'Daniel' is heavenly TV

"The Book of Daniel" is the best thing to hit TV this season.

It's funny, dramatic, warm, unexpected and unendingly entertaining. A great cast is working with marvelous material that's richly produced and wonderfully directed.

Tonight's back-to-back episodes (8 and 9 p.m., NBC/Ch. 5) introduce us to Rev. Daniel Webster (Aidan Quinn), a good-hearted Episcopalian priest who's not only dealing with a fractious family but a scandal-in-the-making — his brother-in-law has disappeared with more than $3 million in church funds.

No wonder Daniel often turns to heaven for help. And, in some of the show's best scenes, we see him talking with Jesus (Garret Dillahunt).

Despite the attacks some groups have already launched against "Daniel," it's a show that's both pro-family and pro-religion.

"All we really want to do is tell a good story about a good man and his family and the struggle to get through life," said creator/executive producer Jack Kenny. "It's a family drama with some dark comedy in it about this wonderful family that's just struggling like any other American family."

Well, hopefully most families don't have to deal with all the problems Daniel's clan is facing all at once. Daniel seems somewhat addicted to prescription pain killers; his wife Judith (Susanna Thompson) drinks a bit too much. They're still dealing with the death of one son, as is the boy's now 23-year-old twin brother, Peter (Christian Campbell). And they haven't told Daniel's dad that Peter is gay.

As the series opens, 16-year-old daughter Grace (Allison Pill) has just been arrested on minor drug charges. And 16-year-old son Adam (Ivan Shaw) — an orphan adopted from China — is going too far in his relationship with the daughter of the senior warden (Dylan Baker) of Daniel's parish. And Daniel's mom has Alzheimer's.

There's a lot of humor — even wackiness in spots — but there's enormous heart here, as well. Daniel's conversations with Jesus are his form of praying, and he gets some wonderful answers to his prayers.

"Life is hard, Daniel, for everyone," Jesus tells him. "That's why there's such a nice reward at the end of it."

"Jesus is depicted as Daniel's version of Jesus," Kenny said. "It's the image that he grew up with as a child. He's talked to Jesus all his life. . . . I've always thought of Jesus as a benevolent, caring, loving presence. And Garret (Dillahunt) kind of embodied that, as well."