The Love of Family: '7th Heaven' 30th Anniversary Retrospective (Copy)
A promo image for 7th Heaven during the latter half of the show’s run
Image Source: TMDB
On August 26th, 1996, a series premiered on the relatively new WB Television Network. It was a show about family, specifically a rather large family consisting of a preacher, his wife, and five (later seven) children. This show was 7th Heaven, and it was The WB's first and arguably biggest hit, airing for 11 seasons (10 on The WB and one on its successor, The CW). However, how does it hold up 30 years later? Let’s find out.
Disclaimer: We are aware of the revelations regarding the conduct of lead actor Stephen Collins. Culture Slate does not condone the actions of Collins. As it is not the focus of this retrospective.
7th Heaven revolves around the Camden family in the fictional town of Glen Oak, California. It consists of Reverend Eric Camden (played by Stephen Collins), his wife Annie (played by Catherine Hicks), and their children Matt (played by Barry Watson), Mary (played by Jessica Biel), Lucy (played by Beverly Mitchell), Simon (played by David Gallagher, later known for Riku in the Kingdom Heartsfranchise), and Ruthie (played by Mackenzie Rosman).
Later, twins Sam and David (played by twins Nikolas and Lorenzo Brino). In addition, the family gains a dog in the pilot episode named Happy (appearing as herself) who appears throughout the series. The series focuses on the family and their various trials and tribulations. This includes the usual issues of trouble at school, relationships, and arguments and issues in the family. Often, however, bigger issues are tackled, such as premarital sex, alcoholism, teen crime, teen pregnancy, aging parents, racism, and religious issues.
Image Source: Culture Slate
RELATED:
As the series progresses, the drama increases as the children grow up and enter various phases of their lives. The Camden household also gains several houseguests, including Mary's ex-boyfriend Robbie Palmer (played by Adam LaVorgna), Martin Brewer (played by Tyler Hoechlin, who would go on to play Superman in The CW's Supergirl and Superman and Lois), the entire Hamilton family for a brief period, and the husbands and wives of the Camden children.
Notably, the Camdens often get involved in not only their own problems but also problems and injustices within the community that have very little to do with them but impact the community at large.
Image Source: CultureSlate
The series has a variety of plot lines and character arcs, but the series ultimately follows a very formulaic structure: There's a problem in the Camden family, a misunderstanding results from the problem or secret, there is usually some sort of confrontation or intervention by one of the parents, and whoever the drama is centered on figures out the “right thing to do.” This “right thing” usually aligns with the Christian faith, though the show often does not mention it explicitly. 7th Heaven, though a ratings success, was criticized for this at the time, but the plot lines are addicting whether binging or skipping around. The series is 11 seasons long, and though there are times where things seem ridiculously overdramatic, the show doesn't necessarily suffer the same slip in quality as other long-runners. The exception to this, however, is season 11. This last season was produced rather cheaply and feels just a bit tacked on, particularly since season 10 was meant as the show's finale (and it was, in a way, as it was the show's last season on The WB). Despite this, the overall story and writing, while often formulaic, melodramatic, and oftentimes preachy, have a compelling charm that can keep you very much engaged.
The cast is full of future stars and established actors alike. Stephen Collins, who portrays Rev. Eric Camden, already had quite the career in film and television. His breakout television role was Jake Cutter in 1982's Tales of the Golden Monkey, and he even appeared as Captain/Commander Willard Decker in Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Coincidentally, Catherine Hicks, who portrays Annie Camden, appeared as Dr. Gillian Taylor in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. In addition, she was Dr. Faith Coleridge in Ryan's Hope and Karen Barclay in Child's Play. Both Collins and Hicks portray Eric and Annie brilliantly, not only portraying the warm parental sides of the characters but also the more human and multi-faceted parts beyond just their roles as parents. A standout performance from Hicks is during season eight, when Annie is going through menopause and dealing with the reality of their youngest son, Simon, being away from home.
Image Source: CultureSlate
The child actors also do a tremendous job. Though technically an adult, then 22 year old Barry Watson played 16-year-old Matt Camden very convincingly with the right amount of angst and drama needed for the character, even keeping some of it as Matt matured. David Gallagher does an excellent job playing the cunning and clever Simon while also allowing the character to move beyond that as he grew up. Beverly Mitchell and Jessica Biel both portray Lucy and Mary well, respectively.
The standout performer has to be Mackenzie Rosman as Ruthie, portraying the adorably precocious little girl very well. The show had plenty of standout guest stars too, including Peter Tork of The Monkees, Alan Thicke, Ernest Borgnine, Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen, Usher, Keith David, June Lockhart, Mayim Bialik, Wayne Newton, and Michelle Phillips of The Mama's and the Papa's. In addition, several future stars had early career appearances on the show, including The Big Bang Theory'sKaley Cuoco (who also appeared in The WB's Charmed), Disney stars Brenda Song and Ashley Tisdale, Ashlee Simpson, Mila Kunis of Family Guy fame, Felicity herself Keri Russell, Mad Men's Sam Page, and Smallville's Allison Mack. Overall, 7th Heaven has plenty of stellar acting moments from main, recurring, and guest cast alike, and they all help to make Glen Oak, California, feel alive and real.
Image Source: CultureSlate
Lastly, the show's musical score is also a highlight. Firstly, the theme, written by Johnny Rivers (known for 60s hits “Secret Agent Man” and “Poor Side of Town"), Jack Tempchin, and Steven Plunkett (who also performed the theme), is pretty catchy in its own right, but Dan Foliart's score is pretty good as well. Some tracks do end up being more repetitive, but they perfectly encapsulate the tone of the series, maintaining a mostly light feel with just a hint of drama. Of course, we can't talk about the music of this series without mentioning the episodes where 60s and 70s Rock royalty appeared as members of Eric's band, The Flower & Vegetable Show.
As mentioned earlier, the band featured Peter Tork of The Monkees, but it also featured Keith Allison of Paul Revere and the Raiders and David Glen Eisley of Sorcery and Giuffria in addition to being the voice and co-writer behind the SpongeBob SquarePants Bubble Bowl anthem “Sweet Victory.” The band is featured prominently in the Season 3 episode “No Sex, Some Drugs, and a Little Rock ‘n’ Roll,” where they are seen playing the Cream song “Sunshine of Your Love,” and they make a cameo at the end of the season five episode and 100th episode of the series fittingly titled, “One Hundred,” in which they cover the theme song for the show. Overall, the series has plenty of musical highlights.
Image Source: CultureSlate
7th Heaven has aged slightly, with some of the concerns being dated and the plots often contrived and melodramatic, but there's something about it that just pulls you in. It's a warm, comforting show akin to The Waltons or even The Brady Bunch, but there's an edge to it that makes it stand out. You quickly get attached to the characters, and their family, in a way, becomes your family.
For those who grew up with this show, that's especially true, as like most shows of this type, the cast grew up with the audience. However, that attachment extends to those watching it for the very first time. Whether you grew up with it on The WB or are discovering it on Paramount+, 7th Heaven will have you hooked from its first episode all the way to its last, for there's nothing like the love of family, even if that family is only “surprisingly functional.”
CultureSlate: Made by humans, for humans.
Please consider supporting our AI-free content via our Patreon page.
READ NEXT:
Latest News
Featured
• All sizes are adult unisex
• Printed art on the front
• 100% cotton
• Pre-shrunk fabric
• Shoulder-to-shoulder taping
• Culture Slate Exclusive Design
See more products here