My favorite hollywood atheist is Dr. Cox of Scrubs. Skeptic and sarcastic.

If you study the history of film and tv, now mainstream people, who were once minorities always first make it to the screen as stereotypes.

Even period piece motifs like 'Cowboy's vs Indians" depicted them as savages, but had Italian or white actors play them.

Blacks in early film were slaves, maids, butlers or criminals.

But even with this history, there have been interjections in these motifs that suggested or implied that these stereotypes should be broken. Like in a cowboy movie on of the Indians would help the white man. The Lone Ranger, for example.  Even before movies Huckleberry Finn had a white boy befriending a "nigger".

So it's not so bad that these stereotypes of atheists are out there. It allows the topic to come up and helps society change.

The good thing about Hollywood is that it IS liberal socially, so in using stereotypes they use them to eventually break them. And South Park especially is great at saying 'God fucking damnt laugh at yourself".

We don't, long term have to worry about these stereotypes. If history is any indication, these portrayals are a good thing and will lead to a future of acceptance.

I wish humanity could change overnight, but it never does. These motifs do help because they bring the topic to the front burner and force society to face them.

I loved how they freaked out when the first movie came out. Really? Again, what kind of real "faith" do these morons have claiming an all powerful god, stepping between it, and a work of fiction? If it is that bad, then why would an all powerful god need mere mortals to fight it?

"Don't read that, daddy cant compete with fiction"

Boys of flying brooms, bad, but magical babies without two sets of DNA, made by godsperm, thats perfectly rational.

Hey dip shits, the only difference between Harry Potter and the bible, is that the writer of Harry Potter, and the fans of Harry Potter know that it is fiction, unlike you fans of your zombie god fiction.

Don't you dare agree with me. That is twice in one day you have done that. We are sworn enemies. Reminds me of the Japanese villain and Pappy Bowington when the got stranded on the Pacific Island on an episode of Ba Ba Black Sheep. Other than the fact that I am a complete physical wimp and you could probably kick my ass. Not to mention knowledge of this 70s show gives away my age.

The only one of those shows that I watch (well I don't watch it, my girlfriend does and therefore I have no choice, hehe) is House.

While House is actually a likable character for me, (likeable being that he is misanthropic, cynical, dour, rude and atheist) every so often they have to throw in some little "miracle" episode type deal, where our cynical anti-hero House is up against a wall that he can not explain.

Granted this type of tv nonsense doesn't really bother me that bad. Truth to be told, I like the television for the History Channel, National Geographic, Science channel and the news.

No tv = no video games = suicide

2 hours is not enough time to tell a proper story, it just cannot be done. I don't really watch tv much either, much the same reason, to many self contained episodes, it ignores the larger storyline to much. Comedy is pretty much the only type of show that works with self contained episodes but most are just not funny. Its mostly quick interchangable jokes from what I have seen. And i hate laugh tracks telling people when to laugh. Pretty much the only comedy show which I liked was "Allo Allo", even that is guilty of many of the things I dislike.

 I think the only tv really worth devoting time to is the shows on premium channels. I love Dexter, Game of Thrones (excellently done and yes I was a fan of the books), Sopranos was good for a few years, True Blood is passable, Homeland looks promising, Rome was a great show til they canceled and Spartacus was pretty good. Breaking Bad was good too but I guess that was on A&E, I just watched it on dvd and got into it. Can't think of anything on the big networks worth watching and I don't get into movies for the most part.  

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Weren't the lead characters (Hawkeye Pierce, Trapper John) in M*A*S*H atheists, or at least skeptical of religion? I can't think of any episodes (or scenes from the movie), but the whole premise of the show is pretty far outside of theism, into a sort of absurdist humanism. I would bet $50 Alan Alda is an atheist. (Hmm, he is, but he's adopted the straw-man 'atheist' of popular culture, and now calls himself agnostic, though he still doesn't believe. Much like Neil deGrasse Tyson: http://www.edge.org/q2008/q08_8.html)

No in MASH all of them were weekend worshipers. However they did have lines and episodes that blasted retards  like Frank when he went ape shit about race and religion. I think even the Father in MASH had a relaxed attitude most of the time.

I loved the Characters Pierce and Trapper at my age at that time. Outside that show the reality is that the kids on my block and school and even my parents were judgmental. Pierce and Trapper and BJ especially saw humans as humans first.

That show did a great job showing the horrors of war and at the same time showing how compassionate humans can be in the face of adversity.

If religious people were a majority like Hawkeye and Trapper, our world would be a better place. The characters had the ability (as written) to humanize the human condition and the ability to laugh at one's self and others.

Thats the other thing I liked about MASH, they were all unique and different and had their querks(accept for Frank who was always a dip shit prick) WHEN the shit hit the fan all their differences flew out the window and they got through it.

I do however when I look back at the show wince at the religious overtones although I agree with the anti-war  and humanistic message it always conveyed.