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Touched By an Angel: Season 01
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Touched By an Angel [TV Series]
At first written off as a distaff version of the old Michael Landon series Highway to Heaven, the weekly, hour-long CBS drama series Touched By an Angel gradually superseded its "inspiration" in both popularity and longevity, ending its nine-season run as one of the most popular fantasy shows of all time. Irish actress Roma Downey starred as Monica, an apprentice angel who in the first episode was promoted to Heavenly caseworker. Monica was then dispatched to Earth, assigned to help people who had reached a crucial crossroads in their lives find Divine inspiration, and -- it was hoped -- make the right decisions for the future. To do this, Monica assumed a variety of mortal disguises, seldom revealing her true identity until the very end of the episode. It must be admitted that, dedicated and sincere though she was, Monica had a habit of letting her personal feelings and preconceived notions get in the way of her job performance. In order to keep our heroine "on task," her celestial supervisor Tess (Della Reese), a pragmatic, no-nonsense woman with the proverbial heart of gold, accompanied Monica on most of her assignments, sharing space in the vintage Cadillac in which the angels traveled around the country. In some instances, Monica and Tess arrived at the scene just before their latest client was about to pass over from this world to the next. On those occasions, the angels' good friend and confidant, kindly Angel of Death Andrew (John Dye) stepped in to complete the assignment. (During the series' first season, Andrew appeared only sporadically and never to Monica; his function was largely fulfilled by another Angel of Death named Adam, played by Charles Rocket). Also, there were times that Tess herself was unable to fulfill her assignment due to personal problems, at which point Special Agent Angel Sam (Paul Winfield) took over. Except for a brief and uncomfortable period in which co-star Della Reese threatened to walk off the show over a salary dispute, the cast of Touched By an Angel remained fairly constant, with but two exceptions. During season four, the principal characters were assisted by a streetwise angel named Rafael, played by Alexis Cruz; and from the middle of season seven onward, Monica found herself in the position of mentor to nervous, well-meaning apprentice angel Gloria, played by Valerie Bertinelli. Mention should also be made of the itinerant Green family, who was introduced at the outset of season three as the angels' mortal assistants. These characters were promptly spun off into their own series, Promised Land. As originally conceived, Touched By an Angel was supposed to have chronicled Monica's activities with "Destiny Tots," youngsters who were destined to change the world for the better if only they could be straightened out spiritually before reaching adulthood. By expanding Monica's clientele to grownups, the series' producers avoided the trap of dealing with precocious child actors week after week -- and, in the process, greatly broadened the show's appeal. First telecast September 21, 1994, Touched By an Angel remained on CBS until April 27, 2003. In the final episode, Monica herself became a supervisor angel after performing a selfless act on behalf of a mysterious but very familiar-looking drifter. Since its cancellation, the series has been rebroadcast on the PAX network. ~ All Movie Guide

Includes Seasons:
Touched By an Angel: Season 01
Newly promoted from apprentice angel to celestial caseworker, heavenly heroine Monica (Roma Downey) welcomes the challenge as Touched By an Angel launches its first season. No longer an invisible presence, Monica can now be seen and heard by her earthly charges, enabling her to help them make the right decisions in their lives in a more direct and intimate manner. Occasionally, however, Monica gets in over her head, and in those odd moments she requires the considerable aid of her angelic supervisor Tess (Della Reese). Other times, it is clear that Monica's assistance is needed to help her mortal client make an easy and rapid transition from this world to the next, and that is where the third member of the team, Angel of Death Adam (Charles Rocket), comes in. As the season rolls on, Adam will gradually fade away to be replaced by the soft-spoken Andrew (John Dye) for the duration of the series. Monica's first assignment is to help a young boy cope with a family crisis borne of his mother's making. Later on, she urges a self-destructive alcoholic to confront her problem, breaks up a potentially disastrous romantic triangle, compels a wealthy and snobbish doctor to acknowledge his humble upbringing, and forces a man to face the guilt of living a lie -- and seek redemption in the process. Not that Monica has a perfect success record during season one; in fact, for unfairly passing judgment on a homeless person, she herself is forced to do some heavy penance! ~ All Movie Guide

Includes Episodes:
Touched By an Angel: The Southbound Bus
Newly promoted to "caseworker", apprentice angel Monica (Roma Downey) tackles her first assignment in this premiere episode of Touched by an Angel. The wheels starts rolling, so to speak, on a bus, where passenger David Morrow (T.J. Lowther) tells Monica that his mom and sister died in a car accident, and that his policeman father Nick (Mark Matcelf) wants to hire a nanny to look after the family. Monica shows up for the job, only to learn from Angel of Death Adam (Charles Rocket) that Nick has lied to David: his sister died of crib death, and his still-living mom has deserted to family. In her zeal to set things right in the Morrow household, Monica makes the first of many celestial mistakes by bringing home a woman (Wendy Phillips) whom she believes to be David's mom--but who is actually a fugitive from justice in desperate need of a hideout! Also featuring Della Reese as Monica's heavenly supervisor Tess, this inaugural episode is based on an unaired pilot, which boasted a slightly different cast. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Touched By an Angel: Show Me the Way Home
Monica (Roma Downey) shows up as the assistant to hard-driving high school baseball coach Earl Rowley (Kevin Dobson), while Tess works alongside widow Laura Enloe (Linda Gehringer) at a local sports bar. Unable to play the game due to an injury sustained in Vietnam, Earl takes out his bitterness on his players--especially Laura's son Paul (Ivan Sergei), who regards Earl as a father figure and is devastated when he doesn't measure up to the coach's standards. The situation changes radically when Monica learns from Adam (Charles Rocket) that Earl has only a few months to live. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Touched By an Angel: Tough Love
Monica (Roma Downey) assumes the role of personal assistant to Elizabeth Jessup (Phylicia Rashad), a celebrated journalist who is plagued with alcoholism. Though Elizabeth's excessive drinking has caused serious damage to her relationship with daughter Sydney (Erica Gimpel) and granddaugther Beth (Melissa Lee Andrew), she refuses to admit she has a problem, and is infuriated when Sydney arranges an intervention by Anita (Donna Bullock), a counselor at the New Hope Center. The situation deteriorates to the point that only a potential tragedy can reunite the family--and almost as if on cue, Beth is trapped in a fire caused by Elizabeth! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Touched By an Angel: Fallen Angela
Angel though she may be, Monica (Roma Downey) has more than her share of human failings--and that includes a mortal fear of water. Even so, Monica is determined to fulfill her assignment as spirtual guide to Angela Evans (Nia Peeples), a diehard boating enthusiast. Married to US Senate nominee Carter Evans (Obba Babatunde), Angela has never revealed the terrible secret that she was once a call girl. When her former pimp (Rick Rossovitch) threatens to expose her past and destroy her husband's career unless she forks over a huge sum of money, Angela sees no way out but to commit suicide--and Angel of Death Adam (Charles Rocket) sternly warns Monica that she is forbidden to physically intervene! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Touched By an Angel: Cassie's Choice
Alyson Hannigan (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) guest stars as pregnant teenager Cassie Peters. At first willing to give up her baby daughter for adoption, Cassie abruptly changes her mind and runs away with the child, breaking the hearts of adoptive couple Lydia and Ben Feldman (Murphy Cross, Michael Flynn). Assigned to watch over Cassie and her daughter, Monica (Roma Downey) and Tess (Della Reese) are told by Angel of Death Adam (Charles Rocket) that the baby is seriously ill--and that Cassie must decide for herself what is best for the child, without heavenly intervention. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Touched By an Angel: The Heart of the Matter
Young, self-involved attorney Charles Hibbard (Peter Scolari) screws up his latest assignment by accidentally turning over a hugh inheritance to the wrong person--namely kooky, irresponsible Robin Dunwoody (Wendy Makkena). Now Charles must figure out a way to retrieve the money without causing ill will or giving himself a heart attack (did we mention that he's a confirmed hypochondriac?) It's a good thing that Charles' new assistant is none other than Heavenly caseworker Monica (Roma Downey)...or is it? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Touched By an Angel: An Unexpected Snow
Monica (Roma Downey) and Tess (Della Reese) must somehow straighten out the domestic travails of lawyer Susana (Brooke Adams), her husband Jack (Ed Marinaro) and his mistress Megan (Nancy Allen). Using the Thanksgiving-weekend traffic rush to their advantage, the two angels contrive to have Monica and Tess meet in a car accident. And as if that wasn't enough, Monica and Tess also conjure up an "estate" where both ladies will be forced to spend the holiday with Jack...a situation that could turn either sweet or sour, depending on the breaks. As a bonus, we learn that even Angel of Death Adam (Charles Rocket) has qualms about killing a Thanksgiving turkey! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Touched By an Angel: Manny
While snobbish Dr. Harrison Archibald IV (Robin Thomas), his social-climbing wife Barbara (Gail Edwards) and his wealthy mother Amelia (Rue McClanahan) prepare a huge reception to celebrate a new hospital wing named for the Archibalds, a kid named Manny (Jonathan Hernandez) shows up, claiming to be the orphan child that Harrison and Barbara have been sponsoring. It turns out, however, that Manny (Jonathan Hernandez) is actually a homeless kid named Luis, who is faking his credentials in hopes of setting himself up in luxury. It falls to Monica (Roma Downey) to advise Luis that the truth shall set him free--advice that is surprisingly taken to heart by none other than Amelia. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Touched By an Angel: Fear Not!
Singer Randy Travis guest stars as Wayne, the older brother of mentally challenged teenager Joey (Paul Wittenburg). Bitterly resentful over having to be Joey's primary caregiver, Wayne is an ideal candidate for conversion, courtesy of Heavenly caseworker Monica (Roma Downey). But before this can come to pass, Joey must overcome his mortal fear of the dark in order to make sure that a young girl named Serena (Rae'Ven Kelly), who is suffering from a terminal heart condition, will have the best Christmas of her short life. Randy Travis and Paul Wittenburg would repeat their "Fear Not" roles in several subsequent episodes, including the series finale. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Touched By an Angel: There But for the Grace of God
Openly contemptuous of homeless people, Monica (Roma Downey) is taken down a peg or two when she is forced to pose as a street person--and is stripped of her angelic powers. "The only way to share his pain is to share his pain!" admonishes Tess (Della Reese) as the humbled Monica struggles to provide aid and comfort to a stubborn old derelict named Pete Taylor (Gregory Harrison), as well as two other social outcasts, Sophie (Marion Ross) and Zack (Malcolm-Jamal Warner). Inevitably, the three mortals' lives are changed for the better, but not after a great deal of painful soul-searching for all concerned...especially Monica. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL-1ST SEASON (DVD/4 DISCS) DVD

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