“7th Heaven” was one of those shows that really made you wish you were part of another family – the Camden family to be precise. The parents, Eric and Annie, were pretty awesome. They always offered their kids good advice with love and understanding regardless of the situation. The show touched on some tough issues that adolescents face and even showed us what the consequences of reckless and irresponsible behavior looked like without ever seeming preachy. They don’t really make TV like this anymore, so we figured that now would be a good time to take a look at some things about the show that we didn’t know!
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Before landing her role on “7th Heaven,” the Camden’s family dog, also known as Happy, was a stray. She was reportedly abused by her former male owner and wasn’t especially trusting of men. Before taping a new season, Stephen Collins and Barry Watson would have to spend some time with her so that she could get used to them before filming.
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George Stults’ brother already had a recurring role on “7th Heaven” as Mary Camden’s love interest Ben when he auditioned for the role of a kid who forces people to drink. Geoff didn’t get that part, but he was later cast as Ben’s older brother Kevin. He remained a regular cast member from season six until season 11.
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Quadruplets – Zachary Brino, Lorenzo Brino, Nikolas Brino and Myrinda Brino – initially played Sam and David. This helped the show get around child labor laws. As the twins became older, producers decided to use only one pair of the quadruplets, Lorenzo and Nikolas.
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Stephen Collins was offered the role of Reverend Camden two days before the pilot episode was to be filmed. He never had to audition for the role. Instead he met with the cast in Aaron Spelling’s office and read the script with them and then accepted the role.
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Beverly Mitchell – who played Lucy Camden – may have played Jessica Biel’s younger sister on the show, but she is actually one year older than her co-star.
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Jessica Biel caused a lot of controversy back in 2000 when she posed topless for the cover of Gear magazine. She was only 17-years-old at the time and looking to get out of her contract with “7th Heaven.” Unfortunately, producers of the show were more upset with Gear and brought legal action against them. Jessica later came to regret her decision and stuck with the show until its sixth season.
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Beverly Mitchell first auditioned for the role of Mary Camden, but was turned down because producers felt that she wasn’t right for the role. She then auditioned part of Lucy and they cast her on the spot.
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Barry Watson was diagnosed with cancer Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2002. He stopped appearing on “7th Heaven” while he received chemo treatment. When it was in remission, he came back and resumed his role as Matt Camden.
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Mackenzie Rosman reportedly landed the role of Ruthie Camden by personally greeting each person in the room with a handshake during her audition.
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Brenda Hampton, the creator of “7th Heaven,” came up with the idea of a drama about a functional family when she was still writing for “Mad About You.” She pitched the idea to Aaron Spelling and he loved it, so the show was born.
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