'7th Heaven' makes it to a record 10th

The hourlong series "7th Heaven" is making TV history. The WB Network's wholesome drama got an early pickup Friday for a 10th season, which will make it the longest-running family drama in the annals of television. The previous record was held by two series that began in the 1970s: CBS' "The Waltons" and NBC's "Little House on the Prairie."

Stephen Collins and Catherine Hicks star in "7th Heaven," which premiered in August 1996 and has been the network's most-watched series for seven consecutive seasons. The show even garnered the network's largest viewing audience on Feb. 8, 1999, when 12.5 million viewers watched the birth of the Camden twins.

"An entire generation of preteens and teens has grown up watching the show with their parents and learned valuable life lessons," David Janollari, president of entertainment for the WB, said in a statement. (Tribune Co., parent of The Times, is a part-owner of the WB.)

Two series regulars, Jessica Biel and Barry Watson, have gone on to feature film careers. Biel was seen in "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and Watson is in the current box-office hit "Boogeyman."

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Susan King