B.A.

"Assignation"



Cast: Aidan Quinn, Ellen Burstyn, Dylan Baker, Christian Campbell, Alison Pill, Ivan Shaw, Susanna Thompson, Garret Dillahunt, Leven Rambin , D.W. Moffett, Laila Robins, Fran Bennett.
Producer(s): Jack Kenny, Flody Suarez .

Original Airdate: January 20, 2006.

The Book of Daniel

B.A.

I'm still enjoying this show - any word if it is going to be any longer than an 8-episode run? If not, then we are already at the half-way point.

The Vaparelli brother was funny as shit - I laughed my ass off when he said he was still going to hell, just not for being gay.

Daniel and his wife need to beat the crap out of Adam's girlfriend's parents

RocShemp

I hope this gets a second season because I doubt eight episodes will be enough for such a good show.

I really liked this episode but I seem to have missed the one before. Did Yoda hidding in the daughter's closet already happen? And when did Adam get back together with his girl?

Bronkster

Had they mentioned before this they had a son who died? It was brought up a few times in this episode but I don't recall it being talked about before (and it could just be my not paying attention).

lisadoris

Nope. I don't remember them mentioning it in the previous episodes either which was why I sat there wondering "where did that come from?"

My one complaint is Judith and the girlfriend's mom. Why the hell are they still friends? After that horrid comment about not wanting any "Oriental grandchildren running around the Christmas tree" why would Judith talk to that woman ever again?

The expressions on Aidan Quinn's face during the Vaprielli brother scenes were just classic and hilarious.

WillieTheShakes

The son was mentioned repeatedly on the pilot -- Daniel linked his vicodin abuse to the son's death.

das Monkey

The stuff about the dead son was heavy-handed, as was the whole plot with Adam, but I still really like this show. I'm not sure I need to see it as a regular series, though. I'd be content with a good 8-episode run and then ending it.

das

B.A.

It was mentioned in the pilot. I believe he died of leukemia or something. He was oldest son's twin.

Chew

http://www.thefutoncritic.com/cgi/newswire.cgi?id=7067

I had been putting off last week's episode anyway.

B.A.

For crying out loud - how hard is it to air eight freakin' episodes? Bastards.

Ayre

I really thought this was a great show. This goes into the Jack & Bobby Memorial for shows that for some uknown reason could not find their audience.

People complained that Desperate Houswive tries to hard to be a comedy. When something comes along with a similar meter and irreverence, but contains the drama missing from DH, they completely ignore it.

souvenir

At least seven affiliates refused to air it, arbitrarily making decisions for all their viewers. People don't tend to flock controversial shows deemed anti-Christian. "Nothing Sacred" comes to mind immediately. NBC had to be losing significant advertising revenue because each episode had long NBC and Universal promos during the commercials.

I'm disappointed that there has not been at least a little outrage at how the so-called Christian groups have now buried this show, which arguably promoted Christian values of tolerance and acceptance.

Scott27

I heard today that NBC will probably burn off the rest of the Daniel episodes during the summer.

Bronkster

Damn! What a pisser! I was enjoying this show.

B.A.

That would be nice.

rfduncan

I read somewhere that the "Next time on" and "Previously on" spots actually show footage that is NOT in any episode. I was similarly confused when I saw Judith talking to Daniels brother who was sitting in a car about meeting for lunch.

Oh well, I would imagine the initial 8 episode run would make the writers/producers smart enough to "tie it off" with a tidy-ish ending should it not get renewed. Probably have to wait for the DVD to see all of them.

riley_dude

Ashame that NBC had to cave into the Religions right.

Chew

You can blame who you want, but here's the paragraph I didn't post that shows more of the story:

marty888

I don't think you can blame this cancellation on anything but the lack of viewers.

sjrab16

Lack of viewers and lack of sponsors would make any show be cancelled.

wm lopez

Wow, with this show being cancelled along with THE WEST WING and AIR AMERICA not doing so well on radio. And there was a Presidental poll that Hillary Clinton didn't do well also. And with Cananda elections,It's been a bad week for liberals.

B.A.

Please, don't troll around TV Talk w/ your bullshit. This show's cancellation had nothing to do w/ the "liberal agenda" and everything to do w/ ratings.

Charlie Goose

Never saw Daniel, but I'm sorry to see Wanted go. I liked the show, and it ended on a cliffhanger a few weeks ago.

rfduncan

Thing about this show getting canned is - it was a pretty decent show! The acting, writing, production values were all good. And there was nothing in it really that was genuinely immoral or blasphemous... at least in comparision to any other primetime show of this nature. All in all, the show was about guiding people to the right choices in a contemporary society which radically needs rational, sane interpretation of the Bible... in a time where the "cut and dry" pat answers the Bible gives no longer prove useful when literally interpretted (e.g. "If your hand causes you to offend, cut it off.").

I wonder if they had kept the Jesus character out of it if it would still be on? Or would it just be a tweaked 7th Heaven (which I have never seen)?

Tommy Ceez

The only thing NBC caves to here was the bottom line....BTW, seeing that it dropped 40% from its premier...the religious protests probably got alot of people to tune in immediatly, and they didnt like it