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Since its debut in the fall of 1996, 7th Heaven has
went from being named by TV Guide as "The Best Show You're
Not Watching" to the longest-running family drama in the
history of television for eleven years, surpassing "Beverly
Hills 90210" with (10) although it still holds its
own because it tied running on the same network for (10)
years, because "Heaven" went from the "WB"
to the new "CW", "90210" had (296-Eps)
compared to "7th Heaven"only having (243).Coming
next are "Little House" and the "Waltons"
with (9) seasons each. The series, about a minister (Stephen
Collins) and his wife (Catherine Hicks) raising their ever-growing
family, became the flagship show of the then-WB Network
-- bringing a little bit of wisdom and humility from above
with a mixture of topical issues and good old-fashioned
family values. ***
The series continues to reign heavenly in the ratings
as it went into its seventh season, with the entire Camden
family dealing with Eric's double bypass surgery, which
was "The Heart of the Matter" -- as while in surgery, the
Reverend dreams that he's Elvis. Once the surgery was successful,
Eric began to suffer personal and professional crisis. The
church decides to hire Chandler Hampton, a young associate
pastor (Jeremy London, Party of Five) to help out, which
led Eric to make a decision that puts his marriage to Annie
on shaky ground. This season finds Eric being one of the
"Lost Souls" in need, as he tries out being a radio talk-show
host, a writer, and seeing a shrink. But as always, God
had still work for Eric to do, for the "prodigal son" return
to carry it out. ***
Season seven finds the Camden children becoming all
grown up, with Ruthie (Mackenzie Rosman) becoming a young
woman; Mary (Jessica Biel) getting involved with a short-lived
May-December romance, and the entire family coming together
for the wedding of Lucy (Beverley Mitchell) and police officer
Kevin Kinkirk (George Stults). However, 7th Heaven could
be short-lived for Simon (David Gallagher); what happened
in the finale may alter and change his life forever. ***
No extras on this set -- no audio commentaries of episodes
like "The Heart of The Matter" (Collins talking about how
much he enjoyed singing Elvis) and "We Do" from Mitchell
and Stults on their onscreen wedding; no look back/overview
of season seven, as well as overviews of Lucy and Ruthie
on how far they've grown as young women -- especially with
Lucy deciding to follow her father's footsteps and a behind-the-scenes
look of her wedding. ***
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Final Words:
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Like Little House and Walker,
Texas Ranger to name a few, 7th Heaven will continue to live
on in the world of syndication. Called it "preachy" or whatever
you want, it is one of those rare shows you can watch with
your entire family -- bringing a little bit of God, love,
and humor in everyday life onscreen. *** |
