Martha Williamson and 'Touched By An Angel'

The Beloved TV Show About Divine Intervention

The executive producer of the long-running hit show talks about God, faith and her favorite angels.

“Touched By An Angel” inspired legions of fans with messages of hope and optimism. It changed the way we discuss God on television.

Starring Roma Downey, Della Reese and John Dye, it chronicled the missions of a group of angels sent to help people through a moments of crisis and difficult learning situations. The series ran for nine years on CBS and was nominated for 11 Emmy awards and two Golden Globes.

Executive producer and head writer, Martha Williamson, has continued to share messages of hope on Beliefnet in her twice weekly inspirational videos, “A Touch of Encouragement.”

She recently had the pleasure of selecting and narrating two specially-themed DVD collections of the show that once brightened our Sunday evenings. “Touched By An Angel: Inspiration Collection-Hope and Holiday” was recently released by CBS Home Entertainment.

We caught up with Martha to talk about her important work on “Touched By An Angel.” Read the interview.

People Were Moved by “Touched”

Beliefnet: What was it about the show that touched people the way it did? Why do you think it had such a huge impact?

Martha Williamson: At the time when "Touched" premiered on CBS in 1994, families were spending less time watching television together and more time renting family videos. I believe this exodus from television was a result of families becoming tired of seeing people of faith constantly mocked. Families that valued integrity over success resented being depicted as weak and uninteresting. Suddenly a show came on the air that reflected their values, explored their real day-to-day struggles, honored their faith, and made it okay to talk about God on television. Not to mention, people always tell me it felt good to cry a little on Sunday nights!

A TV Show that Helped People

Beliefnet: Your show made me believe in angels and divine intervention. Do you feel it opened the spiritual eyes of viewers and helped them have faith or keep the faith?

Martha Williamson: I know that it encouraged many people who were struggling with their faith and in many cases challenged unbelievers to seek God on their own. It was also a wonderful tool for Monday morning co-workers to start conversations and share their faith "at the water cooler." Perhaps the most gratifying thing about producing "Touched" was the overflowing box of letters we received every day telling us of miraculous spiritual events that took place as a result of watching our shows. Lives saved, suicides averted, families reunited, estranged friends reconciled, etc.

The Only Actor Who Rewrote the Lines

Beliefnet: Of all the celebrities who have made cameos on the show, was there one in particular whose spiritual life or story, stood out the most?

Martha Williamson: None of us will ever forget the first appearance of Bill Cosby as an angel on our show. He was scheduled to appear earlier in the season, but his son Ennis was murdered three days before we were to begin the episode. Amazingly, with all he had on his mind, Mr. Cosby called us immediately to apologize that he would be unable to appear in the show next week, but promised to return. He returned a mere three months later, still in grief, but committed to not only giving us all he had in his performance, but also determined to make his role a tribute to his son. I still recall standing in the Utah desert watching Bill Cosby take a small monologue and turn it into a sermon about holding onto faith in God when everything about you is crumbling. It may be the only time I ever let an actor rewrite my lines! But what he said that day was far better, far more compelling than anything I could have written because it came from a place of absolute truth and heartbreaking pain.

You Can't Cancel God

Beliefnet: If you could make another episode today, six years later, what would be the special theme of the new episode and what would the angels tell us that might change our world?

Martha Williamson: I'd like to do a Touched By An Angel Christmas Show, with lots of our trademark music and a wonderfully encouraging message of the Good News with angels and children and families and, as usual, a few tears! The world has changed so very much in the last six years, but God hasn't. Television shows come and go, but you can't cancel God! I think a fitting episode would acknowledge those changes in the world and explore how living a simpler life with less money and less security can also have the effect of forcing us to rely upon the grace of God more.