The WB is staying in "7th Heaven" for another year, ordering up a 10th season of the family drama.
With an early renewal for the 2005-06 season, the Aaron Spelling-produced "Heaven" will surpass the nine seasons "Little House on the Prairie" and "The Waltons" stayed on the air -- thus making it the longest-running family drama in TV history, according to the Frog.
(For the record, some TV purists might count "Bonanza" -- which ran for 14 seasons-- as a family drama, despite its oater roots.)
Record or not, "Heaven" -- created by Brenda Hampton -- is clearly a continuing success story for the Frog. Skein is still the WB's No. 2 series in its core aud of adults 12-34 and ranks first among Frog fare with adults 18-49.
WB Entertainment prexy David Janollari called the pickup a "testament to the commitment to excellence" of the show's creator and producers.
"The bottom line is, this is a series that makes you proud to be a broadcaster," he said.
Spelling said the Frog's "10th year pickup of '7th Heaven' has put me into eighth heaven," while Hampton said the skein's success is due to a secret weapon.
"I think everyone is overlooking the show's most noticeable achievement -- after nine seasons, (series star) Stephen Collins still has his hair," Hampton quipped. "At this point in time, there is every indication that he will still have it for the 10th season, so we're looking forward to another year of success. He is our lucky charm."
"Heaven" bowed in late August 1996 and has ranked as the Frog's most-watched series for the past seven seasons. Hampton remains exec producer, along with Spelling and E. Duke Vincent.
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