I remember hearing about The Book of Daniel almost a year ago. My guess is that it's been in production for a while, but may have been shelved for a time. I really don't know. Tonight NBC aired two episodes, the first of which must've been the pilot because hair lengths were different for some actors in the second hour (you know, they think we never notice such things). The show has garnered a lot of attention from a variety of circles, including negative reviews prior to its airing from groups like the American Family Association. I'm not sure how fair it is to condemn a television before it airs, and I naturally wondered if some of the negative buzz wasn't a bit exaggerated.

After watching the two episodes that aired tonight, I have to conclude that all the negative attention is not unwarranted. I tried to think of the best way to sum up the flavor of The Book of Daniel, and finally it hit me. How can I describe this show? Well, try mixing 7th Heaven with Desperate Housewives, and what do you get? Why, you get The Book of Daniel.

Here's the lowdown on the characters. I'll use the picture above and go from left to right.

Peter Webster (Christian Campbell): The gay son and oldest child of the show's main protagonist. Peter describes himself as being out of the closet, but not wanting to march in parades. Because his grandfather does not know he is gay, he allows himself to be set up with a young woman from church. Hilarity ensues in future episodes, I'm sure.

Grace Webster (Alison Pill): The only daughter. She's about 16, and shows talent as a potential manga artist. However, she needs money for software necessary for her craft, so she begins selling marijuana for which she gets arrested. Forced into community service, she meets another juvenile offender who agrees to download all the necessary software for her illegally from the internet in exchange for Grace's last bag of drugs.

Daniel Webster (Aidan Quinn): Episcopal Priest and main character. Webster comes across as fairly unsure of himself and his abilities, much like a new pastor fresh out of seminary rather than an experienced clergyman. He seems to have an addiction to prescription painkillers which he tends to take not for pain, but for stress. And he definitely has stress. His brother-in-law has run off with $3 million dollars of his church's money while his own family members have enough dysfunctions to fill any counselor's entire schedule. Fortunately (?) for him, he can talk directly to Jesus, who appears at regular intervals to him. Of course, in real life, if your pastor told you he had two-way conversations with Jesus, whom he could also see, you might want to call the men in the white coats. Quinn is a fairly decent actor, but in this role comes across as a poor man's Mel Gibson.

Adam Webster (Ivan Shaw): Adopted 16-year-old son, originally from China. Adam has quite the reputation as a ladies man and an out-of-control libido. He even propositions his sister at one point in the show, because as he explains it, they aren't actually related.

Judith Webster (Susanna Thompson): The supportive wife. There's not much to say about this character as the role was written fairly flat in the first two episodes, although she did seem to show a penchant for martinis.

Other Characters: Ellen Burstyn plays Dr. Beatrice Congreve who is the bishop overseeing (is that redundant?) Daniel Webster. She is very critical of a sermon of his in which he seems to condone giving into temptation, but later is shown to take a liking to Webster's prescription medicine. Toward the end of the second episode, we discover that she is sleeping with Webster's father (James Rebhorn) who is also a bishop. Of course, he's one of the most unlikable character's in the show, and the last person you'd want to have as your own minister. But his wife (Webster's mother) is suffering from Alzheimer's, which I suppose is why he feels free to cavort with Bishop Congreve. And then, there's Jesus, played by Garrett Dillahunt, whose portrayal reminded me more of a sixties hippie. I expected him to say "Far out, man" any second.

So what's the big deal? Well, there are a number of problems. In some circles people have praised this show because supposedly it depicts real life and the fact that no family is perfect. Well, I agree that no family is perfect, but the family in The Book of Daniel seems to be drawn more from families in daytime soap operas than the average family I know.

Yes, people are imperfect, but The Book of Daniel seems to revel in its characters' flaws. The only "sin" condemned was the reverend's use of painkillers and even that was done lightheartedly. Consider this dialogue between Jesus and Daniel Webster (quoted from an article in the Seattle Times):

Early in tonight's pilot, the Rev. Webster (Quinn) guiltily rattles a bottle of Vicodin and informs Jesus (Garret Dillahunt) that he's got his consumption of pain-killers under control.

"Riiiight," says Jesus.

"Could you fit more judgment into that 'Riiiight'?" asks the reverend [sarcastically].

"Actually," replies Jesus, "yes, I could."

More examples? Homosexuality is declared to be genetic and normal, thus perpetuating this popular myth in spite of the fact that no studies have confirmed this with conclusive evidence. Also, during a subplot involving the reverend giving marriage counseling to a young couple, it's assumed that the two are living and sleeping together. "You mean you two are living in sin?" asks Webster. The man looks startled. "Just kidding!" says the reverend, slapping him on the shoulder. In the counseling session he even asks them about their sex life.

Nothing is condemned. When Webster is concerned over his adopted son's sex life, Jesus says "He a good kid. Let him be a kid." And that's the problem. Over and over similar statements are made. He's a good kid. She's a good woman. She's a good girl. When Webster objects to being rebuked by the bishop for his sermon affirming the benefits of sin (it makes us appreciate forgiveness more!), she responds with "Well, that's the business we're in." But if that's the business they're in, the business is going under.

The Book of Daniel is the brainchild of Jack Kenny, who has described himself in numerous interviews as an ex-Catholic gay man who has based the family in the show on that of his "life partner." Although he is not a practicing Christian, he says that he has respect for the religion. Really?

Consider for a minute that this show would have never seen airtime if it it revolved around a Muslim or a Buddhist family. Can you imagine a red-robed monk dialoguing with the Buddha? Or an imam engaged in conversation with a visual depiction of Muhammad? There would be jihad on Hollywood Boulevard over such.

And I don't think it's coincidental that Webster is an Episcopal priest. Of all denominations in the US, the average Episcopalian might be the least likely to object. And in fact, some have even praised the show for all the "positive" attention the Episcopal Church stands to receive. Like Jesus said in the first episode, "Riiiight."

As I mentioned earlier, I first heard about this show about a year ago. The context was surrounding a host of new programming the networks were considering in response to the favorable response toward Mel Gibson's The Passion. Surprised by America's reception of a movie that took spirituality seriously, Hollywood began searching for other spiritually related proposals previously snubbed. One of these was The Book of Daniel. They figured that if America would watch a whole film about Jesus, they would be willing to see him as a character on a weekly TV series. But all spirituality is not the same. And this is where Hollywood never gets it. The same core audience that went to see The Passion is not going to be interested in The Book of Daniel. And although it's being compared with Desparate Housewives, they're not going to attract those viewers either.

My hunch is that tonight's broadcast probably got decent, if not good ratings because of all the publicity the show received leading up to its debut. However, after that, the audience will begin to shrink. Add to that the time slot given to the show: 10 PM EST on Friday night. That has to be the worst time slot a show could receive.

My prediction is that by mid-spring, The Book of Daniel will be sealed for all of eternity (my apologies to ch. 12, v. 9 in the real Book of Daniel).

Tags: television