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Touched by an Angel is an American Christian drama series that premiered on CBS on September 21, 1994 and ran from 211 episodes and 9 seasons until its conclusion on April 27, 2003. Created by John Masius and produced by Martha Williamson, the series stars Roma Downey, as an angel named Monica, and Della Reese, as her supervisor Tess. Throughout the series, Monica is tasked with bringing guidance and messages from God to various people who are at a crossroads in their lives. From the third season on, they are frequently joined by Andrew (John Dye), the angel of death. As the series progresses, the cases she works help Monica transition from being a rookie "caseworker" to being promoted to a supervisor herself after her final case in the series finale.

Most episode of the series were produced in Salt Lake City, Utah. It eventually became one of CBS highest-rated series during its third through six seasons, peaking at the sixth highest rated show during its fourth season, but it saw a significant drop in ratings after its move from Sunday to Saturday in its eighth season. In 1996, Promised Land was launched as a spin-off series, following the Greene family whom Monica had met during one of her cases. Several cross-over episodes aired during Promised Land's three season run.

Plot

The episodes of the series generally revolved around the "cases" Monica (Roma Downey), an angel recently promoted from the "search and rescue" division, works under the guidance of her supervisor Tess (Della Reese). Most cases involve a single person or a group of people who are at a crossroad in their lives and facing a large problem or tough decision. Monica and Tess bring them messages of hope from God and help give them guidance towards making their decision. During their first episode, the pair receive a red Cadillac convertible as a gift, which they drive throughout the rest of the series while in the human world. As the series progresses, Monica continues gaining experience as a case worker and, during some cases having to learn lessons of her own. During the second season, the angel of death, Andrew (John Dye) is introduced, who becomes a regular in the third season and beyond.

During the seventh season, a new angel is made by God during one of Monica's assignments, Gloria (Valerie Bertinelli), who becomes a regular character for the eight and ninth seasons as a trainee under Monica and Tess' guidance. In the series final, Monica is up for promotion to supervisor, pending the outcome of a difficult case in which she must defend Zack (Scott Bairstow), an innocent drifter accused of causing a boiler explosion at a school two years ago in the small town of Ascension, Colorado. The explosion killed most of the children, leaving the citizens devastated. During the case, Monica sees many familiar faces, including Joey Machulis (Paul Wittenburg), one of Monica's previous assignments who is a witness to the events, his brother Wayne (Randy Travis), who is now sheriff, Sophie (Marion Ross), a formerly homeless acquaintance, and Mike (Patrick Duffy), a lawyer Monica saved during her search and rescue days who is now the Mayor. An out of town developer claims Zack is the perpetrator and despite the lack of evidence, Zack is put on trial. Monica does all she can to help him, including asking Mike to represent him, however the prosecutor in the case, Jones (David Ogden Stiers), is really the Devil in disguise and Zack is eventually convicted.

After the trial, Monica is able to help the citizens realize their mistake and to see that Zack's return to the town had helped them finally start living again. They begin going back to church, welcomed by the pastor they had once abandoned. Their change of heart, however, cannot free Zack, so Monica visits him in jail and reveals that she is an angel. She then promises him that she will become his guardian angel, forgoing all future assignments and the coveted promotion, to protect him from harm in prison. When she returns in the morning, however, the cell is empty. The citizens decide not to search for him, and it is revealed that Joey inadvertently caused the explosion after the devil tricked him into turning to high to warm some kittens he'd found.

The perplexed Monica returns to the desert to find Tess and Zack. There, she learns that Zack was actually God, and that her defending him was a test, which she passed by being willing to sacrifice herself for him. Monica is promoted to supervisor. As she leaves, she says her goodbyes to Valarie, and to Andrew, who gives her a pocketwatch to remember their friendship by. Before parting, Tess gives Monica the keys to Cadillac, as she is leaving her job to sit at God's feet. Monica is last shown driving away as the camera pans out over the desert.

Production

Touch by an Angel was produced by CBS and Moon Water Productions. According to New York Times reviewer Caryn James, John Masius created the first pilot episode for the series, however it was a darker, less hopeful story than the producers wanted. It cost the studio $2 million to produce the episode. Martha Williams was approached to be the series executive producer in early 1994. She described the pilot she received as "upsetting" as it "portrayed angels as recycled dead people with power over life and death". She initially declined the position, but during a lunch with Andy Hill, then President of CBS, she mentioned the show and suggested he find a producer who would create a show with "loving, joyful" angels that the audience would have to believe in.

Williams stated that she could not stop thinking about the show after that meeting, and eventually called to ask if the position was still open. Though getting the position was no longer a sure thing, she passed up a more position directing a lucrative court drama and went in for an interview with CBS in June 1994. During her interview, she states she emphasized that she was a Christian and could only do a show that depicted angels in a way she felt was true to her view of angels and that was respectful towards God. She also indicated that the pilot should be redone from the beginning, keeping only the characters Monica and Tess, reworked. The studio agreed with her remarks and hired her. Williamson herself wrote a new script for the pilot episode, while also working on hiring the remaining staff for the series, which was due to premiere in September. The pilot was filmed in Salt Lake City, Utah and the show was ready on schedule. The first episode aired on September 14, 1994.

The show's premise was based heavily on non-denominational Christian concepts.

Reception

Touched by an Angel was one of CBS's highest-rated series during its third through six seasons, peaking at the sixth highest rated show during its fourth season. In its fourth season, it was the ninth most watch network series, with 17,190,000 viewers that comprised a 15% share of the market as determined by Nielsen Media Research. In the eight season, after the series moved from its Sunday timeslot to a Saturday one, it dropped to 79th place, with 8.3 million viewers.

Awards and nominations

• 1996: GLAAD Media Awards Outstanding TV — Individual Episode (nominated)
• 1996: Screen Actors Guild Outstanding Actress — Drama Series (Della Reese for playing "Tess", nominated)
• 1997: Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Drama Series (Roma Downey for playing "Monica", nominated)
• 1997: Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - (Mini)Series or TV Film (Della Reese for playing "Tess", nominated)
• 1997: Screen Actors Guild Outstanding Actress — Drama Series (Reese, nominated)
• 1998: Best Actress — Drama Series (Downey, nominated)
• 2000: American Society of Cinematographers Outstanding Cinematography — Episodic TV Series (for "God Bless the Child", nominated)

Media

The first four seasons of the series have been released to Region 1 DVD by Paramount Pictures and CBS Home Entertainment. The first set, containing all 22 episodes of the first season, was released on August 31, 2004. As of December 4, 2007, the first four seasons have been released to DVD. The first two seasons were released as single volume season box sets, while the third and fourth seasons were released as two volume sets. Four themed sets, each containing four episodes, have also been released. The first two, "The Inspiration Collection: Holiday" and "The Inspiration Collection: Hope" were released on November 10, 2009; "The Inspiration Collection: Faith" and "The Inspiration Collection: Love" were released January 26, 2010. In Region 4, independent Australian distributor Shock Records has begun to release the seasons on DVD. Thus far they have released three volumes which feature episodes from the first two seasons.

A book on the series, Touched by an Angel, was published by Zondervan in November 1997. Written by Williams and Robin Sheets, it contains background information on some of the stories featured, series production information, basic details on the first fifty episodes, and profiles of Downey, Reese, and Dye. It also has short story versions of four episodes: "Interview with an Angel," "There, but for the Grace of God," "An Unexpected Snow," and "Jacob's Ladder." A second boook, In the Words of Angels: Twenty Inspiring Stories from Touched By an Angel, was published by Fireside Books on August 28, 2001. Also written by Williams, it collects twenty short stories based on episodes from the series.

An audio soundtrack, Touched by an Angel: The Album, was on November 3, 1998. The 15-track CD includes a full-length version of the series theme song, "Walk With You", performed by Della Reese, and songs by Shawn Colvin, Bob Dylan, Faith Hill, Martina McBride, Amy Grant, Jaci Velasquez, The Kinleys, and . The soundtrack went platinum. A second album, Touched By an Angel: Christmas Album, was released on November 9, 1999 with 13 tracks of Christmas music. In addition to having tracks performed by Reese and Romey, it features songs from Randy Travis, Keb' Mo', Charlotte Church, Kirk Franklin, Collin Raye, Amy Grant, and Donna Summer.

References

1. "Frequently Asked Questions". Touched.com. CBS. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
2. James, Caryn (January 8, 1999). "Sure, Mom May Be Dead, But That Won't Stop Her". New York Times. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
3. ^ Williamson, Martha (1996). "TV Is Touched by an Angel". Guideposts, as reprinted at Touched.Net. CBS. Retrieved March 23, 2010.
4. "Top TV Shows For 1999-2000 Season". Variety. August 6, 2000. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
5. "How did your favorite show rate?". USA Today. May 28, 2002. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
6. ^ "A Touch of Encouragement Store". Touched.com. CBS Home Entertainment. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
7. "In the Words of Angels: Twenty Inspiring Stories from Touched By An Angel". Amazon.com. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
8. "In the Words of Angels: Twenty Inspiring Stories from Touched By An Angel". Amazon.com. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
9. "Touched by an Angel: The Album ". Amazon.com. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
10. "Touched By an Angel: Christmas Album ". Amazon.com. Retrieved March 22, 2010.

External links

• Official website
• Touched by an Angel at IMDb
• Template:Tv.com show
• Touched by an Angel at epguides.com

• 1994 television series debuts
• 2003 American television series endings
• 1990s American television series
• 2000s American television series
• American drama television series
• CBS network shows
• Christian entertainment television
• Fantasy television series
• Television series by CBS Paramount Television