7th Heaven
7th Heaven is a drama series that was created and produced
by Brenda Hampton. It premiered on the WB network on August
26, 1996, and it was the first program offered by the WB on
a Monday night. It was broadcast from 1996 to 2007- it was
supposed to end in May 2006, but it was renewed by the CW
when the finale got very high ratings. The show is the longest-running
WB series, and it was promoted as the most enduring “family
friendly” drama in TV history. &th Heaven tells the story
of the Camdens, a churchgoing family from California’s fictional
Glen Oak.
The head of the family, father Eric Camden, is the minister
at Glen Oak’s Community Church. The church’s denomination
isn’t heavily publicized, but in several instances it’s revealed
that the family is of the Protestant faith. In another episode,
the denominational sign of the Disciples of Christ is displayed
on the pulpit. Most church scenes were filmed at the First
Christian Church in North Hollywood. The Camden family originally
was made up of five kids (Matt, Lucy, Mary, Ruthie, and Simon)
but in the midst of the third season, Annie Camden had twins
named Sam and David. Three of the kids moved away from home-
Simon went to college and Matt got married. Lucy is the only
one who never left, and Ruthie left during the last season
for a trip to Scotland.
Beginning in 2000, Mary Camden (played by Jessica Biel) was
written out of the show because Biel was dissatisfied with
the “good-girl” image that the show cast her in. She didn’t
reappear until 2003, and then again on the final episode of
the tenth season. By contrast, the other main characters who
left home came back for frequent guest appearances.
Every episode of 7th Heaven deals with a theme or a lesson
that the Camden family handles. Some themes are controversial
(for example, when the kids found out that their aunt was
an alcoholic) and some are just funny (Ruthie’s addiction
to chewing gum). Besides the moral lesson that comes in every
show, there are themes that recur- kids growing up and parents
growing older.
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