Series synopsis
Pope John Paul II is an American drama television series that premiered on CBS on December 4, 2005. It ended on December 7, 2005. It was created by John Kent Harrison. It stars Jon Voight, Cary Elwes, James Cromwell and Ben Gazzara.
The life of the remarkable man who passed away after an extraordinary 26 year reign, and whose papal odyssey encompassed more than 120 countries and earned him the reputation of an international fighter for freedom.
Premise
The life of the remarkable man who passed away after an extraordinary 26 year reign, and whose papal odyssey encompassed more than 120 countries and earned him the reputation of an international fighter for freedom.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Jon Voight as Pope John Paul II / Karol Wojtyla
- Cary Elwes as Young Karol Wojtyla
- James Cromwell as Cardinal Adam Sapieha
- Ben Gazzara as Kardinal Agostino Casaroli
- Christopher Lee as Kardinal Stefan Wyszyński
- Giuliano Gemma as Dr. Joaquín Navarro-Valls
- Daniele Pecci as Roman
- Vittoria Belvedere as Eva
Supporting cast
- Wenanty Nosul as Don Stanisław Dziwisz
- Ettore Bassi as Gapa
- Valéria Cavalli as Teresa
- Chiara Conti as Anna
- Giulietta Revel as Halina
- Mikołaj Grabowski as Card. Joseph Ratzinger
- Krzysztof Pieczyński as Czerny
- Fabrizio Bucci as Krysztof Zachuta
- Andy Luotto as Homeless person
- Harald Posch as Hans Frank
Guest cast
- Gian Piero Rotoli as Second Young Doctor
Episodes
This series spans 1 season with 2 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 2 | December 4, 2005 | December 7, 2005 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 1 On September 1, 1939, the Germans invade Poland. At that time, many years after the death of his mother and several years after the death of his elder brother, a young Karol Wojtyla makes his home in Krakow with his ailing father. Karol had been studying at the university and, though it is dangerous and forbidden under Nazi occupation, he continues with actor friends to put on plays as a means of preserving and saluting their Polish culture. |
December 4, 2005 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 Karol Wojtyla becomes Pope John Paul II on October 16, 1978. As is the custom, the new pope speaks to the crowd in St. Peter's Square and is met by overwhelming enthusiasm. But not all are happy with the selection, especially members of the Communist Party in Poland and the Soviet Union who blame Jimmy Carter's Polish advisor for the selection. |
December 7, 2005 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | CBS |
|---|---|
| First aired | December 4, 2005 |
| Last aired | December 7, 2005 |
| Runtime | 100 minutes |
| Status | Ended |