One of the biggest shows for the WB Network in the 90s was 7th Heaven. It was a television drama about the Camden family and the challenges they face together. Years later, a reboot of the show is being produced by original series member Jessica Biel for a new generation.
While appearing on the podcast Collider Ladies Night, Jessica Biel talked about the reboot of 7th Heaven and what is being done to modernize it. The show isn’t going to shy away from topics that are very real for audiences today.
“What we want to create, how we want to modernize it, is really the things that are happening for teenagers and families that have teenagers all the way down to the youngest child, technology-based issues, school stuff, bullying stuff, drugs, alcohol… All of those things we want to address in a very real way, which is, I think, what the original kind of gently touched on, but we were very careful about what our audience wanted. We had a lot of limitations. We have less limitations now.”
At the same time, Jessica isn’t planning to appear on the show, whether through a cameo or other recurring role. She feels it will allow her to focus on creating a safe space for the cast, and everyone involved with the series.
“It’s people really putting themselves out there on the chopping block emotionally, and if you don’t have that space protected, I think it’s hard. It’s hard to give those kinds of performances… So, I think that’s what I’m constantly trying to do as a producer is just build out that space where everyone feels like they will be taken care of, and it’s safe, you know?”
In the original 7th Heaven, Jessica Biel played the older sister, Mary Camden. She had multiple storylines throughout the show’s 11 seasons that saw her face heavy challenges as a young adult becoming a grown woman. Although Jessica is producing the reboot for CBS, other former cast members have distanced themselves from 7th Heaven over the years. Controversy for the show happened when Stephen Collins, who played Eric Camden, admitted to the sexual assault of three underaged girls in 2014.
As for the reboot, Jessica assured fans of the original will still recognize the heart of what made the show special. “We still want to keep the DNA of what it was, where you can sit down and watch with your families, but we’re not going to hold back, I think, as much as we did before.”
