The cast of '7th Heaven,' from left: Barry Watson, Beverley Mitchell, Stephen Collins, Catherine Hicks, David Gallagher, Jessica Biel, Happy the dog, Mackenzie Rosman (1998), 1996-2007. Darien Davis/TV Guide/Spelling Prod./Courtesy Everett Collection Today’s TV (and streaming) landscape is full of niche offerings and not-safe-for-kids shows, but through the history of television — and not necessarily even that long ago — there has been a strong tradition of feel-good shows that create a safe space for families to watch together and teach kids and teens how to deal with the challenges of growing up in a positive, responsible way.
One such show is 7th Heaven, which premiered on The WB in 1996 and ran for a whopping 11 seasons. Airing alongside the network’s sexier teen offerings like Dawson’s Creek and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 7th Heaven was decidedly more PG and centered on the everyday problems of Rev. Eric Camden (Stephen Collins); his wife, Annie (Catherine Hicks); and their large brood of children.
The pilot episode alone dealt with oldest son Matt (Barry Watson) smoking, daughter Mary (Jessica Biel) wanting to be kissed, Lucy (Beverley Mitchell) anticipating her first period and Simon (David Gallagher) asking God for a dog. Meanwhile, Annie’s mother reveals that she has a terminal illness. But despite their problems, large and small, each family member had a place to go for love and support (as is hinted in the theme song): home.
On the rewatch podcast Catching Up With the Camdens, Gallagher noted that the show is something the cast can still be proud of all these years later, saying, “being that family show on a network that wanted to be cool and sexy, you know, I think now coming full circle, it’s nice to look back on it and feel like we did something positive on TV.”
In honor of 7th Heaven’s 30th anniversary this year (it premiered on Aug. 26, 1996), THR checked up on the Camden family to find out how what they’ve been up to in the years since we last saw them together.
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Stephen Collins as Rev. Eric Camden
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection; Getty Images Collins was already known for movies like Star Trek (1979) and The First Wives Club (1996) before he stepped into the shoes of the squeaky-clean reverend and father of the Camden family. During the show’s run, he appeared in several other projects, including the Diane Keaton/Mandy Moore film Because I Said So (2007).
After 7th Heaven ended, he appeared in one-off parts on shows from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia to Law & Order: SVU and The Office. He also had multi-episode runs on Private Practice and Devious Maids and in 2010-11 was a regular on the short-lived series No Ordinary Family, which starred Michael Chiklis. He later played Dr. Gene Porter in NBC’s Revolution.
In 2014, Collins admitted to sexual misconduct with three underage girls between 1973 and 1994. He was not prosecuted but was dropped from his agency and hasn’t worked in film or TV since.
