7th Heaven (TV series) explained

Creator:Brenda Hampton
Theme Music Composer:Johnny Rivers, Jack Tempchin and Steve Plunkett[1]
Composer:Dan Foliart
Country:United States
Language:English
Num Seasons:11
Num Episodes:243
List Episodes:List of 7th Heaven episodes
Runtime:44 minutes
Camera:Film
Single-camera
Network:The WB

7th Heaven is an American family drama television series created and produced by Brenda Hampton. The series debuted on August 26, 1996, on The WB, where it aired for ten seasons, making it the longest-running series in the history of the network. Following the shutdown of The WB and its merger with UPN to form The CW, the series aired on the new network on September 25, 2006, for its eleventh and final season, airing its final episode on May 13, 2007. 7th Heaven was one of the network's first major successful shows and, alongside Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Dawson's Creek, helped in the early success of the WB during the mid to late '90s. It was also the last series to be produced by Spelling Television (later produced by CBS Paramount Network Television for the eleventh and final season) before the company was shut down and became an in-name-only unit of CBS Television Studios.

Premise

The series follows Reverend Eric Camden, a Protestant minister living in the fictional town of Glen Oak, California, and his wife Annie as they deal with the drama of raising 7 children (twins Sam and David come later in the series) ranging in age from babies to adults with families of their own.

Main cast and characters

See main article: List of 7th Heaven characters.

Episodes

See main article: List of 7th Heaven episodes.

Reception

Critical reception

The Parents Television Council (PTC) often cited 7th Heaven among the top ten most family-friendly shows.[2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] The show was praised for its positive portrayal of a cleric and for promoting honesty, respect for parental authority, and the importance of a strong family and a good education through its storylines. It was proclaimed the best show in 1998-1999 by the PTC. The council also explained "7th Heaven manages to provide moral solutions to tough issues facing teenagers without seeming preachy or heavy-handed. Additionally, unlike most TV series, 7th Heaven shows the consequences of reckless and irresponsible behavior." It was also noted that "While addressing topics such as premarital sex and peer pressure, these parents [Annie and Eric] are eager to provide wise counsel along with love and understanding."

However, other critics feel quite differently about the show. Hillary Frey of Salon cited 7th Heaven as "one of the worst long-running shows on television, making Beverly Hills, 90210 look Shakespearean, while at the same time being one of the most addictive."[10] Reasons given include heavy-handed moralizing, Christian propaganda,[11] and depiction of a caricature of a real family, that is "so clean it is obscene".[12]

Some criticize the predictable storytelling of 7th Heaven. Frey describes the basic pattern followed by each episode: "(1) One of the Camden family has a problem and/or secret; (2) some sort of Three's Company-esque misunderstanding ensues as a result of that problem and/or secret; (3) a confrontation and/or intervention takes place, usually involving a short sermon delivered by one of the Camden parents; and (4) whoever stands at the center of the drama eventually figures out the 'right' thing to do. And 'right' is always another word for 'Christian'; while the show avoids explicit discussions of Jesus and/or Faith, Protestant guilt is readily employed as a plot device."[10] On top of this, implausible scenarios are seen to be regularly included, such as the daughter Mary's absence from the show for several seasons being scarcely explained with the character being busy, wayward or in New York.[13]

According to Frey, "the sappiness and sanctimony of the characters often made the moral lessons impossible to swallow".[10] Also, the show is said to show an obsession with premarital sex.[14] In this regard, the parents (and eldest son Matt) sometimes depict a sense of ownership over the sexuality of Lucy and/or Mary...by threatening potential romantic interests, or negotiating their daughters' (sisters') romantic rights.[12]

U.S. ratings

7th Heaven was one of the first major hits for the WB and would go on to become most watched TV series ever on the network.[15] While the first season had modest success with around 3 million viewers, the later seasons often averaged 5 to 7 million viewers. It holds the record for the WB's most watched hour at 12.5 million viewers, on February 8, 1999; 19 of the WB's 20 most watched hours were from 7th Heaven. On May 8, 2006, it was watched by 7.56 million viewers, the highest rating for the WB since January 2005. When the show moved to the CW, ratings dropped. Possible reasons for the decline include an aired "Countdown to Goodbye" ad campaign for the last six months of the 2005–06 season, which promoted it as the final season ever; though the CW announced the series' unexpected renewal, it didn't promote the new season strongly via billboards, bus stops, magazine or on-air promos. Lastly, the network moved 7th Heaven from its long-established Monday night slot to Sunday nights, causing ratings to drop further. The series had a season average of just 3.3 million on the new network, losing 36% of the previous year's audience. It was the third most watched scripted show on the CW. Overall, it was the seventh most watched show.

Awards and nominations

Availability

Syndication

CBS Media Ventures handles the domestic and international distribution of the series. Season one episodes were retitled 7th Heaven Beginnings. Although the series did not receive a rating other than TV-G throughout its 11-season run, reruns on some cable/satellite channels have been given either a TV-PG or TV-14 rating (depending on the subject matter).

In the United States, the show began airing reruns in off-network syndication on September 25, 2000, but ceased to air in syndication in September 2002, while the series was still in first-run broadcast on The WB and later on The CW. The show then aired on the ABC Family channel from the fall of 2002 until 2008. Then, it was announced on April 1, 2010, that ABC Family had re-obtained the rights to the series, and would begin airing it at 11 a.m. (ET/PT) on weekdays beginning April 12, 2010.[17] However, after one week, ABC Family abruptly pulled the show and replaced it with a third daily airing of Gilmore Girls.

, GMC (now known as UP) is the first network to air 7th Heaven in the United States since 2010 and began airing the series with a marathon on July 7, 2012.[18] Due to allegations of child molestation against Stephen Collins, the network pulled the series from its schedule as of the afternoon of October 7, 2014.[19] 7th Heaven briefly returned to UP in December 2014; however, it was quickly removed from the schedule. UP CEO Charley Humbard stated, "We brought the show back because many viewers expressed they could separate allegations against one actor from the fictional series itself. As it turns out, they cannot."[20] However, in the summer of 2015, UP brought back the series, where from then until 2019 it aired weekdays from 12:00PM to 3:00 PM. It was again pulled from UP's schedule afterwards. Previously, it aired on GetTV and Hallmark Drama.

In Ireland the show was aired on Radio Telefis Eireann (RTE). In the UK the show was aired on Sky One as part of their midweek prime time slot.

Home media

CBS DVD (distributed by Paramount Home Entertainment) has released 7th Heaven on DVD. They have released all 11 seasons in Region 1. In region 2, seasons 1-7 have been released while in region 4 the first 6 seasons have been released on DVD.

On August 22, 2017, it was announced that the complete series would be released on DVD for November 14.[21]

TitleEpisode #YearRegion 1Region 2 Region 3Region 4 (Australia)Discs
1 221996–1997September 14, 2004September 4, 2006September 7, 2006September 7, 20066
2 221997–1998February 8, 2005March 11, 2008March 24, 2008January 10, 20086
3 221998–1999November 28, 2006May 27, 2008May 8, 2008June 5, 20086
4 221999–2000March 27, 2007August 8, 2008November 13, 2008November 6, 20086
5 222000–2001December 4, 2007March 11, 2009March 26, 2009July 2, 2009 6
6222001–2002June 10, 2008September 30, 20092009December 24, 2009 6
7222002–2003November 11, 2008January 26, 2011November 19, 2009TBA5
8232003–2004March 3, 2009TBATBATBA5
9222004–2005November 17, 2009 TBATBATBA5
10222005–2006March 23, 2010TBATBATBA5
11222006–2007November 23, 2010TBATBATBA5
The Complete Series2431996–2007November 14, 2017TBATBATBA61

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 7th Heaven (Main Title Theme) - Steve Plunkett - Song Info - AllMusic. AllMusic. 2017-12-18. 2018-08-20. https://web.archive.org/web/20180820005934/https://www.allmusic.com/song/7th-heaven-main-title-theme-mt0002995319. live.
  2. Web site: Top 10 Best & Worst Family Shows on Network Television 1996-1997. parentstv.org. 2012-04-10. 2012-04-22. https://web.archive.org/web/20120422160527/http://www.parentstv.org/ptc/publications/reports/top10bestandworst/97top/main.asp. live.
  3. Web site: Top 10 Best & Worst Family Shows on Network Television 1998-1999. parentstv.org. 2012-04-10. 2012-05-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20120523062216/http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/publications/reports/top10bestandworst/98top/main.asp. live.
  4. Web site: Top 10 Best & Worst Family Shows on Network Television 1999-2000 . parentstv.org . 2012-04-10 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20061212220452/http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/publications/reports/top10bestandworst/2000top/main.asp . 2006-12-12 .
  5. Web site: Top 10 Best & Worst Family Shows on Network Television 2000-2001. parentstv.org. 2012-04-10. 2012-04-17. https://web.archive.org/web/20120417214325/http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/publications/reports/top10bestandworst/2001top/10best.asp. live.
  6. Web site: Top 10 Best & Worst Family Shows on Network Television 2001-2002. parentstv.org. 2012-04-10. 2012-04-19. https://web.archive.org/web/20120419101727/http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/publications/reports/top10bestandworst/2002/top10best.asp. live.
  7. Web site: Top 10 Best & Worst Family Shows on Network Television 2002-2003. parentstv.org. 2012-04-10. 2012-06-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20120604212241/http://www.parentstv.org/ptc/publications/reports/top10bestandworst/2003/top10best.asp. live.
  8. Web site: Top 10 Best & Worst Family Shows on Network Television 2003-2004 . parentstv.org . 2012-04-10 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120527194146/http://www.parentstv.org/ptc/publications/reports/top10bestandworst/2004/main.asp . 2012-05-27 .
  9. Web site: Top 10 Best & Worst Family Shows on Network Television 2004-2005 . parentstv.org . 2012-04-10 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070523142544/http://www.parentstv.org/ptc/publications/reports/top10bestandworst/2005/main.asp . 2007-05-23 .
  10. Hillary Frey, Salon, https://www.salon.com/2006/05/09/7th_heaven, Salon magazine, May 9, 2006
  11. Shannhon Keating, https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/shannonkeating/7th-heaven-south-of-nowhere-conservative-christian-values December 5, 2018, BuzzFeedNews
  12. Diana Tourjée,https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/59mmpq/satans-favorite-tv-show-the-false-moralism-of-7th-heaven, vice magazine, August 26, 2016
  13. Ginia Bellafante,https://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/08/arts/television/08bell.html?_r=0, New York Times, May 8, 2006
  14. Hillary Frey, Salon, https://www.salon.com/2006/05/09/7th_heaven, Salon magazine, May 9, 2006; Ginia Bellafante,https://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/08/arts/television/08bell.html?_r=0, New York Times, May 8, 2006
  15. Web site: Barry Watson as Dr. Matt Camden on 7th Heaven Hallmark Channel. Hallmark Channel. 2018-01-26. 2018-01-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20180127083851/http://www.hallmarkchannel.com/7th-heaven/cast/barry-watson. live.
  16. Web site: 7th Heaven. www.imdb.com. 2019-01-27. 2017-03-15. https://web.archive.org/web/20170315092317/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115083/awards. live.
  17. Web site: No Foolin' ABC Family Brings Back Boy Meets World, 7th Heaven; Modern Family Wins Peabody. sitcomsonline.com. April 1, 2010. 2013-02-23. 2012-10-12. https://web.archive.org/web/20121012122322/http://www.sitcomsonline.com/blog/2010/04/no-foolin-abc-family-brings-back-boy.html. live.
  18. Web site: '7th Heaven' Joins GMC TV Schedule and Headlines '7th Heaven Summer' July Programming Stunt. GMC TV. June 28, 2012. 2013-02-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20130206172929/http://www.watchgmctv.com/news/press/7th-heaven-joins-gmc-tv-schedule-and-headlines-7th-heaven-summer-july-programming-stunt. 2013-02-06. dead.
  19. News: 7th Heaven Removed from UP TV Over Stephen Collins Molestation Scandal. Swift. Andy. 7 October 2014. TVLine. 2014-10-08. 2014-10-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20141009025251/http://tvline.com/2014/10/07/stephen-collins-child-molestation-7th-heaven-removed-up-tv-schedule/. live.
  20. News: Network Quietly Puts'7th Heaven' Back on the Air. 6 December 2014. TMZ. 2014-12-06. 2014-12-06. https://web.archive.org/web/20141206132222/http://www.tmz.com/2014/12/06/7th-heaven-back-on-air-up-tv-stephen-collins-molestation/. live.
  21. Web site: CBS/Paramount Announce a DVD Set for 'The Complete Series'. TVShowsOnDVD.com. August 22, 2017. November 14, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201114041102/https://www.metacritic.com/feature/more/dvd-calendar. live.

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