NBC Set To Air ''Faith-Based'' Programming
With ratings suffering from last season’s departure of long-running comedy favorites “Friends” and “Frasier,” NBC has decided to promote a different theme this season: faith.
With ratings suffering from last season’s departure of long-running comedy favorites “Friends” and “Frasier,” NBC has decided to promote a different theme this season: faith.
"Due to the popularity of such books as 'The Da Vinci Code' and the box office success of such movies as 'The Passion of the Christ,' there's no denying the general public's interest in the supernatural and the spiritual realms," said Vince Manze, president and creative director of The NBC Agency.
One idea that the network has put forth is entitled “The Book of Daniel” – a drama about a struggling Episcopal minister named Daniel Webster who, in the midst of wrestling with family issues and a dependence on prescription pills, receives the Lord Himself as a modern-day private counselor. Starring Aidan Quinn as Webster, Ellen Burstyn as Daniel’s church superior, and newcomer Garrett Dillahunt as Christ, the show is a project that NBC Entertainment President Kevin Reilly says is exemplary of his new watchword in program development – “fresh.”
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"I like that it's slightly provocative," Reilly told Reuters. "We did realize that we're in uncharted waters. ... It certainly stirs people's passions and stirs opinions, and if we do it right, with quality, I think there's millions and millions of people who would say, 'Hey, that's what I've been looking for on television."'
“Daniel,” which is only one in a series of high-concept dramas on NBC’s development slate along with the undersea monster thriller “Fathom” and two shows dealing with America’s war-on-terror (“World of Trouble” and “The E-Ring”), was showcased on Thursday at a gathering for advertisers.
While “Daniel” is still waiting for the green light on the 2005-2006 schedule, NBC is already anticipating the release of it’s main attraction in “faith-based” programming: a six-episode series based on the apocalyptic prophecies given in the Book of Revelation.
With a premiere set for April 13, NBC's "Revelations" follows the efforts of Sister Josepha Montifiore, a globe-trotting nun played by Natascha McElhone, and Dr. Richard Massey, a Harvard astrophysicist played by Bill Pullman, to determine whether the end of the world is indeed near.
Written by David Seltzer, the creative force behind the 1970’s horror flick “The Omen,” the content of “Revelations” will be a far cry from the uplifting tone and reserved brand of spirituality found in prime-time offerings like “Touched by an Angel,” “Highway to Heaven” or “Joan of Arcadia.”
"We felt what needed to be done is a television show that expressed itself as Christian," said Gavin Polone, an executive producer of, and the driving force behind, "Revelations." "We're very clear about that here. The words 'Jesus Christ' or 'Christ' are used three times a minute.”
In line with keeping the Christian faith authentic within the series the creators of “Revelations” say they took great pains with all the Biblical aspects of the series.
"Everybody wants to make sure no rock has been left unturned," said Bill Pullman. "They're looking at everything - the credibility of every character, each choice."
“Scripts are reviewed by a theological consultant, as will be all marketing efforts,” Reilly said, and Lili Zanuck, who directed three episodes of "Revelations," said each scriptural citation is checked against multiple versions of the Bible.
And David Seltzer, cast members say, has become a man obsessed with the details. Ms. McElhone said, "There have been a lot of people making sure that we walk the line on this."
Still, the series creators admit that while Biblically inspired, their story does takes plenty of liberties.
"We're telling a fictional story," Seltzer said. "It's not a religious tale."
Most notably, the entire series rests on the premise that the two lead characters can somehow forestall the final clash between God and Satan - an interpretation anathema to most end-times literalists.
"It may make for interesting tension and fun drama," Jerry Jenkins, co-author of the "Left Behind" books, told the New York Times. "But I don't know any serious theologian who thinks that humans can delay anything that God desires to do."
Jenkins nonetheless expressed optimism that the series will focus people's attention on Christianity and help "keep the conversation on the table."
"It's a conversation we like to have: about prophecy, God, Jesus," he said. “My hope is [“Revelations”] will keep the media interested in the topic and maybe they'll eventually get closer to the kind of stuff we do."
