It’s Not Like That is a new faith-based show — but how does the series prioritize telling stories every viewer can relate to?
The Wonder Project series, which premiered on Sunday, January 25, follows Pastor Malcolm (Scott Foley) in the aftermath of his wife’s death. He balances returning to his congregation while raising his three children when Malcolm starts growing closer to family friend Lori (Erinn Hayes).
“We are technically a faith-based show but I think that the message is nothing other than kindness and compassion and meeting other people with grace,” Hayes exclusively told Us Weekly. “That is [a message for] all humans.”
Hayes broke down the universal topics being explored on screen, adding, “Our show tackles faith in a very real way. The conversations about faith and God occur with Malcolm and his family. They occur where they would occur in real life. It’s him talking to his kids and him talking about his own experience. Sometimes we’re in the church.”
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She continued: “Yes, we’re a faith platform. But we’re about as religious as Nobody Wants This. This is about a pastor and another family — and it’s not pushing religion on anybody. These are the experiences of these people — and he happens to be a pastor.”
Hayes praised how the show addresses religion.
“It’s a family drama about the human condition. It’s not about religion or faith. Our writers are so good with every script having the depth and heart and humor too,” she continued. “There’s moments in it where you get to play and explore all of the human condition. That really drew me to the project.”
In addition to Foley and Hayes, It’s Not Like That stars J. R. Ramirez, Caleb Baumann, Cary Christopher, Leven Miranda, Cassidy Paul and Liv Lindell.
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“Everybody was just so happy to be there [on set]. There was no jerks from our cast to craft services to the costumes to hair and makeup to the grips and to the camera people. With the industry being what it is, there’s not a lot of work out there so people showed up thankful and happy to be working,” Hayes reflected. “Most of us do this because we love it. We love being on set and it’s our happy place. So everybody came and they were in a good mood.”
She concluded: “It was just a lovely place to be doing work. I think all of us are proud of the scripts and we were invested in the show. It’s one thing to have a nice and happy set but it’s different when you know that you’re making something special.”
It’s Not Like That airs Sundays on Wonder Project and the first two episodes are available to stream on Prime Video.