Tonight at 8 on CBS: "Earth Angels", a new series inspired by the success of "Touched By An Angel." Each week, "Earth Angels" will chronicle events in the life of an environmental crusader as he or she struggles to preserve some abused corner of the world. As in the original, angels in human form will suddenly appear in their lives, revealing their true nature only at the depth of the crisis.The familiar "cast of three" format will also be used by "Earth Angels". There will be a supervisor, a caseworker, and—in place of the Angel of Death—an Angel of Creation. This new category of angel will help humans to remember and understand their connections to the natural world.
There will be frequent guest appearances from the cast of "Touched By An Angel". These will include not only Monica (Roma Downey), Tess (Della Reese) and Andrew (John Dye), but other less well known angels: Raphael, Sam, Chloe, Adam, and others.
As before, celebrity guest stars will be featured as both humans and "angels". And spiritual music will often be woven into the texture of the show.
Be sure to tune in for the special two-hour premiere this evening. It’s guaranteed to be a "heavenly" event!
This is a promo I would love to see. Amid all the gratuitous sex,
violence and just plain bad taste that passes for commercial television,
"Touched By An Angel" stands out as one of the few shows consistently worth
watching. And an eco-oriented spinoff just might have potential.
As a long-time fan of the show, I have always been impressed by its unique ability to bring popular success (and critical acclaim) to religious issues. However, as with almost all commercial media, the show is disappointingly anthropocentric. It focuses unfailingly on humans: their trials and tribulations in dealing with their own problems, as well as with other humans.
In its six-year run, the show has never once selected an environmental issue as its topic. Perhaps the producers feared that an episode about red wolves, for example, would not appeal to their usual audience. It might be perceived as a "nature show", suitable only for the niche market that ordinarily watches National Geographic specials.
But there is an easy way around this dilemma. A powerful bond exists between humans and their environment; all the producers need to do is to tap into it. Most people have strong feelings about the natural world. Polls consistently show this to be true. People recycle, they compost, and they buy "green" products. They want their politicians to do something about our environmental problems. They hope their kids will inherit a clean, safe, and peaceful world.
Some even go so far as to become eco-warriors. Often they are forced into it due to circumstance. Their neighborhood might be threatened by a new incinerator, or they may discover it was built on a former toxic waste dump, or they may learn that the habitat of a favorite animal is threatened. As they grapple with the threat, they find themselves getting more and more committed. They enlist the help of other like-minded individuals. Ultimately, they may even form an organization, or dedicate their life to the cause.
Such people would make ideal subjects for a series like "Earth Angels". Typically, they would be assigned a case worker and a supervisor—à la Monica and Tess. The Angel of Creation would be assigned to their nemesis: the person responsible for creating the threat to their environment. Redemption would occur when the perpetrator realizes his error of his ways, and the threat is vanquished.
The show could be given a unique twist by basing it on real life. There is certainly no shortage of topics: any self-respecting environmental organization would be glad to suggest dozens of ideas.
Two organizations might be especially good at this, since they comprise mostly grassroots activists—namely, Fund for Wild Nature and Greenpeace. Fund for Wild Nature sponsors about 50 small local groups, any of which would probably make an interesting story. And Greenpeace, that venerable grand old dame of the environmental movement, is well-known for spooning activists into the jaws of controversy.
A show like "Earth Angels" would provide a unique opportunity to present environmental issues to a mass audience in a familiar and comfortable context. It could point out how God is the creator of all things, and that He loves and cares for each of His creations. It could demonstrate the inter-connectedness of the human and natural worlds, and illustrate their mutual dependence. It could subtly educate viewers about the dismal trends facing our world today. And if it became a hit, it might even generate the kind of mass awareness that could be our only chance at reversing them.