TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL: SEASON 1

Details

• Release Year: 1994
• Genre: Drama
• Plot: Touched by an Angel wasn't the first TV show with a heavenly theme, but it set a new standard for a compassionate portrayal of Christian themes on television. Roma Downey, with flowing brunette locks and a soft Irish lilt, plays Monica, a divine case-worker sent from town to town to lend an angelic hand. Sometimes it's as simple as helping a dying man reach out to those he loves before it's too late; sometimes she has to face the Devil himself--in the closing episode of the first season, Monica is sent to make sure an AIDS hospice opens despite the opposition of white supremacists being led by Satan (played by John Schneider, formerly of The Dukes of Hazzard). Earthy Della Reese plays Tess, Monica's supervisor, who takes an active role in quite a few cases. Touched by an Angel is unlikely to persuade dubious viewers to join the faith, but though all episodes resolve themselves through the intervention of God and his divine messengers, the show's view of humanity has hope and dignity.

  Touched by an Angel also features an impressive array of guest stars, ranging from country music star Randy Travis to Academy Award winner Cloris Leachman (The Last Picture Show) to Marion Ross (Happy Days); one episode, about a radio talk-show host fighting with her teenage daughter, features Melissa Joan Hart (Sabrina the Teenage Witch), James Marsden (X-Men), and Jack Black (School of Rock), all before their careers took off. Touched by an Angel: The Complete First Season has the first 13 episodes from 1994-95 and, as a bonus, the two-part series finale from 2003. --Bret Fetzer

• Cast: Roma Downey, Della Reese, John Dye, Valerie Bertinelli, Alexis Cruz, Paul Winfield, Charles Rocket, Scott Wilkinson, Randy Travis, Dennis Saylor, Wendy Phillips, Gerald McRaney, Deborah Frazier, Paul Wittenburg, Eddie Karr, Austin O'Brien, Keb' Mo', Tim Threlfall, Christopher Robin Miller, Marion Ross, Frank Gerrish, Mika Boorem, Ossie Davis, Celeste Holm, Sarah Schaub, Cloris Leachman, J. Scott Bronson, Christy Summerhays, Steve O'Neill, Bruce Newbold, JJ Neward, Lindsay Pulsipher, Star LaPoint, Rue McClanahan, Monique Ridge, Gregory Harrison, John Schneider, Steve Vinovich, Jasmine Guy, Delta Burke, Kim Landry, Scott Ditty, Bonnie Bartlett, Vince Melocchi, Steve Anderson, Joyce Cohen, Melinda Haynes, Cristie Briggs, Jyothi Mani, Patty Duke, Wynonna Judd, Marcia Dangerfield, Curley Green, Micaela Nelligan, Alan C. Peterson, Jesse Bennett, Neblis Francois, Danny Hansen, Austin Archer, Susan Dolan, Nora Paradiso, Brian Howe, Jeff Olson, Sam Yeo, Erik King, Joey Lopez, Michael Ruud, Hal Linden, Donna Bullock, Erica Gimpel, Phylicia Rashad, Jonathan Hernandez, Peter Scolari, Susan Ruttan, Kareem Ferguson, Pete Pastore, Stacy Keach, William R. Moses, Michael Flynn, Brian Patrick Clarke, Greg Evigan, Lisa Jane Persky, Alanna Ubach, Dick Van Patten, Kelsi Copier, Bruce Altman, William Daniels, Joe Morton, Harold Gould, Matthew Grace, Ross Malinger, Kelsey Mulrooney, Robert Ri'chard, Kathie Lee Gifford, James Gleason, Anthony Michael Hall, Valerie Harper, Jim Metzler, John Ritter, Gary Sivertsen, Peter Hunt
• Director: Peter Hunt
• Runtime: 11:33
• Company: CBS Productions, Paramount Home Video
• Media Format: Series