Family drama 7th Heaven ran for an impressive eleven seasons and told the stories of the sizable and mostly wholesome Camden family. The show debuted on The WB in 1996, survived the network switch to The CW in 2006, and became the longest-running WB/CW series until Supernatural earned a Season 12 renewal order. It was a series that could work for viewers of any age, and it seems like the perfect project to bring back for a reunion. Actress Catherine Hicks is on board to return to her role as Annie Camden, but only under one condition. Hicks had this to say about a future for 7th Heaven:
You know, I dunno, we'd have to open with Stephen's coffin. But I mean it's all up to the networks and those types of things. I think we'd all love to be together.
Well, tell us how you really feel, Catherine Hicks! The actress certainly didn't mince words when she revealed to TMZ just what it would take for a 7th Heaven reunion to come together. Evidently, she can't see any way for it to happen unless Stephen Collins' character is very definitively dead. Considering that Collins played Eric Camden as the head of the family for all eleven seasons of 7th Heaven, a reunion would feel very different without him back in some capacity. Sure, the Camden family expanded far beyond the original two parents and five kids, but Collins was a constant presence as Eric. In fact, he is the only actor to appear in 242 of the 243 episodes of the series. Hicks herself only appeared in 239.
That said, it's not a huge shocker that Catherine Hicks' "condition" for a reunion is the death of her on-screen husband. Eric Camden may have been a pillar of morality on 7th Heaven, but Stephen Collins can't say the same. A recording leaked in 2014 that allegedly featured Collins admitting to child molestation during a 2012 therapy session. He later admitted in an interview with People that he sexually abused three girls over the span of twenty years.
Unsurprisingly, the controversy resulted in Stephen Collins being booted from some of his jobs, including roles on Scandal and in Ted 2. It's pretty inconceivable that any network execs would want to bring Collins on board for a 7th Heaven reunion. Catherine Hicks probably doesn't have to worry that Collins would be invited to another gathering of the Camden family. Hopefully, if a reunion does happen, the focus can be on happy lives led by the Camden kids as well as Annie. Hicks went on to joke that a reunion could be called 8th Heaven and feature Annie with a new boyfriend. It would be a big departure from 7th Heaven, but I would definitely watch.
Only time will tell if we'll ever get to see Catherine Hicks reunite with the rest of the 7th Heaven cast on screen once more. Check out our fall TV premiere schedule to see what you can watch in the near future.
