Greenleaf vs. Saints & Sinners: Who Does Church Drama Better?

Thanks to Netflix, I've finally been able to watch the television drama Greenleaf (No, I do not have the channel OWN and I don't feel like paying a bundle for just one channel). I'd seen people gushing about the church based drama on my FB timeline all throughout season 1 but, had no idea what they were talking about.

Well, after binge-watching the first season of Greenleaf I can definitely see what all the hype is about. Greenleaf is jam packed with scandalous church drama that even I couldn't look away from. As a horror lover, I'm not one to get caught up in evening soap operas. The closest I've come to that is  Bates Motel or Law and Order SVU. However, there is just something about Greenleaf that hooked me right away! The acting is excellent and how can it not be since the cast is lead by Keith David and Lynn Whitfield. Merle Dandridge is an actress I've never seen on television before, but she's excellent as the child prodigy returning home and shaking things up.

I was so sad when I finished binging all of Greenleaf season 1 because I know it will be an entire year before I will see season 2. That's ok, I'm not trying to pay for Oprah's next dream home. Netflix suits me just fine.

If you have basic cable than chances are you've seen an episode of the show or a preview for the show Saints & Sinners. This drama also follows the scandals of a baptist church. However, it is no Greenleaf. Saints & Sinners feels like a knock-off version of Greenleaf. The acting is way beyond melodramatic, it's just bad. The writing is not good at all. In Greenleaf, the writing feels heartfelt and natural. Although clearly amped up for drama, Greenleaf's dialogue reflects how people actually talk. The fights and tears are intense but feel real.

Saints & Sinners writes dialogue like they think adults talk in intense situations. I mean, have the writers ever actually heard people talk before? Also, a lot of the drama doesn't feel very realistic. Yes, I want drama but since it takes place in the real world I expect it to feel real. It doesn't. I'm trying to avoid spoilers, but people simply don't act the way this show depicts them acting even in times of stress.

Who Does Church Drama Better? Greenleaf!

 

My final conclusion is that simply: Greenleaf does church drama better! Greenleaf tackles real problems growing in the church such as hiding pedophiles and the debate over gay marriage. Saints vs. Sinners takes a cheaper route by creating drama around the murder of a pastor. Is it possible, yes. Does it feel close to being realistic, no. It doesn't even try to deal with real issues going on in the church.

If you have Netflix and you're in the mood for some drama, give Greenleaf a try!

Watch Greenleaf on Netflix
or buy season one on Amazon

Saints and Sinners is not available on a streaming platform, you can only watch it live on the channel Bounce.