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Book Of Daniel, The
SERIES: NBC, Friday 10:00p (60 minutes)


4.9

based on 23 reviews
read critic reviews
how did we calculate this?

based on 181 votes
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Get more information on this show at TV.com.

Official Show Site

Starring Aidan Quinn, Susanna Thompson, Christian Campbell, Alison Pill, Ivan Shaw, Ellen Burstyn, Dylan Baker, and Garret Dillahunt

Sort of a cross between "Joan Of Arcadia," "7th Heaven," and "Six Feet Under," this hourlong dramedy centers on a troubled family headed by a pill-popping priest who talks to Jesus. (Yes, Jesus talks back.)

GENRE(S):	Comedy, Drama
CREATED BY:	Jack Kenny
FIRST AIR DATE:	January 6, 2006
LAST AIR DATE:	January 20, 2006

The two-hour premiere airs 1/6/06 from 9:00p - 11:00p; regular episodes air at 10:00p.

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

New York Post Linda Stasi

"Daniel" is not that controversial, but is really pretty damned, oops, darned good.

USA Today Robert Bianco

Witty, earnest, intelligent, overdone, overly ambitious, wildly entertaining and superbly cast.

TV Guide Matt Roush

Darkly comedic and richly entertaining.

Chicago Sun-Times Doug Elfman

A well-written and well-cast, if broadly drawn, show.

Detroit Free Press Mike Duffy

An offbeat treat worth rooting for.

New York Daily News David Hinckley

A program that gets stronger as we get to know its characters better, and the quality of the cast helps tremendously.

Chicago Tribune Sid Smith

While the story and drama aren't always successful, and occasionally border on the cloying or trite, "Daniel" is something fresh, mildly provocative and amusingly performed.

San Jose Mercury News Charlie McCollum

"The Book of Daniel" turns out to be something rare to network television these days. It is a rich family drama that isn't afraid of dealing with real issues in a real way and with humor, falling somewhere between "Six Feet Under" and the late, lamented "Once and Again."

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Melanie McFarland

Borders on terrific at times and falters in others.

Variety Brian Lowry

Whimsical and busy, "Daniel" is overly ambitious but highly watchable, with an interlocking web of smart-ass, squabbling but ultimately loving characters.

Wall Street Journal Amy Finnerty

Thankfully, we are spared the misty earnestness of "Seventh Heaven."

Hollywood Reporter Barry Garron

A well-intentioned drama with a few comedic quirks but without depth or greater purpose.

Orlando Sentinel Hal Boedeker

The cast is heavenly in The Book of Daniel; the writing isn't.

Time James Poniewozik

You may feel the faith-and-family themes could be handled better on cable--mainly because they have been.

Village Voice Joy Press

It yearns to be an HBO-worthy drama that reckons with heady moral issues, but it can't resist the temptation of prime-time gloss and melodrama.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Rob Owen

It's disappointing that Kenny felt the need to make this series so far over the top, because at its core, there's a great family show worth watching.

Newsday Diane Werts

Quinn radiates enough sincerity to make us keep reading this uneven book, just to see how it shapes up.

Boston Globe Matthew Gilbert

These actors help save the show from pure whimsy and excess.

San Francisco Chronicle Tim Goodman

This is a series that throws so much lunacy into the plotlines that even the writers on "Dynasty" must be hissing.

Philadelphia Inquirer Jonathan Storm

The Book of Daniel is different and ambitious enough to bear watching at least for a little while.

The New York Times Ned Martel

The real mark against "The Book of Daniel" is not any antipathy it might show toward the family or sympathy for the devil. The real objection is that it's just not very good.

Los Angeles Times Robert Lloyd

Despite a fine cast... in the end it works neither as comedy, satire, drama nor soap opera.

Washington Post Tom Shales

I cannot recall a series in which a greater number of characters seemed so desperately detestable -- a series with a larger population of loathsome dolts. There ought to be a worse punishment than cancellation for a show that tries this hard to be offensive and, even at that crass task, manages to fail.

The average user rating for this tv show is 4.9 (out of 10) based on 181 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

L Crisholm gave it a2:
Tom Shales said it best: Tries desperately to be as incessantly offensive as often as possible on every subject possible -- and fails even at that.

Martha R gave it a10:
Refreshing - crazy like life - I should know - I'm a Bishop's daughter!

M Johnson gave it a10:
It was thought provoking and such a relief to see a program grappling with common, though hidden, issues. It might have tried too hard to deal with a lot in a short time. Considering that most of what's offered on network TV is violent and graphically so, The Book of Daniel almost made me believe that NBC was a humane and compassionate network. I don't think that anymore.

Rayan M gave it a9:
I think this show is so much bout life because you do not all all ways know what is going on in a faimly like how the dad pops pills and the son is gay

S Gordon gave it a10:
Hope this is picked up on cable.

Donna J gave it an8:
It is just so funny. We loved it.. The fear factor reality tv is just not cutting it.wThis is good solid laughter. Reminds me of SOAP. Noorse than the fear factor, shot them up cop shows High sexual content ect..

[Anonymous] gave it a10:
NBC did not give this show a fair chance. As those of us who have watched the episodes shown on line can attest to the story line and the characters are just beginning to fully develop and if the "Christian right" could get over themselves and their holier than thou attitudes and live in the real world, they would see that this is a family living with the issues we all face today(aging parents, homosexuality, drugs, teen sex), whether we are Christian or not.

Book Of Daniel, The SERIES: NBC, Friday 10:00p (60 minutes)

Book Of Daniel, The
SERIES: NBC, Friday 10:00p (60 minutes)