Post by Forever Xena on Sept 15, 2005 8:41:07 GMT -6
For '7th Heaven,' family values pay off nicely
By Ann Oldenburg, USA TODAY
7th Heaven, WB's successful show about a California minister and his family, is about to break a record.
"Ten years of any show is amazing, but one about a minister? Wow," producer Aaron Spelling says of his wholesome hit.
WB
On Monday, it kicks off its 10th season, making it the longest-running family drama on television, according to WB. It tops such classics as Little House on the Prairie and The Waltons (though Dallas and Knots Landing, prime-time soaps focused on families, ran for 14 seasons and Lassie ran for 19).
"It's a miracle," says Aaron Spelling, executive producer. "Ten years of any show is amazing, but one about a minister? Wow."
Episode 1, which aired in September 1996, featured teenybopper Lucy Camden, played by actress Beverley Mitchell, fretting over getting her period. Episode 200, airing Monday (8 p.m. ET/PT), features the same Lucy played by Mitchell, but she's now married, and she's an assistant pastor giving a sermon about juggling motherhood and work.
In an era in which most networks have pushed the envelope with families and mature themes, explicit sexual content and language, Heaven has tackled big topics without trying to titillate.
For that reason, the show has received numerous awards throughout the years. The Parents Television Council has praised the show for its portrayal of a "functional family." And for three years, it picked up the statuette for best TV drama from the Teen Choice Awards.
Its ratings, though far from blockbuster — averaging 7.6 million viewers in 1998, its peak, down to 5.3 million last year — have been good enough to make it WB's No. 1 program for seven broadcast seasons. The last WB program to beat it was Dawson's Creek.
"I think divorce is the reason we're a hit," says Catherine Hicks, who plays Annie Camden, wife of minister Eric Camden (Stephen Collins). "We give kids whose parents have divorced something to hope for." She says the show also has helped parents: "They lost the art of being strict. We give them permission."
And though Hicks acknowledges that 7th Heaven is a feel-good show, "it's not sanctimonious. We've addressed real behavior problems in society that you or I would never know about. Cutting, for instance, (when teens cut themselves with razor blades) — we did that, like, eight years ago. We did the Taliban seven years ago. There's a topic per show. It's a pretty full package."
This season the show will focus on topics devoted to raising adult children, says series creator Brenda Hampton, because that's the situation in the Camden family now.
The original cast is intact, with the exception of Jessica Biel, who left in 2001 when she no longer wanted to play a minister's daughter. David Gallagher is returning as Simon Camden, along with Mackenzie Rosman as Ruthie Camden and Happy the dog. Barry Watson, who plays the oldest son, will return for one episode that he'll also direct. Several years ago twins were added.
"It's just a family you don't mind spending an hour with," Hampton says.
A big story line this season will be the pregnancy of new cast member Haylie Duff, who plays Sandy. "Expect a lot of talking about sex. That's an arc that takes us through February," Hampton says.
Though Heaven isn't afraid to address big topics, the show has survived and succeeded in part because it isn't flashy. It has been that way since the beginning. "There were no expectations about the show," Hampton says. "I don't think anyone was even paying attention. I didn't hear from the network after the first couple episodes and I haven't really since.
"We were just flying under the radar, and midway through the first year they started noticing that the ratings were starting to build. And by the end of the first season, we were the fastest-growing show on television."
It has done that without being a typical younger-aimed WB show.
"The show has never fit WB the brand," Hampton says. "Now I think their brand is changing a little bit. But there are plenty of advertisers and viewers who are happy we're doing a family show."
By Ann Oldenburg, USA TODAY
7th Heaven, WB's successful show about a California minister and his family, is about to break a record.
"Ten years of any show is amazing, but one about a minister? Wow," producer Aaron Spelling says of his wholesome hit.
WB
On Monday, it kicks off its 10th season, making it the longest-running family drama on television, according to WB. It tops such classics as Little House on the Prairie and The Waltons (though Dallas and Knots Landing, prime-time soaps focused on families, ran for 14 seasons and Lassie ran for 19).
"It's a miracle," says Aaron Spelling, executive producer. "Ten years of any show is amazing, but one about a minister? Wow."
Episode 1, which aired in September 1996, featured teenybopper Lucy Camden, played by actress Beverley Mitchell, fretting over getting her period. Episode 200, airing Monday (8 p.m. ET/PT), features the same Lucy played by Mitchell, but she's now married, and she's an assistant pastor giving a sermon about juggling motherhood and work.
In an era in which most networks have pushed the envelope with families and mature themes, explicit sexual content and language, Heaven has tackled big topics without trying to titillate.
For that reason, the show has received numerous awards throughout the years. The Parents Television Council has praised the show for its portrayal of a "functional family." And for three years, it picked up the statuette for best TV drama from the Teen Choice Awards.
Its ratings, though far from blockbuster — averaging 7.6 million viewers in 1998, its peak, down to 5.3 million last year — have been good enough to make it WB's No. 1 program for seven broadcast seasons. The last WB program to beat it was Dawson's Creek.
"I think divorce is the reason we're a hit," says Catherine Hicks, who plays Annie Camden, wife of minister Eric Camden (Stephen Collins). "We give kids whose parents have divorced something to hope for." She says the show also has helped parents: "They lost the art of being strict. We give them permission."
And though Hicks acknowledges that 7th Heaven is a feel-good show, "it's not sanctimonious. We've addressed real behavior problems in society that you or I would never know about. Cutting, for instance, (when teens cut themselves with razor blades) — we did that, like, eight years ago. We did the Taliban seven years ago. There's a topic per show. It's a pretty full package."
This season the show will focus on topics devoted to raising adult children, says series creator Brenda Hampton, because that's the situation in the Camden family now.
The original cast is intact, with the exception of Jessica Biel, who left in 2001 when she no longer wanted to play a minister's daughter. David Gallagher is returning as Simon Camden, along with Mackenzie Rosman as Ruthie Camden and Happy the dog. Barry Watson, who plays the oldest son, will return for one episode that he'll also direct. Several years ago twins were added.
"It's just a family you don't mind spending an hour with," Hampton says.
A big story line this season will be the pregnancy of new cast member Haylie Duff, who plays Sandy. "Expect a lot of talking about sex. That's an arc that takes us through February," Hampton says.
Though Heaven isn't afraid to address big topics, the show has survived and succeeded in part because it isn't flashy. It has been that way since the beginning. "There were no expectations about the show," Hampton says. "I don't think anyone was even paying attention. I didn't hear from the network after the first couple episodes and I haven't really since.
"We were just flying under the radar, and midway through the first year they started noticing that the ratings were starting to build. And by the end of the first season, we were the fastest-growing show on television."
It has done that without being a typical younger-aimed WB show.
"The show has never fit WB the brand," Hampton says. "Now I think their brand is changing a little bit. But there are plenty of advertisers and viewers who are happy we're doing a family show."