Alison Pill

December 19, 2006: Wrongful Life

• Dec 20, 2006 03:39 AM ET
• by Todd Thatcher

This was an example of what Law & Order as a franchise does best, and what Criminal Intent has done only occasionally so far this season: tackle a serious issue while thoughtfully — but not forcefully — presenting both sides. There’s nothing worse than feeling like a show’s creators are trying to manipulate your emotions to get your guard down just so they can ram their viewpoint(s) down your throat (Aaron Sorkin , anyone?). In the case of “Wrongful Life,” there was a compelling story that raised a lot of questions naturally as it progressed. And since this episode didn’t pull any punches, I won’t either: I come down firmly on the pro-life side of the abortion debate. So for me to praise a “Hollywood” take on one aspect of a complex issue means these writers were doing something right, particularly from a story point of view, which should always be the primary concern anyway.But no matter where you stand, I’m sure pretty m... read more

How The Book of Daniel Came to Be

• Jan 6, 2006 03:00 AM ET
• by Jack Kenny, series creator, The Book of Daniel

I'm pretty sure I'm still dreaming. As far as I can tell, this dream started a year and a half ago, so it's actually still June 2004, it's 3:30 in the morning, and I "wake up" with the first scene vividly playing out in my head: His daughter's been arrested. This guy (I hadn't even come up with names yet) has to go pick up his teenage daughter at a police station, way down in Riverdale, in the middle of the night. What the heck was she doing in Riverdale?! He's worried to death. He's angry. He's scared. But more than anything... he's uncomfortable. He is a WASP, after all — they don't go to police stations. And certainly not in the middle of the night! By the time he gets her and his wife home, it's dawn; they have to get ready for church. As he sits alone in his car, he reaches for the biggest obstacle in his life right now — his Vicodin. Then... Smash Cut to: the Pulpit. He's a priest! That's it. That's my way in. I finally found my way into a world that's bee read more

Book of Daniel Mixes Dope and Faith

• Jan 5, 2006 03:00 AM ET
• by Matt Webb Mitovich

Aidan Quinn's Daniel Webster sees and talks to Jesus in NBC's new (and controversial) The Book of Daniel (premiering Jan. 6 at 9 pm/ET, before settling into its Fridays-at-10 time slot). Then again, maybe the good reverend is simply stoned on all the Vicodin he's taking on the sly. Or stressed out about having a gay son or a pot-dealing daughter. Yes, it's that kind of "religious" series.

But as opposed to the most obvious comparison, CBS' God-seeing Joan of Arcadia, Daniel's sit-downs with J.C. (played by Deadwood's Garret Dillahunt) aren't presented as "the grand gimmick." "If someone wants to make it the hook, they could, but I think it's very much just a by-product," Quinn tells TVGuide.com. "The read more