Ed Bark

It's no revelation that 'Daniel' will be controversial

07:11 PM CST on Thursday, January 5, 2006

By ED BARK / The Dallas Morning News

"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" – Jesus while on the cross, as quoted in the New Testament.

"You're tailgating" – Jesus while riding shotgun with a Vicodin-addicted priest, as quoted in NBC's The Book of Daniel.

Ratings-hungry NBC clearly is on a mission. Its latest religious-themed series, following last spring's Revelations, is fully intended to provoke controversy in the interest of prompting a big tune-in.

K.C. Bailey / NBC

Aidan Quinn plays a minister with a troubled family.

Hell's bells, here's the saga of an Episcopalian minister whose immediate and extended families are more messed up than the Ewings of Dallas, the Carringtons of Dynasty or even the Brady Bunch.

"It's going to raise some eyebrows in certain circles," NBC Universal CEO Jeff Zucker told The Dallas Morning News after The Book of Daniel was unveiled to TV critics last summer. "That's not a terrible thing. There will be some advertiser issues, but that's OK. And clearly there will probably be some pulpit issues."

So far condemnation is coming from the usual quarters. The Tupelo, Miss.-based American Family Association, headed by longtime network TV antagonist Donald E. Wildmon, is using its Web site for a call to action against The Book of Daniel.

"Call your local NBC affiliate and ask them not to air the program," the AFA urges.

In pre-Internet times, it used the same sight-unseen tack against ABC's NYPD Blue, encouraging station boycotts via newspaper ads and on-site protests. More than 60 stations, including WFAA-TV (Channel 8) in Dallas, initially pre-empted the adult-themed cop series, which went on to have a 12-season run.

As of Thursday, just two NBC stations, in Terre Haute, Ind., and Little Rock, Ark., announced they will not carry The Book of Daniel. It will run on NBC-owned KXAS-TV (Channel 5), which reports getting a heavy volume of AFA-prompted calls and e-mails.

The so-called "dark comedy" is the creation of Jack Kenny, a former Catholic altar boy who says that "you want to have a lot of conflict and things going on" in any TV serial.

The Book of Daniel is overflowing in that respect, holding little sacred in its oft-laughable zeal to be – yawn – "edgy." Friday's two-hour premiere, with back-to-back episodes subtitled "Temptation" and "Forgiveness," buries bedeviled Rev. Daniel Webster (Aidan Quinn) in an avalanche of trials and tribulations.

We begin with a late-night pickup of 16-year-old daughter Grace (Alison Pill), who has been arrested for dealing marijuana.

Her overall insolence soon causes Dad to blow up. After all, she has a loving family, which is "pretty damn rare!" he thunders.

The loving family also includes Daniel's martini-tipping wife, Judith, whose high-strung kid sister, Victoria (Cheryl White), has secrets on several fronts. As a bonus, Victoria's suddenly wayward husband is suspected of embezzling $3 million in church funds earmarked for a new school. Perhaps the money can be found with help from "Father Frank" (Dan Hedaya), a man of the cloth with mob ties.

Daniel and Judith's earnest son, Peter (Christian Campbell), is 23, gay and still grappling with the death of his twin brother from leukemia.

Adopted Chinese son Adam (Ivan Shaw) has a "wicked" sense of humor – "Shouldn't you be sucking on a bong in the attic?" he jabs at Grace – and a sexual relationship with fellow 16-year-old Caroline Paxton (Leven Rambin), whose mom turns out to be a bigot.

Meanwhile, Daniel's judgmental father, Bishop Bertrum Webster (James Rebhorn), is having a clandestine affair with outwardly conservative Bishop Beatrice Congreve (Ellen Burstyn). She has lately also taken a liking to Daniel's supply of Vicodin.

Oh, yeah, almost forgot about Jesus (Garret Dillahunt, recently of Deadwood), who periodically pops in to irreverently counsel Daniel. Dressed in Galilee garb and sporting a trim beard, Jesus often is jest, all right.

"You could open up a little roadside stand," He tells Daniel after witnessing another Vicodin exchange.

"Very funny," says Daniel, prompting Jesus to counter, "I thought it was funny."

Both men have a good laugh while bantering about self-help books. Jesus scores by referring to their relationship as "My Tuesdays with Jesus."

The show's creator, Mr. Kenny, says that their recurring talks are "not imaginary to Daniel. We're not doing I Dream of Jesus."

NBC's Mr. Zucker says he "kind of laughed" when he first saw Jesus in The Book of Daniel. "I think there's supposed to be a few laughs. It's supposed to be a little campy."

Mr. TV Critic here says that The Book of Daniel isn't the utter abomination its detractors contend it is. Nor is it all that good. The show plays with sensitivities without playing entirely fair. Its overreach is akin to a sloppily drunken uncle knocking over the gravy boat while straining to spear another slab of meat at a family dinner.

That's not a pretty sight. Book of Daniel has its moments amid its excesses, but not enough of them to redeem it in this view. Still, that's just one view. Word to the wise: Let each viewer be his or her own judge before casting any stones.

E-mail ebark@dallasnews.com

The Book of Daniel

Grade: C+
8 p.m. Friday, NBC (Channel 5). Starring Aidan Quinn, Ellen Burstyn, Susanna Thompson, Alison Pill, Christian Campbell, Ivan Shaw, Susanna Thompson, Dylan Baker, Garret Dillahunt, Dan Hedaya. Created by Jack Kenny. 1 hr., with back-to-back episodes on Jan. 6