7th Heaven: The Complete First Season [6 Discs] DVD

7th Heaven: Season 01
Part of Series:
7th Heaven [TV Series]
One of the most atypical weekly series to emerge from the Aaron Spelling TV factory, 7th Heaven, created by Spelling and Brenda Hampton, has eschewed the sex-and-sin shenanigans of such series as Beverly Hills 90210 and Melrose Place in favor of honest, three-dimensional family values, with generous doses of warmth, heart, humor, and pathos. There can be no doubt that this fundamentally wholesome program has struck a universal chord. The series has not only been lavishly praised by critics, honored by such organizations as the Parents Television Council, the Academy of Religious Broadcasting, and the Anti-Defamation League, and given innumerable industry awards, but it is also one of the most successful offerings of the WB network; indeed, it was the first WB series to run more than seven seasons, and during four of those seasons, it was the network's highest-rated show. Set in the suburban L.A. community of Glen Oak, the series revolves around the Camden family, headed by Eric Camden (Stephen Collins), pastor of the town's Community Church, and Eric's homemaker wife, Annie (Catherine Hicks). In the tradition of The Waltons, loyal 7th Heaven viewers have enjoyed the rare privilege of watching the Camden children grow up before their very eyes. When the series debuted on August 26, 1996, handsome and personable Matt Camden (Barry Watson) was 17 years old; basketball-playing Mary Camden (Jessica Biel) was 13 going on 14; intellectual, inquisitive Lucy Camden (Beverley Mitchell) was 12; happy-go-lucky Simon Camden (David Gallagher) was ten; and precocious Ruthie Camden (Mackenzie Rosman) was five. By the time the series entered its eighth season, the three oldest Camden kids were married and pursuing careers, while the two youngest were seasoned veterans of the school dating scene. (Two more Camden youngsters, twin boys Sam and David, were born halfway through the 1998-1999 season). All of the Camdens, parents included, have had more than their share of setbacks and tragedies (some of them absolutely devastating) as the series has rolled forward, but somehow all of the members of the clan, from patriarch Eric on down, have been able to recover, rally, and persevere with the help and support of their family and friends -- not to mention their inner faith. And unlike so many other TV series which traffic in personal interrelationships, the characters in 7th Heaven are very much a part of the "real" world. During its lengthy WB run, the series has exposed its principals to a wide variety of contemporary issues: teen suicide, racial prejudice, substance abuse, drunken driving, homelessness, negative peer pressure, teen pregnancy, Alzheimer's disease, the Holocaust, the war in Iraq, and the crisis in the Sudan. Eminently suitable for viewers of all ages, but never a mere sop to the "kiddie" trade nor a placebo for the clean-up-TV brigades, 7th Heaven has been and will likely always remain the jewel in the WB crown. ~ All Movie Guide

Includes Seasons:
7th Heaven: Season 01
The foundation upon which the WB's 7th Heaven is built consists of Eric Camden (Stephen Collins), pastor of Glen Oak Community Church, and Eric's loving and supportive wife, Annie (Catherine Hicks). That said, an entertainingly inordinate amount of time is spent on the Camdens' five children (ranging in age from 5 to 16) during the series' first season. Oldest son Matt (Barry Watson) has, like most of his fellow high schoolers, developed a healthy interest in girls and a mile-wide streak of independence; oldest daughter Mary (Jessica Biel) is a loose-limbed "jock"; second daughter Lucy (Beverley Mitchell) is the inquisitive intellectual of the bunch; second son Simon (David Gallagher) has the happy, carefree spirit common to most ten-year-olds; and youngest girl, Ruthie (Mackenzie Rosman), is sweet but precocious. Over the course of season one's 22 episodes, Matt develops a relationship with a deaf girl named Heather (Andrea Ferrell); Mary cultivates a friendship with Wilson West (Andrew Keegan), a nerdy teen who has had the misfortune of fathering a children out of wedlock; and Lucy suffers the first pangs of puppy love as she moons over classmate Jimmy Moon (Matthew Linville). Among the more serious and consequential complications facing the Camden brood are the impending death of Annie's mother, Eric's counseling of a youthful drug addict, a hidden drinking problem in the family, the decision by Eric's elderly parents to adopt a ten-year-old boy, and, at the tail end of season one, a traffic accident that endangers the life of Mary Camden. ~ All Movie Guide

Includes Episodes:
7th Heaven: Anything You Want

7th Heaven: Family Secrets

7th Heaven: In a Blink of an Eye

7th Heaven: No Funerals and a Wedding

7th Heaven: The Color of God

7th Heaven: Halloween

7th Heaven: Saturday

7th Heaven: What Will People Say?

7th Heaven: See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil

7th Heaven: Last Call for Aunt Julie

Cast Stephen Collins as Eric Camden Catherine Hicks as Annie Jackson-Camden Jessica Biel as Mary Camden Beverley Mitchell as Lucy Camden Kinkirk Barry Watson as Matt Camden David Gallagher as Simon Camden MacKenzie Rosman as Ruthie Camden

Crew n/a

7th Heaven: Season 01
(not reviewed)
 

(no awards)

General Specifications: Language Options: English, French Subtitle Options: Sound Processing: DDS2.0: Dolby Digital w/ 4 channels of sound from a 2-channel stereo mix. DD2: Dolby Digital Stereo Additional Features: cc Full-screen format Dolby Digital English Stereo Surround French stereo DVD Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1: Pre-1954 Standard MPAA Rating: NR DVD Discs Included: 6 DVD Sides: 6 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 999 min   DVD Chapters: Side #1 -- Disc 1 1. Anything You Want [43:47] 1. Family Secrets [45:25] 1. In the Blink of an Eye [44:53] 1. No Funerals and a Wedding [45:25] Side #2 -- Disc 2 1. The Color of God [44:16] 1. Halloween [44:34] 1. Saturday [44:55] 1. What Will People Say? [44:19] Side #3 -- Disc 3 1. See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil [44:49] 1. Last Call for Aunt Julie [44:54] 1. Now You See Me [44:49] 1. With a Little Help From My Friends [44:54] Side #4 -- Disc 4 1. America's Most Wanted [44:51] 1. Seven Is Enough [44:54] 1. Happy's Valentine [44:53] 1. Brave New World [44:43] Side #5 -- Disc 5 1. Choices [44:52] 1. Faith, Hope & the Bottom Line [44:37] 1. It's About George [44:48] 1. Say Goodbye [44:44] Side #6 -- Disc 6 1. Dangerous Liaisons - Part 1 [44:32] 1. Dangerous Liaisons - Part 2 [44:49]