TV Show review
May 22, 2016 · TV-MA
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
Preacher is a 2016-2019 AMC series about Jesse Custer, a small-town Texas preacher who gains a god-like power called Genesis from an angel-demon hybrid. He teams up with his ex-girlfriend Tulip and an Irish vampire named Cassidy to hunt for the missing God across a wild, violent world full of angels, demons, and strange cults. The show delivers heavy gore, crude sex jokes, and sharp satire that mocks religion and authority figures. The main female lead Tulip was changed to a mixed-race character played by Ruth Negga and is shown as a tough, skilled fighter who often leads action scenes.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Preacher.
Woke representation / casting
Deliberate pre-production choice to cast mixed-race actress Ruth Negga as originally white comic character Tulip; creators called it a natural fit rather than a quota but the change was publicly noted and discussed.
Woke political dialogue
Characters swear, question God, and mock authority in crude ways, but no long modern lectures on race, gender, or current events.
Identity-driven story themes
Plot centers on faith crisis, power, revenge, and a literal road trip to find God; race or gender identity never drive the main arcs or motivations.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Story heavily satirizes Christian institutions by showing Heaven as corrupt and God as neglectful or petty, directly challenging traditional religious authority in a central fantasy premise.
Woke character or canon changes
Tulip’s race was swapped from white in the comics to mixed-race; other changes added Jesse’s early preacher days but kept the source’s violent irreverence without ideological rewrites.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Main backlash targeted blasphemy and gore from religious viewers; Tulip race and personality debates stayed limited to comic fans with almost no widespread claims of forced diversity or woke messaging.
Creator track record context
Key team members (Ennis, Catlin, Rogen, Goldberg) built careers on edgy satire and drama; Ennis has even criticized identity politics in later comments, and none framed this project around social justice.
Production
