Les anges du bonheur

...I have to admit, every time I accidentally turn into this show (re: I never intentionally seek it out, but always run across it while channel surfing) I always leave it on. Now, mind you, I have very little faith in the existence of God or, God forbid (natch), angels, I can't help but feel a little, well..."touched" at the end of every episode. I've seen about a half dozen episode in all the years it's been on, and it is a worthwhile show. You would have to be completely fanatical about the NON-existence of God and angels to hate this show, since it doesn't offend, but just tries to offer good thoughts.

I resisted watching this show for the first few years: too syrupy, too Christian (I'm Jewish), but once I got started (season 3) I was hooked. Yeah, it's predictable, manipulative, extremely Christian(even on the episodes which feature Jewish characters!), but I love it. I can't wait for Monica to glow and say, in that delightful brogue: God loves you so much! However, I think the show 'jumped the shark' when it introduced Valerie Bertinelli as 'Gloria'. She is totally annoying, and unnecessary to the stories. I might have liked her as a guest angel, but enough of her already. As far as the Jewish thing, I'm no expert, but I think that angels sent from God to Jews would not say 'God loves you'. Our relation to God is different than that. Maybe 'God knows you are trying your best' would be more appropriate. Still, I love this show, and now that it's been cancelled, I can't wait for the full set on DVD.

While the show has a certain degree of humor from episode to episode, the producers made the show meaningful to the problems of today's world, with each episode addressing a different and difficult topic in life's journey - ranging from gang problems to drugs to cancer to war to racism, with all giving proof in the end that God's intervention and love is always at hand for those who ask for it. Well-known American Jazz singer and actor Della Reese is well-suited in the role of Supervisory Angel Tess, while Irish-born actor Roma Downey stars in her role as Angelic case worker Monica, who is often given a helping hand from Andrew, The Angel of Death, played consistently well by American actor John Dye.

This was a great show. I have known of several people that have changed some of their bad ways and have re-joined the Church. It shouldn't take a TV show to turn people around but if that is what it takes then it is good. Some of the shows story lines were less desirable, but the final message always came through loud and clear. God loves us all. It always made me feel good. Sorry it had to go off the air, but at least we can still enjoy the story and the great message it brought.

I think TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL is best described as a like-it-or-hate-it show. Some would be turned away by the message-heavy show, while others would like it for its likeable characters and family-friendly stories. I've never watched it on a weekly basis, but I have seen a good deal of episodes, and I enjoy it. I'm not a very religious person, but I can view it as a pleasant show with a lot of heart, good acting, and good storytelling. Of course, one of the reasons I like it is because of Roma Downey, whose beauty (and that beautiful voice) can make even the most slow-paced episodes enjoyable. There's no car chases or shootouts here, so some episodes do tend to be a little slow, but for those who like it, ultimately rewarding. There's obviously a good amount of chemistry between the three stars, and as I said, the stories are very family-friendly, often dealing with issues everyone can relate to. This is a show parents could feel comfortable with letting their kids watch alone. If today's kids could accept a show with more talk than action. I'm still surprised this show is still on. Shows this simple and nice usually tend to disappear immediately. I bet if the show had debuted within the past two or three years, it would have been gone before the fifth episode probably. I suspect it's got another season or two left. It's had a good run, so I would hope the show ends while it's still a good show.