Controversy doesn’t boost ‘Daniel’ debut

NBC’s “The Book of Daniel” was not blessed with high ratings, despite a controversy that kicked up publicity prior to Friday’s premiere.

The series, starring Aidan Quinn as a harried Episcopal priest who gets visits from Jesus, communed with an average of 9 million viewers in its two-hour debut, according to early figures from Nielsen Media Research. That meant a third-place finish opposite rival programming on ABC and CBS, including the night’s most-watched show, CBS’ crime drama “Numb3rs” (13.6 million viewers).

The American Family Assn., a conservative group, had attacked “Daniel” as disrespectful of Christians, and a few NBC stations chose not to air it.