I was most disappointed to ...
Question: I was most disappointed to learn this morning that
The Book of Daniel was being dropped from NBC's schedule, but what really irritated me was the crowing being done by the self-righteous group the American Family Association, which is apparently taking credit for forcing NBC to make the move. It is a shame. I was truly enjoying it, uneven as it sometimes was, due to the outstanding cast — particularly
Aidan Quinn and
Susanna Thompson. Damn, that scene with the mafia guy making a pass at Daniel was funny. Doesn't it make you crazy when those bigoted right-wing groups smugly assert this kind of move is due to their influence when it's really all about the numbers? NBC saw constantly declining numbers and made the decision to give up the chance to build viewership. I highly doubt they'd have paid attention to any so-called watchdog group if the show had proved a cult or breakout hit, so why should they do so when it's a low-rated show? What do you think?
Answer: The only thing more predictable (and aggravating) than the American Family Association taking an anti-
Daniel stance before it even aired is the same group taking credit for its premature cancellation. Groups like this, and the hyperventilating Parents Research Council, have lost so many battles in recent years (such as their foaming over FX shows, which are meant for adults only) that it's only natural to see them acting like such sore winners this time around — and, by the way, how very Christian of them to gloat. Fact is, groups like this did have some impact, creating a climate of controversy over the still-taboo subject of religion that kept spineless advertisers away. NBC didn't help matters by its scheduling of the show, and even before this abbreviated run, mixing up the order in which the episodes were being shown. But if the show had become a cult hit — too bad FX didn't snap this one up (and no,
Daniel isn't likely to reemerge there) — or, in the best case, an actual sensation like
NYPD Blue (which the AFA unsuccessfully lobbied against), NBC would have kept it on proudly. I still feel
Daniel was a worthy risk. It wasn't a perfect show, but it certainly got people talking instead of yawning. Hard to imagine anyone making much of a fuss about flatlining tripe like
Courting Alex.
