At the center of End Days is the Stein family. There’s Sylvia (a neurotic mother who, despite her Jewish upbringing, has recently found Jesus and Evangelism), her husband Arthur (a former corporate bigwig who lost his entire staff on 9/11), and their daughter Rachel (a high schooler in a goth phase). Add to the picture Nelson Steinberg, a newcomer to Rachel’s school who’s in love her (and his Elvis costume, which he always wears), Jesus, and Stephen Hawking, and it sounds like a ridiculous farce. But it isn’t. On the contrary, its earnestness is what makes it both successful and a bit too neat. more ›