'The Book of Daniel' to Air Amid Harsh Criticism
NBC’s new series about a pill-popping Episcopal priest and his dysfunctional family, will air tonight in a special 2-hour premiere despite garnering harsh criticism from both the Christian and mainstream arena.
NBC’s “The Book of Daniel,” a new series about a pill-popping Episcopal priest and his dysfunctional family, will air tonight in a special 2-hour premiere despite garnering harsh criticism from both the Christian and mainstream arena as well as having three affiliate networks refuse to air the program.
Kansas-based KSNW Channel 3, the latest NBC affiliate to drop “Daniel,” said their decision was based on more than 300 e-mails and phone calls they received from viewers opposed to the show, which has drawn controversy over its “morally bankrupt” characters and its portrayal of Jesus Christ as a, “wimpy, white-robed visitor who cares little about evil, addictions and perversity,” according to a statement released today by Focus on the Family.
“The Jesus of Daniel is a long way from the holy compassionate Third Person of the Trinity who created the universe, then found the sin-problems of mankind so egregious that He gave His very life sacrificially to bring redemption,” stated Focus on the Family’s Bob Waliszewski. "I doubt NBC would consider portraying a Muslim cleric or Buddhist monk in the same light. And rightly so. Why? Because to do so would be mean-spirited and insensitive. But for some reason, portraying Jesus as a namby-pamby frat-boy-guru is fine. I'm extremely disappointed that NBC has chosen to air this program."
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Aside from the show’s Jesus character, “Daniel”, which stars 46-year-old Aidan Quinn as the Rev. David Webster, has also drawn criticism for the “edgy” behavior of the Webster family, which includes a homosexual son, a pot-dealing daughter, and an alcoholic wife.
Tom Shales of The Washington Post reviewed “Daniel,” saying, “I cannot recall a series in which a greater number of characters seemed so desperately detestable – a series with a larger population of loathsome dolts,” and that the show “barely merits First Amendment protection.”
The American Family Association (AFA), which claims to have sent almost half a million protest letters and e-mails to NBC regarding “Daniel,” says that the program “appears to be yet one more show that’s going to dog the Christian faith” and has encouraged conservative supporters to lobby the show’s sponsors to pull out.
“While we certainly recognize that Christians do have problems, and they have problems in their families, it seems that Hollywood consistently wants to focus on those types of Christians and those types of ministers – when the reality is that many, many more are hard-working," said AFA Spokesman Ed Vitagliano, according to Agape Press.
Quinn, who sees the show as a “pretty down-the-middle, wholesome show,” said he wasn’t “particularly worried about people having a tremendous problem with [Daniel],” according to the Associated Press.
“And if they do,” he added, “then they need to maybe look at the shallowness of what their own faith is built on if our depiction in this pilot is upsetting them.”
NBC, meanwhile, has responded to the controversy saying, “We’re confident that once audiences view this quality drama themselves, they’ll appreciate this thought-provoking examination of one American family.”
“The Book of Daniel” airs tonight at 9 p.m.
