Source: SciFi Wire
Written by: Uncle Sam
Daniel, just like the prophet of old, has pissed-off some people already
It would seem that a conservative watchdog group is taking issue with NBC about its upcoming midseason series The Book of Daniel for its so-called “risque” depiction of a fictional Christian community.
The American Family Association, a longtime critic and crusader of irreverent broadcast television has begun urging people on its Web site to send e-mails complaining about the new, as yet unaired show, to NBC Universal chairman Bob Wright.
Just what we need on this planet is another “watchdog” group dictating what we all should see before we, the general public, have had our own opportunity to see and judge it for ourselves. When are these self-proclaimed guides to our conscience and eternal well-being going to get a clue that we have a god-given brain and that if the program stinks we won’t watch it anyway and if it’s good then it deserves to be on the air and supported by our viewership?
The Reverend Donald Wildmon, chairman of the AFA, blasted NBC for the protagonist in the series, which he describes as a “drug-addicted Episcopal priest whose wife depends heavily on her midday martinis.” Obviously Wildmon, who also criticizes portrayals of homosexual characters on the series, its unconventional inclusion of Jesus as a main character that Daniel has regular conversations with, doesn’t have a clue as to what the real world of FICTION is all about. Hey Rev., get a grip, it’s called fiction for a reason. And “The Book of Daniel” is just that, a fictional drama about an Episcopalian priest’s family and the contemporary issues with which they must grapple.
With no apologies to the good Reverend, I’m with NBC on this one and like their spokesman said, I too am “confident [that] once audiences view this….drama themselves, they’ll appreciate this… examination of one American family.”
The Book of Daniel, starring Aidan Quinn, begins airing Jan. 6 on the NBC Network.
I hadn’t planned on watching the show, but now that this group has decided I shouldn’t see it, I have to watch it just to see what all the broohaha is about.
Nothing like protecting people from things when we never asked to be protected. If people hate it – don’t watch it – easy! I have had run ins with this group on other things and would challenge any person here to check out their website and see how ‘nicely’ they veil hate speech and bigotry for anything that doesn’t fit into their neat little ‘view’ of the universe. I hope this show is great and that this group stirs up so much interest in this show that it becomes a big hit for NBC.
like much