded in a blizzard, the pioneers, including Zeke, resort to cannibalism. When they prepare to butcher young Levi, Benny offers himself instead, causing everyone to give up on their plans and wait out the storm. The outlaws reach Oregon and are impressed at the riches and lack of law. Trig gets Todd elected governor and uses him to turn the state into a criminal paradise, with Prudence locked in a cage in the governor's mansion.
The wagon party arrives in Oregon City to find it has been transformed into a criminal hellscape by Trig and her gang. Zeke attempts to rescue Prudence from Todd's Caligula-like orgy, while Benny and the wagon party challenge Trig and her gang to a shootout. Hopelessly outgunned, Benny surrenders, but tells his daughter how proud he is of her, melting her heart. Prudence kills Todd with a cannon. Benny joins Trig's gang as her second in command. Pheadra leads some of the travelers to a new life in Florida, while Zeke, Prudence, and the others begin to rebuild the town.
In a nuclear, post-apocalyptic wasteland, Freya, a warlord, and Sid, a road warrior, meet in combat. They immediately fall in love, get married, and move to a settlement called Boomtown with their human dog, Scraps. Sid gets a job with the local junk dealer, Morris Rubinstein, who invites Sid and his wife over to dinner. Freya is warned by her cyborg friend Tai that Boomtown will make them boring. When Tai, summoned by Freya, shoots up the dinner party, Rubinstein fires Sid. Sid and Freya agree to try to build a life together in Boomtown. Rubinstein, after being beaten by Freya, rehires Sid.
When the Boomtown Home Owners Association forces Freya to remove her display of severed heads, she attempts to take over the HOA. She loses the election, but claims to Scraps that it's all part of a larger plan. Sid kills a mutant named Ugulus Sleeze to prevent Mr. Rubinstein from selling him a powerful artifact, which turns out to be a karaoke machine.
30
3
"The MatriXXX"
Heather Jack
Ashley Wigfield
July 17, 2023 (2023-07-17)
N/A
Freya and Sid's sex life has become stale, so Tai brings them into a virtual world called the MatriXXX to explore their sexual fantasies. Sid admits to being aroused by boulders, disgusting his wife. They finally have nice virtual date, rekindling their passions. Mr. Rubinstein attends his high school reunion, where he confronts his old bully and connects with his old crush, even though his entire class died in the Boom and are nothing but skeletons.
31
4
"The Grouping Ceremony"
Bill Benz
Dan Klein
July 17, 2023 (2023-07-17)
N/A
Freya's constant partying with Tai catches up with her when Dr. Crazybrainz diagnoses her with a hangover. She attempts to continue her lifestyle until she wakes up at her own funeral and admits she's slowing down. Mr. Rubinstien's two-headed son Timmy is about to be sorted into a 'group.' He bribes the administrator into putting Timmy into 'Strong,' but later allows him to go to 'Heroic,' where he actually belongs.
Freya is forced to skip friends weekend with Tai and Sid to take Scraps to an audition for Mr. Rubinstein's production of Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. Freya lands the lead role, but has a breakdown, believing she is actually the title character. Meanwhile, Sid is forced to spend the weekend with Tail and his four identical clones, who resent him for coming. When Tai overdoses on data, Sid saves his life by submerging him in rice, cementing their friendship.
Fredya's unbelievably wealthy parents invite her and Sid to a weekend at their floating utopian city, Olympus. They consider staying, until Freya's father steals Sid's organs. Scraps attempts to fit in with the pure-bred eunuchs in Olympus. Mr. Rubenstein hires Tai to fix the ball pit in his McMansion. When his holographic wife discovers he's still carrying on with his skeleton girlfriend, she leaves him, causing him to look to Tai for solace.
Scraps is kidnapped by his old village, where he was a respected man named Roland Proudhart, a husband and father who saved the town from Freya's wrath. After realizing the stress of being a man, he returns to being Freya's war dog. Sid buys a Bifi, a huge man who serves as a vehicle, but becomes obnoxiously obsessed with his 'car'.
Freya is pregnant and feels uneasy about bringing a child into the world. Mr. Rubinstein's baby-worshiping cult causes her to have to flee the city to get her head together. Tai takes Scraps back to the year 2023 to assassinate a man who will destroy robotkind, but they become distracted and go to an escape room instead. Tai's target uses the time machine to travel to the future and begin a human/robot war.
NeuralNet, the AI that originally destroyed the world, accuses Tai of being obsolete as a killbot and forces him to compete against newer models. John Christ, the time traveler from 2023, recruits Sid in his protests against NeuralNet, but he balks at bombing Mr. Rubinstein's business. Scraps arranges a gang war for Freya's last hurrah before giving birth, but her heart is no longer in warlording.
NeuralNet leads Tai and an army of robot clones to attack Boomtown to destroy John Christ. John Christ is killed, but Freya, Sid, and the original Tai use his device to shut down NeuralNet. A year later, Freya, now the president of the HOA, leads Boomtown in a celebration of their victory.
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.[2] On October 19, 2017, it was announced that Wilson would no longer be serving as an executive producer and would be replaced with Steve Buscemi.[35]
On May 15, 2019, the series was renewed for a second season.[1] On November 20, 2019, it was announced that the second season, titled Miracle Workers: Dark Ages, would premiere on January 28, 2020.[36] On August 6, 2020, the series was renewed for a third season[37] that will focus on the Wild West and Oregon Trail.[38] On May 19, 2021, it was announced that the third season, titled Miracle Workers: Oregon Trail, would premiere on July 13, 2021.[39]
On November 3, 2021, TBS renewed the series for a fourth season.[40] On October 27, 2022, it was announced that the fourth season, titled End Times, would premiere on January 16, 2023.[41] On January 16, 2023, TBS quietly postponed the season premiere to a date yet to be announced later in the year.[42] That same day, the first episode of End Times was released on HBO Max in some countries.[citation needed] However, the episode did not air on TBS in the U.S. that week as previously scheduled and was removed from HBO Max two days later, with the remainder of the season delayed indefinitely. According to a spokesperson for TBS, Miracle Workers was "one of the impacted series" in a January scheduling adjustment. The network said the scheduling shift would allow TBS to "better support the series later in the year."[42] On May 31, 2023, it was announced that the fourth season would premiere on July 10, 2023.[43] On November 21, 2023, it was announced that the series was canceled after four seasons.[44]
Casting
Alongside the initial series order announcement, it was confirmed that Daniel Radcliffe and Owen Wilson would star in the series.[2] 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.[35] 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.[45][46] On March 25, 2018, it was announced that Lolly Adefope had joined the cast in a main role.[47] On May 27, 2021, Quinta Brunson joined in a recurring role for the third season.[48]
On December 4, 2018, TBS announced that the series would premiere on February 12, 2019.[53] 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.[54] On February 8, 2019, TBS released the first episode of the series on its official YouTube channel.[3] In Australia, the series has same day release on the streaming service Stan as a Stan Exclusive.[55]
Reception
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, the 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."[56] On Metacritic it has a score of 61 out of 100 based on reviews from 19 critics.[57] On Rotten Tomatoes, the second season has an approval rating of 78% based on reviews from 9 critics, with an average rating of 5.60/10.[58]
Ratings
Season 1
Viewership and ratings per episode of Miracle Workers
