This was a very insightful, thoughtful, intelligent show that dealt with real life problems in a compassionate way with humor and empathy. It is a real shame it was terminated prematurely thanks to some narrow minded hypocrites and network execs with no fortitude. So, now let's sit back and enjoy the wholesome goodness of deception, back-stabbing, cut-throat competition and completely reprehensible behavior of our beloved "reality" show contestants. Who will sleep with whom? Why was bold-faced lying the most effective play? And "NONE of them are my baby's daddy? Really?" "I TOLD you beeotch!!!"

Network: NBC; Genre: Drama; Content Rating: TV-14 (strong language, pervasive adult content, suggested sex); Perspective: Contemporary (star range: 1 - 4); Available: DVD; Seasons Reviewed: series (1 season) Before getting into the very front-loaded jump-in summery of "The Book of Daniel" I should probably make two points. First, every time a show of faith such as this hits TV in anything other than straight "7th Heaven"/"Joan of Arcadia" form, it is always greeted as controversial. The faithful's desire to see flawless, problem-free heroes goes up against the dramatic screenwriter's desire to be complex and compelling. Activists groups have deemed that faith and titillation have no place in the same hour. Any external controversy and the show's ultimate cancellation have no effect on this review. The other point is a concept as simple as: when everything is "edgy" than nothing will be edgy. You'll see.Daniel Webster (Aidan Quinn) is the Reverend at St. Barnibus Episcopal church. But dealing with the problems of the parish are nothing compared to his family, which includes his alcoholic wife, a gay son, an adopted, girl-crazy Chinese son, a pot-dealing daughter who threatens to expose them all with her comic book art (shades of Claire Fischer) a mother with Alzheimer's and a sister-in-law flirting with lesbianism. Got all that? A nice touch thrown into the mix here is Jesus himself (Garret Dillahunt, "A Minute with Stan Hooper"), who Daniel appears to be able to see and speak to. I must say it makes a lot more sense in "The Book of Daniel" than it did in "Rescue Me".Aidan Quinn does a good job here. Is it me or does he look and sound an awful lot like Mel Gibson? But other than Quinn it is hard to find a likable character in the bunch, that includes Ellen Burstyn as Daniel's co-dependent pill-popping assistant. The most insufferable is Daniel's wife (Suzanna Thompson) who becomes an emotional wreck because she doesn't own her own house - because her mom never signed the deed over to her. Wasp problems without the slightest bit of self-conscious commentary. A little winking and nudging would have been nice with these characters."Daniel" comes off kind of like "Six Feet Under" mixed with a worst-case scenario series. In the course of 7 episodes money is stolen from the endowment which leads Daniel into a debt with the mob, Daniel's wife is courted by his politician brother, His gay son is (as you could probably see coming a mile away) beaten up by homophobes, but not before having to pretend to be straight to please his grandfather. It's like "Nip/Tuck" from behind a pulpit, except that if Ryan Murphy were behind this there would be a lot more fun and invention and less melodrama and cliché. And by cliché, I mean new-age cliché.Creator Jack Kenny was last seen as 1/3rd of the team behind the neo-classic sitcom "Titus". But what worked in a broad sitcom doesn't play in a more mellow character drama. Kenny sprays wide and throws hard, trying to get every loony spitball to stick to the wall - and 10 years ago, "Daniel" might have been considered edgy or compelling stuff. But now, with so much sex-themed, gay-themed, drug and crime-themed shows with morally questionable lead characters on TV these story points have themselves become clichés. The network's desire to push the envelope has dug a hole for the hacks that would normally use shock for the sake of it as a crutch. Now, you've got to give that twist another twist. And we know Kenny can juggle razor's edge issues better than this because we saw it in "Titus". I want to see more from Kenny, but before the next go-around he might benefit from a weekend with a notepad and the "Nip/Tuck" DVDs.Now, all this emphasis on the show's issues may seem misplaced, which is a result of the show's misplaced emphasis. To get back to the central premise, "The Book of Daniel" says nothing about faith, the human condition and the bigger questions in life. Occasional musings with Jesus offer no warmth or depth. The show is more concerned with shallow titillation. For most of the series, for all the philosophical insight it offers, Daniel might as well be a psychiatrist.* ½ / 4

I have read about 2 pages of comments for this short-lived series. The general consensus seems to be that this was a well written and topical show that was yanked off the air by scared short-sighted TV execs. How can anyone really believe that nonsense. Whenever I hear the hype that a series "pushes the limits" or any of dozens of other metaphors, it is usually a good bet that the hype is covering up a really horrible show. This show was no exception.It wasn't well written, the characters were stock and the dialogue was insipid. No real thought was given to plot or characterization. The show was all about shock value, although I hesitate to use the word "value" in a review about this show. Finally, contrary to popular belief at this site; this show wasn't canceled because of a boycott by the "religious right". It was taken off the air because no one was watching. When all is said and done, it doesn't matter if your show is "pushing the envelope". If you can't pay the light bills, you can't exist. This show couldn't keep a flashlight going.

We heard various rumors about why this show was canceled, intimating that the content offended the religious beliefs of many people. We thought that the executives who made this decision should be aware of how many people loved the show and were upset by its removal from the schedule.As regular communicants in a conservative, "High" Episcopal church we, along with many friends, Episcopalian, agnostic and atheist alike became instantly addicted to this incisive, literate, thought provoking, endearing, spiritual and well acted show.We wrote to the show expressing our disappointment and thanking the actors, authors, directors, producers, etc. for having given us this wonderful, if all too brief, respite from the trite, inconsequential fare that clogs many commercial television schedules. We keep hoping that some other station executives, perhaps on cable, will take a look at this wonderful show and give it another try to develop the audience support and acclaim it richly deserves.