1 00:00:06,173 --> 00:00:08,884 [narrator] The Golden Age of television... 2 00:00:08,884 --> 00:00:11,386 I Love Lucy didn't just change American television, 3 00:00:11,386 --> 00:00:13,388 it invented American television. 4 00:00:13,388 --> 00:00:16,391 ...back when one screen brought everyone together. 5 00:00:16,391 --> 00:00:19,686 Watching television was a family event. 6 00:00:19,686 --> 00:00:21,521 [narrator] The shows that shaped us. 7 00:00:21,521 --> 00:00:23,023 [Gary Cole] The Brady Bunch was part 8 00:00:23,023 --> 00:00:24,858 of the American soul. 9 00:00:24,858 --> 00:00:26,151 It's timeless. 10 00:00:26,151 --> 00:00:28,403 [narrator] The familiar faces. 11 00:00:28,403 --> 00:00:30,572 [Bob Costas] Ralph Kramden was loved on The Honeymooners. 12 00:00:30,572 --> 00:00:33,408 -Ah, right in the kisser! -He was a presence. 13 00:00:33,408 --> 00:00:35,577 [narrator] The unforgettable moments . 14 00:00:35,577 --> 00:00:37,037 Dynasty captured the essence of what 15 00:00:37,037 --> 00:00:38,914 the 1980s were about in America. 16 00:00:38,914 --> 00:00:40,999 [narrator] These are their stories. 17 00:00:40,999 --> 00:00:43,585 Cheers is the pinnacle of how great the sitcom can be. 18 00:00:43,585 --> 00:00:45,879 [narrator] This is TV We Love. 19 00:00:50,842 --> 00:00:53,262 [narrator] The year is 1993. 20 00:00:53,262 --> 00:00:55,430 Bill Clinton is in the White House. 21 00:00:55,430 --> 00:00:58,100 Grunge is spilling out of Seattle basements. 22 00:00:58,100 --> 00:01:00,978 And America is halfway between analog comfort 23 00:01:00,978 --> 00:01:03,313 -and the digital revolution. -[phones ringing] 24 00:01:03,313 --> 00:01:04,731 -[man] You've got mail. -[computer beeps] 25 00:01:04,731 --> 00:01:06,191 [narrator] The internet is 26 00:01:06,191 --> 00:01:07,693 something you dial into. 27 00:01:07,693 --> 00:01:08,819 Coffeehouse culture 28 00:01:08,819 --> 00:01:10,904 is fueling Gen X. 29 00:01:10,904 --> 00:01:14,157 And everyone's dancing the Macarena. 30 00:01:16,702 --> 00:01:19,579 And deep in the heart of Utah, one television show 31 00:01:19,579 --> 00:01:23,875 is about to take flight and make television history. 32 00:01:23,875 --> 00:01:26,670 I have a message for you from God. 33 00:01:26,670 --> 00:01:28,422 Audiences love Touched by an Angel. 34 00:01:28,422 --> 00:01:29,923 I'm an angel. 35 00:01:29,923 --> 00:01:31,758 A what? 36 00:01:31,758 --> 00:01:33,635 Touched by an Angel was that kind of a show. 37 00:01:33,635 --> 00:01:35,762 Whole families could watch together. 38 00:01:35,762 --> 00:01:38,181 The fact that it was so overwhelmingly popular 39 00:01:38,181 --> 00:01:39,725 made it a phenomenon. 40 00:01:39,725 --> 00:01:41,143 At our height, I think we had 41 00:01:41,143 --> 00:01:44,604 over 28 million each week. 42 00:01:44,604 --> 00:01:47,149 -Holy. -Holy is right. 43 00:01:47,149 --> 00:01:48,650 [Martha Williamson] And I love that. 44 00:01:48,650 --> 00:01:50,068 Because we talked about 45 00:01:50,068 --> 00:01:53,113 immigration, abortion, racism. 46 00:01:53,113 --> 00:01:55,991 And it did melodrama really well. 47 00:01:57,993 --> 00:02:01,121 There still has never been another Touched by an Angel. 48 00:02:01,121 --> 00:02:03,373 [atmospheric music playing] 49 00:02:05,208 --> 00:02:08,754 I love the origin story of Touched by an Angel. 50 00:02:10,088 --> 00:02:14,217 TV networks at that point, they were looking for something 51 00:02:14,217 --> 00:02:17,888 that would work for as large an audience as possible. 52 00:02:19,056 --> 00:02:23,810 In the mid-90s, CBS did testing that showed 53 00:02:23,810 --> 00:02:26,146 people were really interested in angels. 54 00:02:27,230 --> 00:02:29,066 [Dr. Diane Winston] And I can understand 55 00:02:29,066 --> 00:02:31,109 why they would think angels would be 56 00:02:31,109 --> 00:02:34,821 something that they could tap into as a cultural vein. 57 00:02:34,821 --> 00:02:37,032 So angels have always been around. 58 00:02:37,032 --> 00:02:38,617 And they've always been popular. 59 00:02:38,617 --> 00:02:40,577 Look, Daddy. 60 00:02:40,577 --> 00:02:43,455 Teacher says, "Every time a bell rings, 61 00:02:43,455 --> 00:02:46,416 an angel gets his wings." 62 00:02:46,416 --> 00:02:47,959 That's right. 63 00:02:47,959 --> 00:02:50,962 In the '90s, a lot of pop stars began 64 00:02:50,962 --> 00:02:53,632 using angels in their shows. 65 00:02:53,632 --> 00:02:57,260 Tony Kushner's play Angels in America 66 00:02:57,260 --> 00:02:58,595 came out about that time. 67 00:02:58,595 --> 00:03:00,347 There was a book published 68 00:03:00,347 --> 00:03:04,184 in the early '90s by Sophy Burnham on angels. 69 00:03:04,184 --> 00:03:05,894 And that became a big bestseller. 70 00:03:05,894 --> 00:03:09,398 Tattooed wings on people's backs. 71 00:03:09,398 --> 00:03:11,149 It was just a cultural moment. 72 00:03:12,317 --> 00:03:13,568 [music stops] 73 00:03:16,822 --> 00:03:18,532 [Ken Lazebnik] So CBS commissioned 74 00:03:18,532 --> 00:03:20,367 John Masius to write a show 75 00:03:20,367 --> 00:03:22,953 about angels, because this is what their testing 76 00:03:22,953 --> 00:03:25,622 showed them people were interested in watching. 77 00:03:25,622 --> 00:03:29,835 [Roma Downey] I remember getting a phone call from my agent. 78 00:03:33,213 --> 00:03:35,590 He said, "I have an opportunity for you 79 00:03:35,590 --> 00:03:40,095 to come in and read, to play an undercover angel." 80 00:03:40,095 --> 00:03:44,975 I said, "Like, you know, is she an angel with wings? 81 00:03:44,975 --> 00:03:47,936 Like, is it a Victoria's Secret angel? 82 00:03:47,936 --> 00:03:49,980 Like, what kind of an angel are we talking about?" 83 00:03:49,980 --> 00:03:52,732 He said, "I don't know much more than that. 84 00:03:52,732 --> 00:03:55,235 Just make sure you sound American. 85 00:03:56,862 --> 00:03:58,572 Don't sound foreign." 86 00:03:58,572 --> 00:04:02,617 And so during the conversation after the audition, 87 00:04:02,617 --> 00:04:05,078 one of the producers said to me, 88 00:04:05,078 --> 00:04:08,498 "Could you try that with your Irish accent?" 89 00:04:08,498 --> 00:04:10,709 And I thought, "Oh, here we go. 90 00:04:10,709 --> 00:04:12,919 I'll be the interesting Irish choice, 91 00:04:12,919 --> 00:04:16,506 but then they'll end up casting an American, you know?" 92 00:04:16,506 --> 00:04:19,384 I started doing one of the big speeches 93 00:04:19,384 --> 00:04:21,470 with my Irish accent. 94 00:04:21,470 --> 00:04:23,555 And honestly, I could see 95 00:04:23,555 --> 00:04:26,516 everybody in the room leaned in. 96 00:04:28,310 --> 00:04:32,105 John Masius, brilliant writer, created a pilot. 97 00:04:32,105 --> 00:04:33,982 With angels who were, 98 00:04:33,982 --> 00:04:36,067 shall we say, angels with dirty faces. 99 00:04:36,067 --> 00:04:39,196 They did one version of it that was darker 100 00:04:39,196 --> 00:04:40,530 than the one we know now. 101 00:04:42,824 --> 00:04:44,284 His version was hipper. 102 00:04:44,284 --> 00:04:46,495 The angels smoked and they said 103 00:04:46,495 --> 00:04:48,205 dumb things about the boss, 104 00:04:48,205 --> 00:04:50,582 because people always rip on their boss. 105 00:04:50,582 --> 00:04:52,167 But the network thought, "Well, no one's going to 106 00:04:52,167 --> 00:04:54,461 want you to be mad at your boss if he's God." 107 00:04:54,461 --> 00:04:56,505 [Downey] Monica dropped from heaven 108 00:04:56,505 --> 00:04:59,049 into Santa Monica Bay. 109 00:04:59,049 --> 00:05:00,634 And that's where she got her name. 110 00:05:01,885 --> 00:05:04,095 Because then she meets some guys on the beach. 111 00:05:06,681 --> 00:05:09,184 She says, "Where are we?" And they say, "Santa Monica." 112 00:05:09,184 --> 00:05:10,685 And then somebody says, "What's your name?" 113 00:05:10,685 --> 00:05:13,230 Later, and she goes, "Uh, Monica." 114 00:05:13,230 --> 00:05:15,524 [Brian Bird] It was kind of dark. 115 00:05:15,524 --> 00:05:18,944 Della Reese's character Tess drank as an angel, 116 00:05:18,944 --> 00:05:21,071 and dropped some language bombs. 117 00:05:21,071 --> 00:05:25,283 They resurrected a dead dog in the middle of the show. 118 00:05:25,283 --> 00:05:27,536 It was a very odd show. 119 00:05:27,536 --> 00:05:30,038 [Winston] And they screened it for focus groups 120 00:05:30,038 --> 00:05:31,706 and nobody particularly liked it. 121 00:05:32,791 --> 00:05:34,209 [Bird] It didn't test very well. 122 00:05:34,209 --> 00:05:36,169 But something about the idea, 123 00:05:36,169 --> 00:05:39,005 the premise of the show still resonated with CBS. 124 00:05:39,005 --> 00:05:40,507 And they brought in Martha Williamson, 125 00:05:40,507 --> 00:05:41,925 who reconceived it. 126 00:05:41,925 --> 00:05:43,885 CBS had started a conversation 127 00:05:43,885 --> 00:05:46,054 with me about an angel show, 128 00:05:46,054 --> 00:05:48,932 because I was the "angel girl." 129 00:05:48,932 --> 00:05:51,351 I was the lady who went to church and believed in God. 130 00:05:51,351 --> 00:05:53,228 And so they said, "Go call Martha." 131 00:05:53,228 --> 00:05:56,147 They gave me carte blanche at CBS to do 132 00:05:56,147 --> 00:05:58,692 anything I wanted to with the original pilot. 133 00:05:58,692 --> 00:06:00,151 And I said to them, "I want to throw 134 00:06:00,151 --> 00:06:01,903 the whole thing out and start over." 135 00:06:01,903 --> 00:06:03,488 And they said, "That's just fine. 136 00:06:03,488 --> 00:06:04,906 Throw it all out. 137 00:06:04,906 --> 00:06:07,617 I said, "Except for Della and Roma." 138 00:06:07,617 --> 00:06:11,329 I interviewed them. They were perfect together. 139 00:06:11,329 --> 00:06:14,040 It was lightning in a bottle. 140 00:06:14,040 --> 00:06:17,127 She totally changed the nature of the show to make it 141 00:06:17,127 --> 00:06:21,381 more upbeat, more wholesome, more family oriented. 142 00:06:21,381 --> 00:06:22,757 I don't know what it is, 143 00:06:22,757 --> 00:06:24,175 but I get a good feeling about you. 144 00:06:25,510 --> 00:06:27,762 They said, "You know what? That's where we want to go. 145 00:06:27,762 --> 00:06:29,556 Let's call it Touched by an Angel." 146 00:06:29,556 --> 00:06:31,391 I said, "Oh, please don't call it Touched by an Angel. 147 00:06:31,391 --> 00:06:33,184 That's such a weird title." 148 00:06:33,184 --> 00:06:35,103 But they said, "We're going with Touched by an Angel. 149 00:06:35,103 --> 00:06:36,771 It's all right." 150 00:06:36,771 --> 00:06:40,609 But then I realized later that people were touched, 151 00:06:40,609 --> 00:06:42,235 that they were moved. 152 00:06:42,235 --> 00:06:44,154 And that was my mandate. 153 00:06:44,154 --> 00:06:46,448 "How do we move people with these shows 154 00:06:46,448 --> 00:06:48,700 and these scripts every week?" 155 00:06:51,494 --> 00:06:54,289 Touched by an Angel essentially took the premise 156 00:06:54,289 --> 00:06:56,333 of It's a Wonderful Life, 157 00:06:56,333 --> 00:06:59,461 and turned it into a procedural drama. 158 00:06:59,461 --> 00:07:01,212 It's like a cross between It's a Wonderful Life 159 00:07:01,212 --> 00:07:03,548 -and Law and Order. -[bell ringing] 160 00:07:03,548 --> 00:07:06,843 The idea for Touched by an Angel was that an angel 161 00:07:06,843 --> 00:07:10,805 in training would be guided by an older angel to help people 162 00:07:10,805 --> 00:07:13,558 here on Earth who were at a crossroads in their life, 163 00:07:13,558 --> 00:07:17,812 to make a decision that would lead them closer to God. 164 00:07:17,812 --> 00:07:22,692 These angels were able to show up at these times 165 00:07:22,692 --> 00:07:27,656 of great pain, and offer some light to the darkness. 166 00:07:27,656 --> 00:07:30,408 And God would sort of give them an assignment. 167 00:07:30,408 --> 00:07:32,077 They were the assignment of the week. 168 00:07:32,077 --> 00:07:34,579 [Monica] And how am I supposed to help him then? 169 00:07:34,579 --> 00:07:36,122 Well, baby, the only way to share 170 00:07:36,122 --> 00:07:38,208 this man's pain... 171 00:07:38,208 --> 00:07:40,293 is to share his pain. 172 00:07:41,628 --> 00:07:46,383 Usually, the younger angel, who is played by Roma Downey, 173 00:07:46,383 --> 00:07:50,136 would come to a town and Della Reese, 174 00:07:50,136 --> 00:07:53,098 who was her guardian, would bring her into a situation 175 00:07:53,098 --> 00:07:55,558 where she has to help someone at a crossroads 176 00:07:55,558 --> 00:07:58,228 find God and find God's love. 177 00:07:58,228 --> 00:08:00,980 [Williamson] Roma was meant to be Monica. 178 00:08:02,107 --> 00:08:04,776 She had a long history of working 179 00:08:04,776 --> 00:08:07,278 in the theater in London. 180 00:08:08,780 --> 00:08:12,325 But she was relatively new to Hollywood. 181 00:08:15,328 --> 00:08:18,790 [humming] 182 00:08:19,833 --> 00:08:21,292 Who are you? 183 00:08:21,292 --> 00:08:23,211 My name is Tess. 184 00:08:23,211 --> 00:08:25,255 And you may call me Miss Tess. 185 00:08:27,090 --> 00:08:28,508 Della Reese was a big star. 186 00:08:28,508 --> 00:08:31,344 ♪ I got myself an angel ♪ 187 00:08:31,344 --> 00:08:34,931 ♪ Standing here by my side ♪ 188 00:08:34,931 --> 00:08:37,559 [Williamson] Della Reese was mostly known 189 00:08:37,559 --> 00:08:40,353 early on as a great singer. 190 00:08:40,353 --> 00:08:43,606 Had these amazing hits in the '50s. 191 00:08:45,233 --> 00:08:49,195 Then Della got into film and acting. 192 00:08:49,195 --> 00:08:51,156 And she was very funny. 193 00:08:51,156 --> 00:08:53,867 I know what I just said, but sometimes I don't think 194 00:08:53,867 --> 00:08:56,119 you have the sense God gave the goat. 195 00:08:56,119 --> 00:08:58,371 And I wanted to take advantage of that. 196 00:09:01,166 --> 00:09:03,918 I suppose we should get started. Are you ready? 197 00:09:03,918 --> 00:09:06,421 My agent had said, "Well, there's good news 198 00:09:06,421 --> 00:09:08,298 and there's bad news. 199 00:09:08,298 --> 00:09:09,924 The pilot's being picked up." 200 00:09:09,924 --> 00:09:14,471 And I said, "Great. And what's the bad news?" 201 00:09:14,471 --> 00:09:16,306 "You're moving to Salt Lake City." 202 00:09:18,266 --> 00:09:21,478 I didn't know anything about Salt Lake City, 203 00:09:21,478 --> 00:09:24,606 except I had put one of my very first posters 204 00:09:24,606 --> 00:09:28,443 I had on the wall, of my childhood bedroom 205 00:09:28,443 --> 00:09:31,821 in Northern Ireland, was of Donny Osmond. 206 00:09:31,821 --> 00:09:34,824 And Donny Osmond was from Salt Lake City. 207 00:09:37,243 --> 00:09:39,078 [Williamson] CBS wanted to shoot in Salt Lake 208 00:09:39,078 --> 00:09:40,789 for budgetary reasons. 209 00:09:41,498 --> 00:09:43,500 We didn't have much of a budget. 210 00:09:43,500 --> 00:09:45,126 And frankly, a lot of people 211 00:09:45,126 --> 00:09:47,170 really didn't have a lot of hopes for the show. 212 00:09:47,170 --> 00:09:50,632 So they weren't really giving us all that we needed. 213 00:09:50,632 --> 00:09:53,009 Touched by an Angel got off to a slow start. 214 00:09:53,009 --> 00:09:56,721 We had an order for 13 episodes. 215 00:09:56,721 --> 00:09:58,973 A full order, I think, was 22. 216 00:09:58,973 --> 00:10:00,975 Critics, at least in the beginning, 217 00:10:00,975 --> 00:10:02,727 were not terribly kind. 218 00:10:02,727 --> 00:10:05,396 But let's remember that this program is coming out 219 00:10:05,396 --> 00:10:09,526 when television is starting to really have 220 00:10:09,526 --> 00:10:11,861 some more serious artistic ambitions. 221 00:10:11,861 --> 00:10:15,406 This was the dawn of the prestige TV era. 222 00:10:15,406 --> 00:10:17,242 We were just getting into an age where 223 00:10:17,242 --> 00:10:19,828 cable was showing its force. 224 00:10:19,828 --> 00:10:22,205 HBO, for the first time, was doing original series. 225 00:10:22,205 --> 00:10:24,541 And critics were starting to really gravitate towards 226 00:10:24,541 --> 00:10:26,751 those more complicated types of shows. 227 00:10:26,751 --> 00:10:29,379 Three Emmys, you're at the very top of the dung heap. 228 00:10:29,379 --> 00:10:31,714 Touched by an Angel was not a complicated show. 229 00:10:31,714 --> 00:10:34,050 It was not a critic-friendly show. 230 00:10:34,050 --> 00:10:37,136 One of the reviews in TV Guide was, 231 00:10:37,136 --> 00:10:40,014 "This show will probably be off the air 232 00:10:40,014 --> 00:10:43,101 before you even read this." 233 00:10:43,101 --> 00:10:45,562 You know, we're bounced around from time slot to time slot. 234 00:10:46,855 --> 00:10:50,024 And it's hard for a show to pick up traction, 235 00:10:50,024 --> 00:10:52,193 and to find a loyal audience, 236 00:10:52,193 --> 00:10:54,445 if the audience doesn't know what night 237 00:10:54,445 --> 00:10:56,656 it's going to be on or what time it's going to be on. 238 00:10:57,907 --> 00:11:00,493 They put it Wednesday night at nine, 239 00:11:00,493 --> 00:11:02,745 which is sort of crazy, because this is the kind of show 240 00:11:02,745 --> 00:11:04,455 that you would watch with the family. 241 00:11:04,455 --> 00:11:06,332 And you'd want your kids to come watch it 242 00:11:06,332 --> 00:11:08,501 because of the nice, wholesome values. 243 00:11:08,501 --> 00:11:11,462 So nine was a little late, and they were about to kill it. 244 00:11:11,462 --> 00:11:14,173 They started airing it, but then they put a pin in it. 245 00:11:14,173 --> 00:11:17,802 And that pause pin is usually the kiss of death. 246 00:11:17,802 --> 00:11:20,221 My first commandment is, "Thou shalt not forgive." 247 00:11:20,221 --> 00:11:22,849 -God does forgive. -Not in LA. 248 00:11:22,849 --> 00:11:24,350 To me, this was just the way it worked. 249 00:11:24,350 --> 00:11:26,144 "Well, of course, this will get canceled." 250 00:11:26,144 --> 00:11:28,104 And that's just, you know, 251 00:11:28,104 --> 00:11:29,939 the usual way things go out here. 252 00:11:35,695 --> 00:11:37,280 [static crackles] 253 00:11:37,280 --> 00:11:38,740 [heartbeat thumping] 254 00:11:40,366 --> 00:11:42,285 Touched by an Angel premiered on CBS 255 00:11:42,285 --> 00:11:44,412 when CBS was a low-rated network. 256 00:11:44,412 --> 00:11:47,290 It was in third place, even fourth place at times. 257 00:11:47,290 --> 00:11:49,709 And they were really struggling to find their way 258 00:11:49,709 --> 00:11:51,294 and get a new audience. 259 00:11:51,294 --> 00:11:53,838 That's why Touched struggled as well, 260 00:11:53,838 --> 00:11:55,506 constantly moving time slots, 261 00:11:55,506 --> 00:11:57,800 not really finding any sort of traction. 262 00:11:57,800 --> 00:12:02,138 The ratings were sort of marginal that first season. 263 00:12:02,138 --> 00:12:03,890 [Downey] And yet Touched by an Angel 264 00:12:03,890 --> 00:12:05,683 started to do well 265 00:12:05,683 --> 00:12:08,102 in the flyover states. 266 00:12:08,102 --> 00:12:11,606 It became a hit in the South and in the middle 267 00:12:11,606 --> 00:12:16,110 of the United States before it kind of penetrated the coasts. 268 00:12:18,571 --> 00:12:20,365 Particularly for people of faith, 269 00:12:20,365 --> 00:12:22,951 there was nothing like this on television. 270 00:12:24,661 --> 00:12:27,705 It was almost like we were a bit of a joke. 271 00:12:29,248 --> 00:12:33,795 That we had a show that talked about God respectfully. 272 00:12:33,795 --> 00:12:38,132 You know, it wasn't the norm at that time. 273 00:12:38,132 --> 00:12:40,301 At any time, really. 274 00:12:40,301 --> 00:12:42,929 By the end of the first season of Touched, 275 00:12:42,929 --> 00:12:46,641 the word had gotten out that there was a show 276 00:12:46,641 --> 00:12:49,560 that didn't make fun of people who believed in God. 277 00:12:51,062 --> 00:12:53,022 And they were starting 278 00:12:53,022 --> 00:12:56,484 to come around the show and support it, 279 00:12:56,484 --> 00:12:57,986 only to discover that we were, 280 00:12:57,986 --> 00:12:59,529 in fact, on the bubble. 281 00:13:01,239 --> 00:13:03,825 There was a big campaign for people to write in 282 00:13:03,825 --> 00:13:05,326 and try to save the show. 283 00:13:07,662 --> 00:13:12,333 Fans began to write in and say how much they loved the show. 284 00:13:12,333 --> 00:13:15,420 You know, this was like people literally 285 00:13:15,420 --> 00:13:19,924 taking to writing letters, making phone calls. 286 00:13:19,924 --> 00:13:22,051 [Williamson] "Save Touched by an Angel." 287 00:13:22,051 --> 00:13:25,847 USA Today did a big, big push to help save the show. 288 00:13:26,889 --> 00:13:31,561 We're so grateful to the fan base for activating. 289 00:13:31,561 --> 00:13:32,812 They made a lot of noise. 290 00:13:32,812 --> 00:13:34,689 Hallelujah. 291 00:13:34,689 --> 00:13:39,444 And even though we were limping to the next green light, 292 00:13:39,444 --> 00:13:41,112 they would drop us another one. 293 00:13:41,112 --> 00:13:43,281 "Okay, you can do one more." 294 00:13:44,407 --> 00:13:46,200 We don't know what our fate's going to be, 295 00:13:46,200 --> 00:13:49,495 but we're going to do our damnedest to make a great show. 296 00:13:49,495 --> 00:13:51,330 Then they tried us out on Saturday night, 297 00:13:51,330 --> 00:13:54,876 on what they called America's Night of something. 298 00:13:54,876 --> 00:13:57,795 And it was Dr. Quinn, 299 00:13:57,795 --> 00:14:00,131 They had the Chuck Norris, Walker, Texas Ranger, 300 00:14:00,131 --> 00:14:01,758 and they had Touched by an Angel. 301 00:14:01,758 --> 00:14:03,092 So it was a big family night show. 302 00:14:03,092 --> 00:14:04,844 Second season had come and gone. 303 00:14:04,844 --> 00:14:07,138 It wasn't their biggest nightmare, 304 00:14:07,138 --> 00:14:09,265 but certainly, "Why keep it around?" 305 00:14:11,851 --> 00:14:15,563 We were on the chopping block, until Les Moonves 306 00:14:15,563 --> 00:14:18,441 came in and said, "Wait, something's going on here." 307 00:14:18,441 --> 00:14:21,110 And he saw the potential. 308 00:14:21,110 --> 00:14:22,945 "If numbers keep growing, 309 00:14:22,945 --> 00:14:26,866 you find a place to give them a chance to grow." 310 00:14:27,575 --> 00:14:32,080 And that wonderful soil was Sunday night at eight o'clock. 311 00:14:32,080 --> 00:14:34,916 We landed in that Sunday night time slot. 312 00:14:34,916 --> 00:14:37,085 And then it sort of all clicked. 313 00:14:37,085 --> 00:14:39,253 Which in hindsight, makes total sense. 314 00:14:39,253 --> 00:14:43,633 A religious-oriented show on Sunday night, of course. 315 00:14:43,633 --> 00:14:45,635 And I think that audience found it as well. 316 00:14:45,635 --> 00:14:47,470 [magical sparkle plays] 317 00:14:47,470 --> 00:14:48,888 [Rosanne Welch] Putting Touched by an Angel 318 00:14:48,888 --> 00:14:50,515 on Sunday night was sort of a slam dunk. 319 00:14:52,016 --> 00:14:53,142 "How silly of you." 320 00:14:53,142 --> 00:14:54,352 Of course, people who were 321 00:14:54,352 --> 00:14:55,478 of that part of the audience 322 00:14:55,478 --> 00:14:56,604 were going to go to church, 323 00:14:56,604 --> 00:14:57,730 be with family, 324 00:14:57,730 --> 00:14:58,856 end the day by watching 325 00:14:58,856 --> 00:15:01,150 the show with their kids. 326 00:15:01,150 --> 00:15:02,944 [Schneider] So that really helped. 327 00:15:02,944 --> 00:15:05,738 Moving the time slot paid off, with Touched by an Angel 328 00:15:05,738 --> 00:15:07,907 turning into a mega hit for CBS. 329 00:15:07,907 --> 00:15:11,786 And before you know it, we had 15 million people, 330 00:15:11,786 --> 00:15:15,790 18 million people, 20 million people. 331 00:15:15,790 --> 00:15:18,209 We found a very comfortable home 332 00:15:18,209 --> 00:15:21,838 in the top ten for years and years. 333 00:15:21,838 --> 00:15:25,633 There were even times when we beat Friends and ER. 334 00:15:26,926 --> 00:15:28,970 Nowadays, a show can get a million people, 335 00:15:28,970 --> 00:15:30,805 and that's considered a hit. 336 00:15:30,805 --> 00:15:32,974 It was really exciting, frankly, 337 00:15:32,974 --> 00:15:36,269 because suddenly you thought, "Wait, I'm on a hit." 338 00:15:36,269 --> 00:15:38,354 This doesn't happen very often. 339 00:15:38,354 --> 00:15:40,356 [whimsical music playing] 340 00:15:40,356 --> 00:15:41,858 Twenty million people were watching 341 00:15:41,858 --> 00:15:44,068 this show every Sunday night. 342 00:15:44,068 --> 00:15:48,197 They were trying to reach as wide a demographic as possible, 343 00:15:48,197 --> 00:15:52,243 because the specificity of religion was never mentioned. 344 00:15:52,243 --> 00:15:56,664 You know, these were not Mormon angels or Catholic angels. 345 00:15:56,664 --> 00:15:57,999 They were just angels. 346 00:15:57,999 --> 00:15:59,667 God won't let you down. 347 00:15:59,667 --> 00:16:02,170 The whole thing is essentially about God, 348 00:16:02,170 --> 00:16:03,963 but it's got nothing to do with religion. 349 00:16:03,963 --> 00:16:07,550 There is no doctrine, short of a few things. 350 00:16:07,550 --> 00:16:08,968 "God loves you." 351 00:16:08,968 --> 00:16:11,762 Have you got something against God? 352 00:16:11,762 --> 00:16:13,639 -Yes. -But short of that, 353 00:16:13,639 --> 00:16:15,892 this is not denominational. 354 00:16:15,892 --> 00:16:20,313 They're really careful that these are unbranded angels. 355 00:16:20,313 --> 00:16:21,731 It was very much a spiritual show, 356 00:16:21,731 --> 00:16:23,149 not necessarily a Christian show. 357 00:16:24,400 --> 00:16:26,027 There were so many stories 358 00:16:26,027 --> 00:16:28,446 that came from the personal lives 359 00:16:28,446 --> 00:16:30,990 and the personal passions of our writers, 360 00:16:30,990 --> 00:16:32,867 and they put their hearts and souls into it, 361 00:16:32,867 --> 00:16:34,994 and it shows up all over the screen. 362 00:16:34,994 --> 00:16:36,913 -Action! -I don't want to out them, 363 00:16:36,913 --> 00:16:39,665 but I'm rather sure there were heathens in the writing staff. 364 00:16:39,665 --> 00:16:43,586 Not everyone sort of were churchgoers. 365 00:16:43,586 --> 00:16:45,171 [Welch] I was, like, the token Catholic. 366 00:16:45,171 --> 00:16:47,298 We had New Age people. We had Jewish people. 367 00:16:47,298 --> 00:16:48,716 I'm Jewish. 368 00:16:48,716 --> 00:16:49,842 Glenn Berenbeim was Jewish. 369 00:16:49,842 --> 00:16:51,260 We had writers of every faith. 370 00:16:52,261 --> 00:16:54,597 As Martha always said, "This is a show 371 00:16:54,597 --> 00:16:57,975 about spirituality, not religion." 372 00:16:57,975 --> 00:16:59,435 Hello, I'm Monica. 373 00:16:59,435 --> 00:17:01,354 We tried our best 374 00:17:01,354 --> 00:17:03,189 to be a water cooler show. 375 00:17:03,189 --> 00:17:04,982 -You can be my age. -Back off. 376 00:17:04,982 --> 00:17:06,192 I'm working here. 377 00:17:06,192 --> 00:17:07,735 You know, CBS, they didn't just 378 00:17:07,735 --> 00:17:09,445 want to preach to the choir. 379 00:17:09,445 --> 00:17:11,530 Big broadcaster, they want to broaden it. 380 00:17:11,530 --> 00:17:14,283 They want to get everybody to watch their show. 381 00:17:14,283 --> 00:17:16,410 So I think they were going for 382 00:17:16,410 --> 00:17:19,372 a very inclusive perspective. 383 00:17:19,372 --> 00:17:22,041 One is black, one is white, one is young, 384 00:17:22,041 --> 00:17:25,711 the other is older, where almost any kind of 385 00:17:25,711 --> 00:17:28,589 American could feel comfortable watching it. 386 00:17:28,589 --> 00:17:32,218 And obviously they did, since the show at its high point 387 00:17:32,218 --> 00:17:35,096 was watched by 25 million people. 388 00:17:35,096 --> 00:17:37,974 That's astounding in today's television markets. 389 00:17:37,974 --> 00:17:41,936 There were other really big shows happening at the time, 390 00:17:41,936 --> 00:17:44,313 but the fact that Touched by an Angel 391 00:17:44,313 --> 00:17:46,774 was neck and neck with ER says something 392 00:17:46,774 --> 00:17:50,069 about what the audience wants and is hungry for. 393 00:17:52,697 --> 00:17:55,574 What made Touched so groundbreaking 394 00:17:55,574 --> 00:17:59,578 was that we did more than entertain. 395 00:17:59,578 --> 00:18:03,749 I know that you have the AIDS virus. 396 00:18:03,749 --> 00:18:04,917 Oh, my God. 397 00:18:04,917 --> 00:18:06,043 That we really got into 398 00:18:06,043 --> 00:18:07,461 some of the deep stuff 399 00:18:07,461 --> 00:18:08,796 that you wouldn't have expected 400 00:18:08,796 --> 00:18:10,506 to see at eight o'clock 401 00:18:10,506 --> 00:18:12,842 on a family show on Sunday night. 402 00:18:12,842 --> 00:18:13,926 No! 403 00:18:18,514 --> 00:18:20,099 [static crackles] 404 00:18:20,099 --> 00:18:21,559 [heartbeat thumping] 405 00:18:22,560 --> 00:18:25,271 I think audiences love Touched by an Angel 406 00:18:25,271 --> 00:18:28,858 because every week they knew they could see 407 00:18:28,858 --> 00:18:31,861 a story that was surprising. 408 00:18:32,987 --> 00:18:36,657 [Bird] Touched by an Angel dealt with tough subjects. 409 00:18:36,657 --> 00:18:39,660 Our whole family could sit together and watch a TV show 410 00:18:39,660 --> 00:18:42,580 and talk about it, and maybe bring up a subject 411 00:18:42,580 --> 00:18:44,332 that we wouldn't have talked about otherwise. 412 00:18:44,332 --> 00:18:46,709 You think you can hide behind this Bible, 413 00:18:46,709 --> 00:18:49,503 or that phony smile, or a white sheet? 414 00:18:49,503 --> 00:18:52,256 I know who you are, you hate monger. 415 00:18:52,256 --> 00:18:56,927 People think of it somehow as a soft show, 416 00:18:56,927 --> 00:18:59,638 but we dealt with very dark material. 417 00:18:59,638 --> 00:19:01,474 There were episodes about everything, 418 00:19:01,474 --> 00:19:04,685 from alcoholism to divorce to death 419 00:19:04,685 --> 00:19:07,563 to child trafficking. 420 00:19:07,563 --> 00:19:09,106 We did an episode 421 00:19:09,106 --> 00:19:12,610 about a young man with HIV. 422 00:19:12,610 --> 00:19:16,781 It doesn't matter that they're HIV positive up here. 423 00:19:16,781 --> 00:19:18,824 I should think that it matters very much. 424 00:19:18,824 --> 00:19:22,203 I felt like nobody ever shied away from, 425 00:19:22,203 --> 00:19:24,997 you know, real important social issues. 426 00:19:24,997 --> 00:19:27,625 Things that were important to families. 427 00:19:27,625 --> 00:19:31,045 Everything from illness to, you know, 428 00:19:31,045 --> 00:19:34,965 alcoholism or drug addiction or suicide. 429 00:19:34,965 --> 00:19:37,093 You know, the things that can break a family. 430 00:19:37,093 --> 00:19:39,345 Detective McCovey has something to say. 431 00:19:39,345 --> 00:19:41,847 We don't want to hear from him. 432 00:19:41,847 --> 00:19:45,851 I was a cop, and I shot and killed 433 00:19:45,851 --> 00:19:49,939 a Black kid because a black guy killed my wife. 434 00:19:49,939 --> 00:19:53,025 And there's a speech that I give in a church 435 00:19:53,025 --> 00:19:56,112 saying that, "I was mad at all of you." 436 00:19:56,112 --> 00:19:59,115 And it was a Black church, because of that. 437 00:19:59,115 --> 00:20:00,449 And, "I'm sorry." 438 00:20:00,449 --> 00:20:01,617 Never thought of myself 439 00:20:01,617 --> 00:20:03,994 as a bigot before, but... 440 00:20:04,829 --> 00:20:07,665 [sniffles] ...but I guess I was. 441 00:20:08,916 --> 00:20:10,126 Good episode. 442 00:20:11,502 --> 00:20:13,212 We understood who was watching, 443 00:20:13,212 --> 00:20:17,174 and we didn't want to do anything to alienate them. 444 00:20:17,174 --> 00:20:21,011 But we also wanted to challenge them sometimes to, 445 00:20:21,011 --> 00:20:24,223 you know, "Let's show grace to everybody." 446 00:20:26,308 --> 00:20:29,812 People got certain messages of encouragement 447 00:20:29,812 --> 00:20:32,940 and faith week after week after week. 448 00:20:32,940 --> 00:20:34,775 And that's such a powerful message. 449 00:20:34,775 --> 00:20:37,987 I think that's why people, at its heart, love the show. 450 00:20:37,987 --> 00:20:41,407 And I'll also give full credit to Roma Downey 451 00:20:41,407 --> 00:20:43,200 and Della Reese and John Dye. 452 00:20:43,200 --> 00:20:46,704 You know, it was a wonderful, magical sort of casting 453 00:20:46,704 --> 00:20:50,708 of these three actors who are all beautiful human beings. 454 00:20:50,708 --> 00:20:52,918 And that came across on screen. 455 00:20:52,918 --> 00:20:56,672 Roma Downey was beautiful, 456 00:20:56,672 --> 00:20:58,632 but not sexy, 457 00:20:58,632 --> 00:21:01,927 which made her attractive to women 458 00:21:01,927 --> 00:21:03,929 as much as she might have been to men. 459 00:21:05,806 --> 00:21:08,517 And she was such a gentle character 460 00:21:08,517 --> 00:21:12,062 that kids could probably relate to her very easily. 461 00:21:12,062 --> 00:21:15,107 You know, sometimes, Joey, you have to remember 462 00:21:15,107 --> 00:21:17,902 the bad things so that you can learn from them. 463 00:21:17,902 --> 00:21:20,321 So Roma Downey grew up in Northern Ireland... 464 00:21:22,406 --> 00:21:25,993 and had a very, very hardscrabble childhood. 465 00:21:25,993 --> 00:21:30,498 I think maybe because of that difficult childhood, 466 00:21:30,498 --> 00:21:33,667 the struggles just to survive, she always has had 467 00:21:33,667 --> 00:21:38,506 this generosity of spirit and sweetness. 468 00:21:38,506 --> 00:21:40,341 [Bird] She was just graceful. 469 00:21:40,341 --> 00:21:44,011 Like, it just oozed out of her, the gracefulness. 470 00:21:44,011 --> 00:21:47,223 And that's how Roma Downey is. 471 00:21:47,223 --> 00:21:48,891 She lives that way, too. 472 00:21:48,891 --> 00:21:50,768 [Welch] My son was like two, 473 00:21:50,768 --> 00:21:52,269 and Roma's daughter was about the same age. 474 00:21:52,269 --> 00:21:55,606 So sometimes her nanny would come and say 475 00:21:55,606 --> 00:21:57,316 my son could go play in their trailer 476 00:21:57,316 --> 00:21:58,984 with her daughter, because the kids were bored. 477 00:21:58,984 --> 00:22:01,028 So Roma had a very, like, motherly, 478 00:22:01,028 --> 00:22:03,113 this is a family situation thing. 479 00:22:03,113 --> 00:22:04,698 And I think that really resonated 480 00:22:04,698 --> 00:22:06,033 with everybody for a long time. 481 00:22:08,160 --> 00:22:11,539 I had my daughter on the series. 482 00:22:11,539 --> 00:22:15,376 I'm sure my pregnancy was a challenge. 483 00:22:16,919 --> 00:22:20,506 You know, many other shows they can write into, 484 00:22:20,506 --> 00:22:22,383 that the character gets pregnant, 485 00:22:22,383 --> 00:22:26,679 but it really wasn't an option on Touched by an Angel. 486 00:22:26,679 --> 00:22:29,306 I carried very large sun hats. 487 00:22:29,306 --> 00:22:31,725 I carried big bags of shopping. 488 00:22:31,725 --> 00:22:34,061 I was standing behind car doors. 489 00:22:34,061 --> 00:22:36,355 I was leaning over couches. 490 00:22:36,355 --> 00:22:39,567 Sit, sit. Leonard, could you help me out here? 491 00:22:39,567 --> 00:22:40,985 -[barks] -Even though 492 00:22:40,985 --> 00:22:43,529 we thought we were being so clever, 493 00:22:43,529 --> 00:22:45,864 you know, my face was just getting bigger 494 00:22:45,864 --> 00:22:47,283 and bigger and bigger. [chuckles] 495 00:22:51,161 --> 00:22:53,664 There was real chemistry between Roma and Della. 496 00:22:54,748 --> 00:22:57,251 And people can see that, I think. 497 00:22:57,251 --> 00:23:01,130 Della with her big, you know, the higher the hair, 498 00:23:01,130 --> 00:23:03,215 the closer to God, right? 499 00:23:03,215 --> 00:23:05,050 [Williamson] Roma and Della, 500 00:23:05,050 --> 00:23:08,554 there was a real mother-daughter relationship. 501 00:23:10,681 --> 00:23:14,018 -Are you all right? -[tearfully] I will be. 502 00:23:14,018 --> 00:23:16,562 Roma lost her mother very early as a child. 503 00:23:16,562 --> 00:23:20,149 And Della is just earth mother to all. 504 00:23:20,149 --> 00:23:22,526 And the two of them had something special 505 00:23:22,526 --> 00:23:24,903 that had to be written to. 506 00:23:24,903 --> 00:23:28,574 Della Reese became like a mother to me. 507 00:23:28,574 --> 00:23:33,621 Oh, baby, there is great joy. Great joy. 508 00:23:33,621 --> 00:23:36,915 But God told us there'd be days like this too. 509 00:23:36,915 --> 00:23:39,084 [Downey] I loved her with all of my heart. 510 00:23:39,084 --> 00:23:42,921 Our friendship lasted right up 'til the very end. 511 00:23:46,550 --> 00:23:48,886 The moment she hit the set, it was always, 512 00:23:48,886 --> 00:23:50,679 "Well, hello, everybody." 513 00:23:50,679 --> 00:23:52,139 And there's this prayer. 514 00:23:52,139 --> 00:23:55,476 And she had this immense energy 515 00:23:55,476 --> 00:23:57,770 that was incredibly embracing. 516 00:23:57,770 --> 00:24:00,397 [big band music playing] 517 00:24:00,397 --> 00:24:04,443 The way she treated us was how she ended up 518 00:24:04,443 --> 00:24:07,279 showing up in the scripts as well. 519 00:24:07,279 --> 00:24:10,157 And we wanted that authority figure. 520 00:24:10,157 --> 00:24:13,077 -She was the supervisor. -So you listen to me. 521 00:24:13,077 --> 00:24:14,286 Are you listening? 522 00:24:14,286 --> 00:24:16,580 Later when I met my husband, 523 00:24:16,580 --> 00:24:18,832 Mark Burnett, I warned him. 524 00:24:18,832 --> 00:24:21,293 I said, "She's not a handshaker." 525 00:24:21,293 --> 00:24:24,171 She's going to give you a hug. So be prepared. 526 00:24:24,171 --> 00:24:26,256 She said, "That's my baby girl. 527 00:24:26,256 --> 00:24:30,052 And if you hurt her, I will have you killed." 528 00:24:30,052 --> 00:24:32,054 And he started to laugh, you know, 529 00:24:32,054 --> 00:24:33,681 because he thought, well, dark humor. 530 00:24:33,681 --> 00:24:36,058 And she said, "Oh, no, I'm not kidding." 531 00:24:36,058 --> 00:24:37,643 Della is Della. 532 00:24:37,643 --> 00:24:40,521 What you saw on the screen was Della. 533 00:24:43,524 --> 00:24:46,402 And John, when he was added to the show in the third season 534 00:24:46,402 --> 00:24:49,863 as the Angel of Death, he fit in very nicely. 535 00:24:49,863 --> 00:24:52,658 I mean, Della and Roma and John were a trio. 536 00:24:52,658 --> 00:24:54,993 You are looking good. 537 00:24:54,993 --> 00:24:58,539 No, baby, you know that you're the one who looks good. 538 00:24:58,539 --> 00:25:01,166 [laughs] Come on, baby, we got work to do. 539 00:25:01,166 --> 00:25:03,127 John Dye. 540 00:25:03,127 --> 00:25:05,671 How perfect of a name is that for the Angel of Death? 541 00:25:05,671 --> 00:25:08,590 And I think part of what made John work 542 00:25:08,590 --> 00:25:12,803 as the Angel of Death was his instinct that death 543 00:25:12,803 --> 00:25:16,765 is not something to be terrified of. 544 00:25:16,765 --> 00:25:19,059 It is a natural culmination of life. 545 00:25:20,102 --> 00:25:22,229 And I think he was able to capture that. 546 00:25:23,397 --> 00:25:26,400 [Downey] He was a true Southern gentleman. 547 00:25:26,400 --> 00:25:28,777 He was easy on the eyes. 548 00:25:28,777 --> 00:25:32,281 And, you know, you could only hope, when your time comes, 549 00:25:32,281 --> 00:25:37,035 that as lovely an angel as John Dye would show up for you. 550 00:25:37,035 --> 00:25:39,580 [Alexis Cruz] John and I used to crack up all the time 551 00:25:39,580 --> 00:25:40,998 and tell jokes together. 552 00:25:40,998 --> 00:25:42,791 We'd look at these scripts 553 00:25:42,791 --> 00:25:45,461 and we'd go, "Wow, really?" [sucks teeth] 554 00:25:45,461 --> 00:25:47,254 "That's kind of corny, isn't it? 555 00:25:47,254 --> 00:25:49,381 We were like, what are we going to do with this?" 556 00:25:49,381 --> 00:25:50,716 [Welch] And he just became 557 00:25:50,716 --> 00:25:52,301 the third member of our family. 558 00:25:53,719 --> 00:25:56,638 So Touched by an Angel had a relatively small 559 00:25:56,638 --> 00:25:58,766 ensemble cast of our angels. 560 00:25:59,933 --> 00:26:01,727 But what that gave us 561 00:26:01,727 --> 00:26:05,022 was unbelievably big 562 00:26:05,022 --> 00:26:07,024 casting opportunities for our guest stars. 563 00:26:11,820 --> 00:26:13,405 [static crackles] 564 00:26:13,405 --> 00:26:14,865 [heart thumping] 565 00:26:20,120 --> 00:26:22,748 When you look back now at Touched by an Angel, 566 00:26:22,748 --> 00:26:26,168 you'll be astounded by the kind of A-list talent 567 00:26:26,168 --> 00:26:27,878 that were part of that roster. 568 00:26:28,921 --> 00:26:30,631 Folks like Bryan Cranston. 569 00:26:30,631 --> 00:26:31,882 He's still going to have to spend 570 00:26:31,882 --> 00:26:33,717 some time up in psychiatric. 571 00:26:33,717 --> 00:26:34,968 What? 572 00:26:34,968 --> 00:26:37,095 We had brand new stars-to-be. 573 00:26:37,095 --> 00:26:38,806 We had Brie Larson. 574 00:26:38,806 --> 00:26:41,850 Silly, he lives in the boys' dormitory. 575 00:26:41,850 --> 00:26:44,770 -[Williamson] James Marsden. -You can't do that. 576 00:26:44,770 --> 00:26:46,730 Oh, no? Who's going to stop me? 577 00:26:46,730 --> 00:26:48,774 [Williamson] Pedro Pascal. 578 00:26:48,774 --> 00:26:50,901 What are you doing here? 579 00:26:50,901 --> 00:26:53,779 -Aren't you a little old? -Watch it, buster. 580 00:26:53,779 --> 00:26:55,447 America Ferrera. 581 00:26:55,447 --> 00:26:58,200 And you think, "Oh, my gosh, I worked with Jack Black 582 00:26:58,200 --> 00:27:00,828 when he was just, you know, a kid." 583 00:27:00,828 --> 00:27:02,704 -Really? Never mind. -Hey. 584 00:27:03,831 --> 00:27:05,749 [magical sparkle plays] 585 00:27:07,876 --> 00:27:09,837 Huh? 586 00:27:09,837 --> 00:27:12,840 We had movie stars on Touched by an Angel. 587 00:27:12,840 --> 00:27:14,341 Kirk Douglas. 588 00:27:14,341 --> 00:27:16,802 There will be a bar mitzvah today. 589 00:27:19,137 --> 00:27:20,347 Mine. 590 00:27:20,347 --> 00:27:23,183 And we'd say, "Really? 591 00:27:23,183 --> 00:27:24,726 Are they going to do this? Are you sure?" 592 00:27:24,726 --> 00:27:26,478 It's jaw-dropping. 593 00:27:26,478 --> 00:27:28,814 We had A-list stars. 594 00:27:28,814 --> 00:27:31,275 Carol Burnett. Debbie Reynolds. 595 00:27:31,275 --> 00:27:34,778 Ernest Borgnine. Debbie Allen. 596 00:27:34,778 --> 00:27:37,197 Oscar-winning people. Rita Moreno. 597 00:27:37,197 --> 00:27:39,867 It's so good to be back. 598 00:27:39,867 --> 00:27:42,786 [Bird] And it wasn't just a good payday for them. 599 00:27:42,786 --> 00:27:44,496 Hello. 600 00:27:44,496 --> 00:27:45,706 It's because they wanted to be on. 601 00:27:45,706 --> 00:27:47,332 But they had other people. 602 00:27:47,332 --> 00:27:49,918 Long lists of unlikely and sometimes 603 00:27:49,918 --> 00:27:51,837 very interesting guest stars. 604 00:27:51,837 --> 00:27:53,422 Like Muhammad Ali. 605 00:27:53,422 --> 00:27:54,882 [gasps] What's going on? 606 00:27:54,882 --> 00:27:57,801 Mr. Ali is a friend of ours, Tam. 607 00:27:57,801 --> 00:28:00,596 We had this wonderful opportunity to call people up 608 00:28:00,596 --> 00:28:03,849 and say, "We want to do something with you. 609 00:28:03,849 --> 00:28:05,684 What do you care about?" 610 00:28:05,684 --> 00:28:08,729 We went to Muhammad Ali. 611 00:28:08,729 --> 00:28:10,522 And he said, "Bullying." 612 00:28:10,522 --> 00:28:13,233 [Tess] Strength is not just about muscle. 613 00:28:13,233 --> 00:28:15,944 You have to know what you're fighting for. 614 00:28:15,944 --> 00:28:18,488 Big actors, big athletes, 615 00:28:18,488 --> 00:28:21,783 big celebrities were open to hearing from us. 616 00:28:21,783 --> 00:28:24,620 [Downey] We had Dr. Maya Angelou. 617 00:28:24,620 --> 00:28:26,163 She just took my breath away. 618 00:28:26,163 --> 00:28:27,831 Talk about a legacy. 619 00:28:27,831 --> 00:28:31,084 Maya Angelou wrote a poem 620 00:28:31,084 --> 00:28:36,006 just for our episode called Touched by an Angel. 621 00:28:36,006 --> 00:28:39,593 "Love costs all that we are 622 00:28:39,593 --> 00:28:41,970 and all that we hope to be. 623 00:28:41,970 --> 00:28:46,058 Yet it is only love which sets us free." 624 00:28:46,058 --> 00:28:49,353 A lot of secular actors wanted to be on a show 625 00:28:49,353 --> 00:28:52,689 that had 25 million people watching it. 626 00:28:52,689 --> 00:28:55,525 It was great exposure. It was a quick commitment. 627 00:28:55,525 --> 00:28:58,403 They weren't coming on for, like, an extended arc. 628 00:28:58,403 --> 00:29:01,698 -It was a one-shot deal. -Every week is a new case. 629 00:29:01,698 --> 00:29:03,784 I loved the fact that every week, Touched by an Angel 630 00:29:03,784 --> 00:29:05,327 was set in a different location. 631 00:29:05,327 --> 00:29:06,995 It gave you as a writer a chance 632 00:29:06,995 --> 00:29:09,623 to explore entirely different worlds. 633 00:29:10,832 --> 00:29:15,379 We never had the same set from week to week to week. 634 00:29:15,379 --> 00:29:17,422 And that was a huge challenge. 635 00:29:17,422 --> 00:29:20,092 The challenges were we were in Salt Lake City. 636 00:29:20,092 --> 00:29:23,845 And so it was like, "Okay, how can you make Salt Lake City 637 00:29:23,845 --> 00:29:27,265 look like New Orleans or look like the Sudan?" 638 00:29:27,265 --> 00:29:30,602 [Williamson] One week we were shooting the assassination 639 00:29:30,602 --> 00:29:32,020 of Abraham Lincoln. 640 00:29:32,020 --> 00:29:33,730 The next week we were shooting 641 00:29:33,730 --> 00:29:36,108 Sally Ride in space. 642 00:29:36,108 --> 00:29:38,360 [Bird] We took one street of Salt Lake City 643 00:29:38,360 --> 00:29:40,946 and turned it into Beijing. 644 00:29:40,946 --> 00:29:43,490 And it worked. I mean, it worked beautifully. 645 00:29:43,490 --> 00:29:45,033 The biggest challenge was always, 646 00:29:45,033 --> 00:29:47,077 "Can we keep the mountains out of the shot?" 647 00:29:47,077 --> 00:29:50,914 Because once you saw mountains, that restricted you a lot. 648 00:29:50,914 --> 00:29:54,459 But Salt Lake City was amazingly versatile. 649 00:29:54,459 --> 00:29:57,170 And we did, well, we had over 200 episodes. 650 00:29:58,964 --> 00:30:02,676 We believed on the show that every episode 651 00:30:02,676 --> 00:30:04,720 needed a really good cry. 652 00:30:04,720 --> 00:30:07,848 [chuckles] And we wanted to guarantee that in every episode. 653 00:30:07,848 --> 00:30:10,308 We had a classic four-act structure. 654 00:30:10,308 --> 00:30:12,185 And if you know that at the end of act three, 655 00:30:12,185 --> 00:30:15,230 the dark night of the soul for your hero, 656 00:30:15,230 --> 00:30:18,483 someone dies, someone is in deep distress, 657 00:30:18,483 --> 00:30:21,445 you can work backwards and build story from that point. 658 00:30:21,445 --> 00:30:23,739 There was always that moment 659 00:30:23,739 --> 00:30:27,117 where the angel revealed herself. 660 00:30:27,117 --> 00:30:29,244 Who are you? 661 00:30:29,244 --> 00:30:32,289 -I'm an angel. -A what? 662 00:30:32,289 --> 00:30:34,499 And it was sort of the heart and soul 663 00:30:34,499 --> 00:30:36,126 of each of the episodes. 664 00:30:36,126 --> 00:30:37,669 Whatever I had been wearing, 665 00:30:37,669 --> 00:30:40,380 it would change miraculously. 666 00:30:40,380 --> 00:30:41,506 Monica? 667 00:30:41,506 --> 00:30:43,133 Now I was wearing some sort of 668 00:30:43,133 --> 00:30:45,635 white dress, white and flowy. 669 00:30:45,635 --> 00:30:47,637 I had a little bit of extra light. 670 00:30:47,637 --> 00:30:49,848 -Holy. -Holy is right. 671 00:30:49,848 --> 00:30:53,393 [Downey] And it was kind of an ethereal moment. 672 00:30:53,393 --> 00:30:56,188 You could pick any episode, act four, 673 00:30:56,188 --> 00:30:58,356 when the lights, the heavenly lights 674 00:30:58,356 --> 00:31:00,400 would shine over the angels. 675 00:31:00,400 --> 00:31:02,569 And there was a radiant glow behind her... 676 00:31:03,904 --> 00:31:05,822 as we in the room said, 677 00:31:05,822 --> 00:31:08,366 "the glow-job scene." [chuckles] 678 00:31:09,409 --> 00:31:11,411 You're telling me you're an angel? 679 00:31:11,411 --> 00:31:13,538 The revelation scene was 680 00:31:13,538 --> 00:31:16,541 the big moment on every show. 681 00:31:16,541 --> 00:31:21,004 It was a deeply meaningful scene and moment. 682 00:31:21,004 --> 00:31:23,465 That it was emotionally fulfilling 683 00:31:23,465 --> 00:31:25,884 to an audience to be weepy. 684 00:31:25,884 --> 00:31:29,179 Hopefully, not because it was a terrible episode, 685 00:31:29,179 --> 00:31:31,431 but because it was emotionally moving. 686 00:31:31,431 --> 00:31:33,934 If you can get people to laugh, cry, 687 00:31:33,934 --> 00:31:36,353 or have their emotions swell, 688 00:31:36,353 --> 00:31:39,189 that's a really effective way to do television. 689 00:31:39,189 --> 00:31:41,483 The revelation scene did that every time. 690 00:31:47,197 --> 00:31:50,283 -[static crackles] -[heartbeat thumping] 691 00:31:50,283 --> 00:31:53,703 You sound like you got a real good case of the blues. 692 00:31:54,871 --> 00:31:58,834 We used music in a way that most shows never did. 693 00:31:58,834 --> 00:32:00,669 ♪ When I look into your eyes ♪ 694 00:32:00,669 --> 00:32:01,795 [Downey] I remember street jamming 695 00:32:01,795 --> 00:32:03,672 with Justin Timberlake. 696 00:32:03,672 --> 00:32:05,757 ♪ God must have spent... ♪ 697 00:32:05,757 --> 00:32:07,884 ♪ ...on you, on you, on you ♪ 698 00:32:07,884 --> 00:32:11,096 Hey, don't give up your day job. 699 00:32:11,096 --> 00:32:13,181 It was always such an important part of it. 700 00:32:13,181 --> 00:32:17,477 From our opening song, "Walk With You..." 701 00:32:17,477 --> 00:32:19,813 ♪ When you walk... ♪ 702 00:32:19,813 --> 00:32:23,108 ...sang by our great Della Reese herself. 703 00:32:23,108 --> 00:32:26,486 And Della got to sing in quite a few episodes. 704 00:32:26,486 --> 00:32:30,740 Music always woven so skillfully. 705 00:32:30,740 --> 00:32:34,035 Martha's always loved music, 706 00:32:34,035 --> 00:32:35,871 and loved bringing music into the show, 707 00:32:35,871 --> 00:32:39,082 and hiring guest stars who were musical performers. 708 00:32:39,082 --> 00:32:42,002 We had a tragedy once where 709 00:32:42,002 --> 00:32:44,171 our guest star could not show up, 710 00:32:44,171 --> 00:32:46,423 and we had to scramble 711 00:32:46,423 --> 00:32:48,884 and rewrite a show over the weekend. 712 00:32:50,260 --> 00:32:52,470 And I went to Della, and I said, Della, 713 00:32:52,470 --> 00:32:54,973 can you sing as many songs as I throw at you? 714 00:32:54,973 --> 00:32:57,184 And she says, "Yeah, and we'll bring in my friends too." 715 00:32:57,184 --> 00:32:59,603 And we did a show with Della Reese, 716 00:32:59,603 --> 00:33:02,314 BB King, Dr. John, 717 00:33:02,314 --> 00:33:05,442 Al Hirt, Hal Linden. 718 00:33:05,442 --> 00:33:08,403 It was one of our best shows ever. 719 00:33:08,403 --> 00:33:11,448 [flute playing] 720 00:33:11,448 --> 00:33:14,034 ♪ Oh, yeah ♪ 721 00:33:15,577 --> 00:33:17,704 There was a lot of music in Touched by an Angel, 722 00:33:17,704 --> 00:33:19,873 but not all just because of Della. 723 00:33:19,873 --> 00:33:21,666 We did have country music stars come to us, 724 00:33:21,666 --> 00:33:24,002 because they felt that was also their audience. 725 00:33:24,002 --> 00:33:27,589 [Downey] Wynonna was one of all of our favorites. 726 00:33:28,632 --> 00:33:32,135 It was our hundredth episode that we filmed with her 727 00:33:32,135 --> 00:33:34,930 that was so powerful and poignant. 728 00:33:34,930 --> 00:33:38,225 ♪ Happy birthday to you ♪ 729 00:33:38,225 --> 00:33:39,517 [smooches] 730 00:33:39,517 --> 00:33:41,895 CBS wanted to do something special, 731 00:33:41,895 --> 00:33:43,813 of course, for the 100th episode. 732 00:33:43,813 --> 00:33:45,482 And it was always on my mind. 733 00:33:45,482 --> 00:33:48,443 It would be a songwriter who was struggling 734 00:33:48,443 --> 00:33:49,861 with something in her life. 735 00:33:49,861 --> 00:33:51,363 What would be the worst thing 736 00:33:51,363 --> 00:33:53,698 you could imagine, is losing your own child. 737 00:33:53,698 --> 00:33:55,951 This is it, Monica. 738 00:33:55,951 --> 00:33:58,370 I'm gonna lose my baby. 739 00:33:58,370 --> 00:34:00,789 One of his wishes was to meet Celine Dion, 740 00:34:00,789 --> 00:34:04,376 and we actually went to Canada and worked with Celine, 741 00:34:04,376 --> 00:34:06,753 one of the great moments of our lives. 742 00:34:06,753 --> 00:34:08,755 And the last thing he really wanted was 743 00:34:08,755 --> 00:34:11,758 to see his mother write the song that had been 744 00:34:11,758 --> 00:34:15,553 in her head for so long, and to complete that song. 745 00:34:15,553 --> 00:34:19,307 ♪ All the colors of the rainbow ♪ 746 00:34:19,307 --> 00:34:21,017 [Williamson] And at the very end of the show, 747 00:34:21,017 --> 00:34:22,936 had that song singing 748 00:34:22,936 --> 00:34:25,814 just as that little boy went to heaven. 749 00:34:25,814 --> 00:34:28,525 And he broke all of our hearts. 750 00:34:28,525 --> 00:34:32,237 And it was really so deeply touching. 751 00:34:32,237 --> 00:34:35,699 And to this day, if I catch a glimpse 752 00:34:35,699 --> 00:34:38,910 of that episode, it could really-- just made me cry. 753 00:34:40,328 --> 00:34:43,081 Do you know what it's like to get two superstars, 754 00:34:43,081 --> 00:34:45,792 Wynonna Judd and Celine Dion, 755 00:34:45,792 --> 00:34:49,254 to agree to be on the same show at the same time? 756 00:34:49,254 --> 00:34:51,965 And it was great to celebrate that we had gone that far, 757 00:34:51,965 --> 00:34:54,509 especially first two seasons, not sure the show's gonna 758 00:34:54,509 --> 00:34:57,470 get canceled, and then to earn 100th episode. 759 00:34:57,470 --> 00:34:58,555 It was a beautiful thing. 760 00:35:02,976 --> 00:35:04,436 Who is that? 761 00:35:04,436 --> 00:35:06,187 When Valerie joined us, 762 00:35:06,187 --> 00:35:08,940 very late in the show, 763 00:35:08,940 --> 00:35:12,610 she was just a breath of fresh air. 764 00:35:12,610 --> 00:35:14,195 We needed a real shot in the arm. 765 00:35:14,195 --> 00:35:17,073 Valerie Bertinelli, my goodness. 766 00:35:17,073 --> 00:35:20,327 I mean, she was America's sweetheart for so many years. 767 00:35:20,327 --> 00:35:24,622 And she played a brand new angel who had just been created. 768 00:35:24,622 --> 00:35:25,999 I'm homesick. 769 00:35:25,999 --> 00:35:27,292 I know, baby, 770 00:35:27,292 --> 00:35:29,044 but you've got a job to do here. 771 00:35:29,044 --> 00:35:30,920 I really enjoyed working with Val, 772 00:35:30,920 --> 00:35:34,341 who played the role of Gloria. 773 00:35:34,341 --> 00:35:36,051 I was excited when Valerie Bertinelli was gonna 774 00:35:36,051 --> 00:35:37,802 join the show, because of course she was bringing 775 00:35:37,802 --> 00:35:39,929 a whole new audience to the show who might not have been 776 00:35:39,929 --> 00:35:41,389 paying attention to it, 777 00:35:41,389 --> 00:35:43,224 but she was very open and wonderful. 778 00:35:43,224 --> 00:35:46,102 And I think she brought that honesty to her character. 779 00:35:47,354 --> 00:35:49,522 As with all television shows... 780 00:35:49,522 --> 00:35:52,192 It's going to be worse than I thought. 781 00:35:52,192 --> 00:35:55,862 Yes. We better get going. 782 00:35:55,862 --> 00:35:56,988 ...there's an end date. 783 00:36:00,825 --> 00:36:04,079 There's business aspects of the decision, 784 00:36:04,079 --> 00:36:06,247 audience size aspects of the decision. 785 00:36:06,247 --> 00:36:09,709 I just think it was ultimately time for it 786 00:36:09,709 --> 00:36:12,337 to go and for it to end. 787 00:36:12,337 --> 00:36:17,008 CBS had just bought Sunday Night Football, 788 00:36:17,008 --> 00:36:18,802 and they kept running overtime. 789 00:36:18,802 --> 00:36:22,430 And that became difficult and unpredictable. 790 00:36:22,430 --> 00:36:23,640 People were saying, "Is Touched on? 791 00:36:23,640 --> 00:36:24,849 Is it not on?" 792 00:36:24,849 --> 00:36:25,975 So it became 793 00:36:25,975 --> 00:36:28,478 a logistical problem as well. 794 00:36:28,478 --> 00:36:32,565 There was a sweetness and a sadness to it ending, 795 00:36:32,565 --> 00:36:35,944 really, because we had all been on it so long. 796 00:36:35,944 --> 00:36:38,279 We had all become such a family. 797 00:36:39,906 --> 00:36:42,867 You know, I think everything runs its course. 798 00:36:42,867 --> 00:36:44,202 It was the dream job. 799 00:36:44,202 --> 00:36:45,495 It was getting to write 800 00:36:45,495 --> 00:36:46,913 for female characters 801 00:36:46,913 --> 00:36:48,665 who had something important to say. 802 00:36:48,665 --> 00:36:51,626 And it spoke to me that 803 00:36:51,626 --> 00:36:55,046 America loves having 804 00:36:55,046 --> 00:36:58,383 this place in their entertainment menu, 805 00:36:58,383 --> 00:37:00,135 that they welcome this. 806 00:37:00,135 --> 00:37:03,263 It was deeply satisfying to have the success 807 00:37:03,263 --> 00:37:07,767 of Touched by an Angel demonstrated week after week. 808 00:37:07,767 --> 00:37:11,396 I think it was over 200 and something episodes 809 00:37:11,396 --> 00:37:14,524 we made, and maybe it was time to hang it up. 810 00:37:14,524 --> 00:37:16,985 But there was a lot of tears, 811 00:37:16,985 --> 00:37:19,487 of course, saying goodbye. 812 00:37:21,656 --> 00:37:24,325 [Williamson] And so we knew that we were kind of winding down, 813 00:37:24,325 --> 00:37:26,494 and it might be time to say, 814 00:37:26,494 --> 00:37:29,080 "Let's take a look at where we're headed." 815 00:37:29,080 --> 00:37:31,791 So we weren't canceled. You can't cancel God. 816 00:37:31,791 --> 00:37:34,586 But it was really by a beautiful and lovely 817 00:37:34,586 --> 00:37:38,298 mutual agreement with the folks at CBS. 818 00:37:38,298 --> 00:37:39,757 It was time to say goodbye. 819 00:37:39,757 --> 00:37:42,218 [heartfelt music playing] 820 00:37:42,218 --> 00:37:45,388 ♪ 821 00:37:47,348 --> 00:37:50,393 -[static crackles] -[heartbeat thumping] 822 00:37:52,145 --> 00:37:53,521 I think Touched by an Angel 823 00:37:53,521 --> 00:37:55,440 does still resonate 30 years on... 824 00:37:55,440 --> 00:37:57,525 [magical sparkle playing] 825 00:37:58,109 --> 00:38:00,278 ...because the timelessness 826 00:38:00,278 --> 00:38:03,990 of the core message will never go away. 827 00:38:03,990 --> 00:38:06,618 All of us need to believe in ourselves, and to believe 828 00:38:06,618 --> 00:38:08,786 in our community, and to realize that 829 00:38:08,786 --> 00:38:11,873 all of us have the ability to make change. 830 00:38:11,873 --> 00:38:14,292 And that's what they told people on a weekly basis. 831 00:38:14,292 --> 00:38:16,711 "You don't think things are good in your life now. 832 00:38:16,711 --> 00:38:19,589 I'm here to tell you, you can find a way to fix it, 833 00:38:19,589 --> 00:38:20,924 and I will support you." 834 00:38:20,924 --> 00:38:22,300 That's huge. 835 00:38:22,300 --> 00:38:24,219 Touched by an Angel revealed 836 00:38:24,219 --> 00:38:26,179 that even when we thought 837 00:38:26,179 --> 00:38:29,265 the era of being able to pull off 838 00:38:29,265 --> 00:38:32,393 such an earnest, sincere, 839 00:38:32,393 --> 00:38:36,940 completely non-ironic program was over. 840 00:38:36,940 --> 00:38:39,108 Touched by an Angel proved that you could not only 841 00:38:39,108 --> 00:38:41,986 do that stuff, but people liked it. 842 00:38:41,986 --> 00:38:43,905 Even though critics might have 843 00:38:43,905 --> 00:38:46,658 a hard time celebrating schmaltz, 844 00:38:46,658 --> 00:38:48,910 sometimes schmaltz, if done well, 845 00:38:48,910 --> 00:38:50,411 can actually be interesting. 846 00:38:50,411 --> 00:38:51,913 [Schneider] Along comes a show 847 00:38:51,913 --> 00:38:55,250 that was about faith and morals. 848 00:38:55,250 --> 00:38:57,585 This was slightly religious, 849 00:38:57,585 --> 00:38:59,504 and obviously had an audience 850 00:38:59,504 --> 00:39:02,590 that really embraced it, as something a little different 851 00:39:02,590 --> 00:39:06,636 than what else was on TV in that age of sarcasm. 852 00:39:06,636 --> 00:39:08,721 And I think that's one reason why 853 00:39:08,721 --> 00:39:10,431 it did quite well at the time. 854 00:39:10,431 --> 00:39:14,060 And it did melodrama really well. 855 00:39:14,060 --> 00:39:16,980 I don't care what people say, sometimes a good, 856 00:39:16,980 --> 00:39:20,733 manipulated cry is just what the doctor ordered. 857 00:39:20,733 --> 00:39:23,027 We had a very unique show. 858 00:39:23,027 --> 00:39:25,905 Nobody ever quite knew what to do with it 859 00:39:25,905 --> 00:39:27,574 or how to categorize it. 860 00:39:27,574 --> 00:39:29,325 And that's okay. 861 00:39:29,325 --> 00:39:32,245 With all due respect to the members of the press, 862 00:39:32,245 --> 00:39:33,830 it was your profession 863 00:39:33,830 --> 00:39:35,707 that really has been the least kind to us. 864 00:39:35,707 --> 00:39:39,002 But the people, in spite of what you wrote about us initially, 865 00:39:39,002 --> 00:39:40,253 have continued to watch, 866 00:39:40,253 --> 00:39:42,046 and have watched in great numbers. 867 00:39:42,046 --> 00:39:43,673 There were a lot of people who could have made 868 00:39:43,673 --> 00:39:47,093 a lot of fun, and they didn't. 869 00:39:47,093 --> 00:39:48,303 [Schneider] Touched by an Angel 870 00:39:48,303 --> 00:39:49,637 was two female leads. 871 00:39:49,637 --> 00:39:51,598 And that was an important example 872 00:39:51,598 --> 00:39:53,766 of how female leads could actually carry 873 00:39:53,766 --> 00:39:55,977 a spiritual primetime drama, 874 00:39:55,977 --> 00:39:58,813 where up until then, we'd seen mostly men 875 00:39:58,813 --> 00:40:01,274 like Michael Landon, Highway to Heaven, 876 00:40:01,274 --> 00:40:03,651 as stars of these kinds of shows. 877 00:40:03,651 --> 00:40:06,070 So it did break new ground to that degree, 878 00:40:06,070 --> 00:40:07,697 and that was pretty astounding. 879 00:40:08,906 --> 00:40:11,200 [Downey] Very uncommon to have not one, 880 00:40:11,200 --> 00:40:12,952 but two female leads. 881 00:40:14,245 --> 00:40:16,289 And very uncommon to have 882 00:40:16,289 --> 00:40:18,833 female characters that like each other. 883 00:40:18,833 --> 00:40:21,044 Indeed, not just like each other, 884 00:40:21,044 --> 00:40:22,378 but loved each other. 885 00:40:22,378 --> 00:40:23,755 -Excuse me. -I love-- Oh. 886 00:40:23,755 --> 00:40:25,256 [Downey] And so I think that gave it 887 00:40:25,256 --> 00:40:28,509 a particular heartbeat. 888 00:40:28,509 --> 00:40:31,387 I mean, they were two women running a one-hour drama 889 00:40:31,387 --> 00:40:32,722 for all that time. 890 00:40:32,722 --> 00:40:34,098 It was a big deal. 891 00:40:34,098 --> 00:40:35,767 It seems almost every season, 892 00:40:35,767 --> 00:40:37,935 someone's trying, "God friended me." 893 00:40:37,935 --> 00:40:39,437 You know, "God is my best friend. 894 00:40:39,437 --> 00:40:40,897 Where's God?" 895 00:40:40,897 --> 00:40:43,274 There's so many shows that try to get 896 00:40:43,274 --> 00:40:46,069 that secret sauce that Touched by an Angel has. 897 00:40:46,069 --> 00:40:48,029 And that's part of its legacy. 898 00:40:50,114 --> 00:40:53,284 [Bird] Perhaps the biggest impact on me, personally, 899 00:40:53,284 --> 00:40:56,245 was the fact that it saved lives. 900 00:41:00,249 --> 00:41:03,753 And I'm not hyperbolic about this. 901 00:41:03,753 --> 00:41:05,880 We received letters from people saying, 902 00:41:05,880 --> 00:41:07,465 "I was gonna do myself harm. 903 00:41:07,465 --> 00:41:10,259 And I heard that message on television, 904 00:41:10,259 --> 00:41:12,387 and I called for help. 905 00:41:12,387 --> 00:41:13,971 I called a suicide hotline." 906 00:41:15,515 --> 00:41:19,435 [Downey] To see in writing, "The show changed my life. 907 00:41:19,435 --> 00:41:23,022 The show's helped us have a conversation 908 00:41:23,022 --> 00:41:26,150 in our family to address our mother's alcoholism." 909 00:41:26,150 --> 00:41:28,861 -No, I haven't had enough! -Ah! 910 00:41:28,861 --> 00:41:32,573 [Downey] "This helps me heal from the suicide of my child." 911 00:41:32,573 --> 00:41:36,911 Like, these were real people sharing the real impacts 912 00:41:36,911 --> 00:41:39,163 of a TV show on their lives. 913 00:41:42,041 --> 00:41:45,795 What other show has done that? 914 00:41:45,795 --> 00:41:47,714 That's a massive thing to me. 915 00:41:47,714 --> 00:41:49,632 So Touched by an Angel does have a legacy. 916 00:41:49,632 --> 00:41:51,426 God has given you a second chance. 917 00:41:51,426 --> 00:41:52,927 Take it. 918 00:41:52,927 --> 00:41:55,346 It's a legacy of individuals whose lives 919 00:41:55,346 --> 00:41:56,639 have been changed for the better. 920 00:42:03,479 --> 00:42:05,523 [theme music playing]