18. Test Audience Fail
Before the final cut of the show aired, as is the standard, producers played the pilot to test audiences. That was in the spring of 1996. Those test audiences were not impressed. Despite this—my money is on Aaron Spelling’s reputation as the reason why—they pushed forward with the project. They were so confident, they didn’t change anything about the format, which begs the question: Why bother testing?
17. Star Springboard for Biel
Without 7th Heaven, there’d be no big, fancy Hollywood career for Jessica Biel, maybe. Biel’s face and name are well recognized in and out of Hollywood these days. It all started with her role as Mary Camden. After the show went off the air, she was the only cast member to emerge as a successful actor. Catherine Hicks did alright before the show, and other cast members stayed busy, but nothing compares to the 25 or so movies featuring Biel.