{"id":128,"date":"2006-01-27T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2006-01-27T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/idolchatter\/2006\/01\/closing-the-book-on-daniel.html"},"modified":"2006-01-27T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2006-01-27T12:00:00","slug":"closing-the-book-on-daniel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/2006\/01\/closing-the-book-on-daniel.html","title":{"rendered":"Closing the Book on ‘Daniel’"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

Now that NBC\u2019s controversial show \u201cThe Book of Daniel\u201d is no more, it brings up the question, again<\/a>: What does a television show look like that is both viable and Christian? Not all spiritual shows are Christian. One of the most successful shows in the history of the medium, \u201cTouched By an Angel,\u201d was a weekly tearjerker that featured angels. But angels are not exclusively Christian, and anyway God\u2019s messengers were closer to Greek Fates, posted at life\u2019s doorways to create an aura of cosmic control and well-being. The show did well in part because it was TV\u2019s version of comfort food. <\/p>\n

“TBAA” did, however, focus on human suffering–how to respond to it and God’s role in it. This elemental spiritual question seems to be good for ratings. CBS\u2019s short-lived hit, \u201cJoan of Arcadia<\/a>,\u201d portrayed a family dealing with a wheelchair-bound brother, among other crises. Often, God expected Joan (and us) to translate her own pain into compassion for others.<\/p>\n

With five people with edgy problems and visits from the Other Side, \u201cThe Book of Daniel\u201d seemed to pattern itself after HBO\u2019s \u201cSix Feet Under<\/a>,\u201d which for a time was the most spiritually challenging show on TV. Not coincidentally, perhaps, it was intent on the question of why we suffer and die. So why didn’t “Daniel” fly? NBC\u2019s mistake, apparently, was putting Aidan Quinn in a dog collar. For every \u201cSeventh Heaven<\/a>,\u201d there are two or three shows starring priests that misfire, including Dan Akroyd\u2019s brief strut on \u201cSoul Man<\/a>,\u201d and now \u201cDaniel.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Now that NBC\u2019s controversial show \u201cThe Book of Daniel\u201d is no more, it brings up the question, again: What does a television show look like that is both viable and Christian? Not all spiritual shows are Christian. One of the most successful shows in the history of the medium, \u201cTouched By an Angel,\u201d was a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":275,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-128","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nClosing the Book on 'Daniel'<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/2006\/01\/closing-the-book-on-daniel.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Closing the Book on 'Daniel'\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Now that NBC\u2019s controversial show \u201cThe Book of Daniel\u201d is no more, it brings up the question, again: What does a television show look like that is both viable and Christian? 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