I have never written on ...
Susannah Thompson and Aidan Quinn, The Book of Daniel
Question: I have never written on behalf of anything on television before, but tonight I felt compelled. I'll apologize ahead of time because this isn't so much a question as a hope — a plea, if you will — and, well, a venting of sorts.
Please tell me that there are some really wonderful reviews coming in on
The Book of Daniel and that all the hoopla from the few "loud ones" are not getting all the attention.
Please tell me that this series has a chance! I know
you know this, but
Aidan Quinn is a
remarkable actor, and the rest of the show is brilliantly cast. The writing is witty, intense, tasteful, serious and, yes, even funny and entertaining at times. It is, of course, called entertainment, for goodness' sake, and it's
fiction! Please tell me that NBC will not bow down to the vocal, narrow-minded population trying to make decisions for the rest of us about what we should and should not watch. Personally, I don't care for all the crime- and sex-related shows on television, but guess what? I don't watch them! I, for one, am so thankful for
The Book of Daniel, and anyone who gave it a chance tonight, I believe, will agree. Please give it a giant cheer! I apologize, but I just had to vent to someone — not that it will help. I was a fan of
Once and Again, and look what happened to that! Thanks anyway — I really enjoy your reviews!
Answer: It has been a while since I've received mail quite as passionate as the early response to
The Book of Daniel, which I'm glad to note was almost all positive. After, that is, the letter from someone who, before the show had even aired — how typical — felt compelled to question my credentials as a Christian for having given the show a good
review. (For the record, my spirituality is a private matter but is something I equate with the virtues of being open-minded and open-hearted, which certainly wasn't the case with many of this show's predictable naysayers.) If you want to read what it was like being in the crosshairs of this so-called "controversy," check out the second installment of our
blog from
Daniel creator
Jack Kenny.
Another letter, from Laurie, summed up the consensus feeling of the mail I've been receiving: "I've heard that a lot of Christians wanted to boycott The Book of Daniel before it even got started, but I was not one of them. I found it refreshing to see a minister's family portrayed as flawed beings rather than cookie-cutter perfect characters. I especially enjoyed the conversations Daniel had with Jesus. It really showed how Daniel could turn to Him when he was in trouble, just as people really do every day. I hope this show stays on the air long enough for people to get past their biases and give it a chance!"
I'm also hopeful that Daniel will at least get to play out its initial "limited" run, including two pivotal episodes set to air after the Olympics. Daniel's early ratings weren't great, though far from disastrous, but NBC has done the show few favors by scheduling it on Friday night, and advertisers weren't exactly clamoring to get aboard something with this much baggage. So let's acknowledge the risk NBC has taken by even putting this show on the air — albeit with a little too much hand-wringing in the viewer advisories. (Thanks to Sarah K. for calling that to my attention. Having previewed the show, I didn't watch it on air the first week.)
