Had the CBS network gotten its way, the well-loved faith-based series "Touched by an Angel" would have featured angels that smoked, cursed and told drug jokes.
But creator Martha Williamson firmly stood her ground, saying she wanted her angels to be wholesome and inspiring.
"They pitched a show with angels who smoked, drank, swore and told drug jokes. I turned the show down because I said it's not what I believe in and I can't be a part of it. And the Lord said to me, this is your opportunity to change that or this is going to go on the air like this," Williamson told The Christian Post.
"Could you imagine now seeing Roma Downey and Della Reese smoking, drinking and telling drug jokes?" she said.
Williamson said putting Reese and Downey in the series was one of the best things she ever did, and she feels proud that despite all the changes "Touched by an Angel" went through, three things remained the same – "Roma, Della and the word angel."
Williamson is also proud of the fact that Downey and her husband Mark Burnett are working as executive producers of several faith-based series and films such as "The Bible," "A.D. The Bible Continues," and "Dovekeepers," among many others.
"I applaud anyone who has the courage to take on the Bible," said Williamson. "I can't. I would be overwhelmed. It's such a huge responsibility and it's very expensive to do. But for me, I'm really enjoying for something like Hallmark to just take the small stories of real people today, and try to encourage the people who are trying to deal with today's problems. That's what I do best."
