Remember when we all worshiped at the altar of 7th Heaven?
Sure, things have taken a turn for the less-than-biblical since the Aaron Spelling-produced WB series about a Protestant minister and his crew's PG-rated family hijinks went off the air in 2007. In 2014, Stephen Collins shocked and disturbed all in the show's fold when he admitted to past inappropriate sexual conduct, sharing that he had exposed himself to several young girls.
But before the Camden family patriarch left us all feeling more than a bit of parental disappointment, upwards of 12 million fans loyally tuned in for 11 straight seasons to see what Matt, Simon, Mary, Lucy and Ruthie were getting up to and reveled in the sisterly bond that formed between Jessica Biel (frequent black sheep Mary) and Beverley Mitchell (sassy Lucy).
"We used to butt heads and she used to drive me fricking nuts and we used to literally want to battle," Mitchell recalled to Us Weekly in 2019 of their relationship. "There were times where I just remember going home, because we would carpool home, and we would just yell at each other all the time."
But much like real life siblings, as the teens grew up together, they began to really appreciate the closeness between them.
"I call her like my sister," continued Mitchell. "I don't have brothers and sisters, so she has always been that type of relationship for me because I'm an only child. I adopted her, whether she likes it or not. She doesn't have a choice."
And there's at least the smallest sliver of hope that the rest of the group could be reunited somewhere other than Biel's restaurant opening or for the occasional family dinner.
Asked if there was a chance the series could go the way of other beloved '90s classics like Boy Meets World and Full House, matriarch Catherine Hicks didn't exactly say no. Though they would need to explain away Rev. Eric's absence, she noted there are options. "We'd have to open with Stephen's coffin," she told TMZ. (Sadly, they would also need to acknowledge the March 2020 death of Lorenzo Brino, who, along with his fellow quadruplets, covered the roles of fraternal twins Sam and David.)
But with the castmates still keeping in touch two decades after their show ruled WB's ratings (somewhere we're imagining a group text blowing up for Mitchell's Jan. 22 birthday), "We'd all love to be together," Hicks said, throwing out a potential pitch: "Maybe 8th Heaven with a new boyfriend for Annie."
We don't hate it. But could she convince her entire crew? Let's check in with the rest of the Camdens.
This story was originally published on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021 at 10:06 a.m. PT