This was a really fantastic show that was canceled far before it's time. I would have loved to have seen this show picked up on HBO at the time but it was not meant to be I guess. Instead they came out with Big Love (also very good) which in many ways is not unlike The Book of Daniel. (At least some comparisons can reasonably be drawn though I personally found TBoD to be more interesting and engrossing in it's shot run). Anyway, The Book of Daniel dealt with a great many issues (personal and social), some more topical than others, and did it in a very compelling way. Ironically the excellent messages (those of peace, love, forgiveness, understanding, and redemption) written into this finely crafted show were never heard, by most anyway, over the hate filled cries and narrow minded shouts of the people who claim to actually practice and follow these very tenets. (It is also important to point out that the vast majority of these protesters freely admitted that they never watched a moment of the show, just so you know.) Basically the show is centered around the title character Father Daniel Webster (Played expertly well by Aidan Quinn) and how he looks to Jesus Christ (Played by Garret Dillahunt) for guidance and support in what are very troubled times for himself and his family. (I guess the big stink here was that TBoD actually had an actor play Jesus Christ because a Priest turning to the Lord in times of need isn't exactly a news flash or earth shattering event even to the dimmest bulb. At any rate I felt Dillahunt actually did a good job in the role and the talks between the two characters really played rather well and helped, I felt, show the bond between this man and his God. It showed me how very personal the connection between man and God could be and it also worked well as a device because it allowed the viewer to better understand the thoughts and motivations behind the title character of Daniel. To draw a quick Shakespearian analogy the character of Jesus in TDoD is used in much the same way the character of Horatio is used in Hamlet.) In short TBoD was an excellent show that was crucified by the very people who really should have embraced it, never to rise again, which is a real shame. I'm sure it can be found on DVD for almost nothing.
I would NOT recommend this show to people who are easily offended or defensive about topics such as: Religion, aging, race, sex, sexual orientation, drugs or alcohol, violence, and/or illness as all these subjects are touched on in some way shape or form during the show.
I would NOT recommend this show to people who are easily offended or defensive about topics such as: Religion, aging, race, sex, sexual orientation, drugs or alcohol, violence, and/or illness as all these subjects are touched on in some way shape or form during the show.