How desperately does "The Book of Daniel" (9 p.m. tomorrow, 10 p.m. subsequent Fridays, NBC) want to be the broadcast version of HBO's "Six Feet Under"? It's evident in so many ways, starting with the show's key art, which accompanies this article, which pretty much screams "Six Feet Under" in its composition and tone.

NBC's promotions department is just picking up on how "Daniel" creator Jack Kenny has overstuffed this story of an Episcopal priest, Daniel Webster (Aidan Quinn), and his family. Webster doesn't just pop Vicodin, he also sees and has conversations with Jesus (Garret Dillahunt). Teenage daughter Grace (Alison Pill) doesn't just get busted for selling pot (to pay for computer equipment for her budding interest in becoming a manga artist), but later viewers discover the proper family housekeeper gets buzzed and one of Daniel's parishioners will have sex with her boyfriend only after she gets high. Daniel's bishop father (James Rebhorn) isn't just severe and distant, he's also cheating on his Alzheimer's-suffering wife (Kathleen Chalfant, "The Guardian") -- with another clergy member. And did I mention that Daniel ends up in a deal with the mafia for building a new Episcopal school? I'll say this for "Book of Daniel": There's never a dull moment in this engrossing soap.

But it's disappointing that Kenny felt the need to make this series so far over the top, because at its core, there's a great family show worth watching. And Kenny lays in seeds for future plots admirably well, beginning with the pilot episode of this six-hour, short-order series. That big house and the martini-swirling mom (Susanna Thompson) and her blue-bloodedness, which seem out of place in the pilot, are explained in time.

On the family front, the Websters have an adopted Chinese son, Adam (Ivan Shaw), who's a popular kid, not the stereotypical Asian computer geek. Son Peter (Christian Campbell) is gay but has no desire to be a poster boy for the gay movement ("I'm not in the closet, I just don't want to march in parades either," he says). The kids' dinner time squabbles are realistic, even if Daniel's theology will be questionable to some viewers after he preaches about the need for giving in to temptation in order to receive redemption.

"Don't beat yourself up for giving into temptation?" says Bishop Beatrice Congreve (Ellen Burstyn) after the service. "Really, Daniel. Do you think it's wise to validate the inevitability of sin?"

Any scripted prime-time show that considers such topics and dares to portray a real religion -- often they're unnamed denominations to avoid controversy -- deserves credit for risking censure, but the near-constant tonal shifts and outrageous plot turns are likely to push away some viewers who would otherwise embrace this character-driven drama.

Some right-wing zealots have pre-judged "Daniel" before seeing it -- including in a letter to the Post-Gazette last week -- which seems pretty un-Christian to me. Anyone who actually opts not to judge a show by its previews but watches "Daniel" may not like what they see and may not agree with some of its characters' theology, but I think rational viewers would have to admit that the show is not anti-Christian.

'FOUR KINGS'

As NBC rebuilds a Thursday night comedy block, the network could do worse than "Four Kings" (8:30 tonight), a comedy from David Kohan and Max Mutchnick, creators of "Will & Grace."

There's nothing revolutionary about this story of four friends -- responsible Ben (Josh Cooke), slacker Bobby (Shane McRae), jealous Barry (Seth Green) and neat and tidy Jason (Todd Grinnell) -- who live in New York and who were encouraged to look after one another by Ben's grandmother, who said, "Together you have the power of kings, and that's what you are."

Swallow some water and you'll stop gagging.

Luckily that's the only blatantly bad sitcom dialogue in the pilot, which was partially re-shot to accommodate cast changes and to de-gay (straighten?) the Jason character. After including dialogue in the initial pilot that indicated Jason was gay and closeted, producers and Grinnell denied they planned to out him later in the series and then re-shot scenes, removing all hints of gayness.

"I am what we call a metrosexual, which is to say that Jason is very well-kept-together and meticulous," Grinnell said at a July press conference. "But that's it."

'BATTLESTAR GALACTICA'

It's one of the best shows on TV -- even friends who initially scoffed at such praise for a sci-fi show have become fans -- so consider this another opportunity to jump on board as the second half of the second season of "Battlestar Galactica" (10 p.m. tomorrow, Sci Fi Channel).

When we last saw the Colonial Fleet, they were on the brink of civil war with Commander Adama (Edward James Olmos) and Admiral Cain (Michelle Forbes) about to order attacks on each other's ships.

The two-part season premiere, which concludes next week, resolves that conflict and actually allows for a rare moment of sweetness in this unrelentingly dark show, but not before a lot of plotting and political maneuvering goes down.