When you tune in to an original series on HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, etc., you pretty much know that the subject matter will be much more "adult" and less shocking so you can focus on the storyline itself.

The Book of Daniel on NBC is different. I can't quite figure out if I'm watching this show because the storyline itself is interesting or that the producers and writers are interested in shocking network television viewers and we're all giggling over what they're able to get away with. It sort of reminds me of a daytime soap on extra-strength steroids.

This week we saw Reverend Daniel Webster's son Adam sneaking off to be with his girlfriend Caroline Paxton who was placed in the Queens Cross Preparation School by her parents as a method to keep her away from him. Adam ends up missing the groundbreaking of Daniel's pet project, the St. Barnabus school, which is being built by the mob-connected Vaporelli Brothers construction company.

In the last episode, it was learned that the Websters don't really own their home--Judith (Daniel's wife) finds out that her domineering mother still holds the deed to the house. As a result, the family could use some extra cash, and she decides to go back to work as a political consultant for Daniel's brother Worth who, interestingly, has asked her to marry him years ago. Meanwhile, we see that Nora Paxton, who has expressed extreme dissatisfaction over Adam and Caroline's romance, is spying on them from another part of the restaurant.

Later, the Websters' son Peter, who is gay, ends up having sex with Adele, the niece of Bishop Beatrice, in the back of a car. We also see that Daniel's father, Bertram, is struggling with his wife's Alzheimer's disease, and wants his affair with Beatrice to expand, but she has reservations about it. Simultaneously, Daniel finds out that one of the Vaporelli brothers is gay, but is told to keep it quiet because homosexuality is not exactly tolerated in the Mafia. Later on, Adam is locked out of his girlfriend's room at the school, and Daniel is forced to pick him up and vows to be more of a father to him than a friend.

Let's not forget that Jesus showed up a few times, and says that he's more of a "one-liner kind of guy."

As I said earlier, I'm not quite sure if I watch this show because I like it or that I'm curious to see how many wacky, "controversial" subplots can be fit into an hour of network television time. I think this show has great potential, but it has to find some solid footing first.