Soul Man is an American sitcom starring Dan Aykroyd that aired on ABC from April 15, 1997, to May 26, 1998. A total of 25 half-hour episodes were produced over two seasons.
The series premiered on April 15, 1997, and was picked up for a second season of 22 half-hour episodes after only three episodes aired for the first season. Despite ranking 29th in its 2nd and final season, it ended on May 26, 1998. Internationally, the series was also aired on the Seven Network in Australia. A four-year-old Spencer Breslin made his TV debut and was a series regular for the three-episode-long 1997 first season, in which he played the youngest child of Aykroyd.
The theme song was "Soul Man" written by Isaac Hayes and David Porter. Aykroyd was closely associated with the song, having released a cover of it in 1979 with his band The Blues Brothers.
Mike Weber (played by Aykroyd) is a widowed Episcopal priest who must deal with his four children, his quirky parishioners in Royal Oak, Michigan, and a wet-behind-the-ears curate who happens to be the nephew of his bishop.
Like Home Improvement, the show was produced by The Walt Disney Company's Touchstone Television. Tim Allen appeared as Tim Taylor in the second episode, "Communion Wine and Convicts", who ended up cutting the hole too big, causing the basin to fall through the floor.
In the Season 1 finale episode "Cinderella and the Funeral", Richard Karn appeared as Al Borland who came to fix the church's furnace. Reference was made to Tim and the holy water basin falling through the hole he cut.
In the second season, Zachary Ty Bryan appeared in the episode "Public Embarrassment and Todd's First Sermon" playing Brad Taylor.
Mike Weber later appeared on Home Improvement as the priest of Al Borland. He was hired to put in a new stand for a holy water basin in the season seven episode "Losing My Religion".