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“It’s a daunting thing to carry on the Earl Hamner Jr. legacy,” declares Jim Strain about the task of bring a new incarnations of The Waltons to television. Strain served as writer and co-executive producer of the 2021 television film “The Waltons: Homecoming.” In our exclusive video interview (watch above), Strain talks about his love of the original series and the challenges of reimagining the characters for a new audience.

The new telefilm is an adaptation of 1971’s “The Homecoming: A Christmas Story” which first introduced viewers to the Walton family. That film’s success spawned the Emmy-winning drama “The Waltons,” which ran for nine seasons and spawned a number of reunion films. This new reimagining for The CW stars Bellamy Young as matriarch Olivia Walton and Logan Shroyer as eldest son John-Boy. Richard Thomas, who earned an Emmy for playing John-Boy in the original series, serves as the new film’s narrator.

“I feel like it’s something that’s really needed during this time,” declares Tena Clark, one of the composers for the television film “The Waltons: Homecoming.” The film is a remake of 1971’s “The Homecoming: A Christmas Story,” the television movie that spawned the CBS drama that ran for nine seasons and won 13 Emmy awards. Check out our exclusive video interview with Clark and co-composer Tim Heintz above.

The project came to the composers through their friendship with the film’s executive producers Sam Haskell and Hudson Hickman. “We all have something very strong in common, and that is that we’re all from Mississippi. So we have this Mississippi bond,” explains Clark. Though the composers were excited about the opportunity — both were fans of the original series — they were initially concerned with the short time frame in which they had to work. However, Heintz argues that the team had to trust their instincts,...

“I loved ‘The Waltons’ as a kid, and every time on Thursday that we heard the music, we all rushed to the living room to sit down in front of the television,” reveals Sam Haskell. He returned to the nostalgia of his childhood favorite series to produce the popular TV movie “The Waltons: Homecoming,” which aired this past November on The CW Network. In our recent webchat he adds, “Two and a half years ago, we started working on the rights, going to the family. Earl Hamner‘s wife Jane is now in her 90s, and they have all these attorneys around them protecting it. I spoke to everyone single one of them.” Watch the exclusive video interview above.

The two-hour film aired during the 2021 Thanksgiving holiday and featured Emmy-winning actor Richard Thomas, who played John-Boy in the original CBS TV series that premiered in 1972 for nine seasons and launched six more reunion movies.

The CW announced a new movie, “The Waltons’ Thanksgiving,” which will debut in the fourth quarter of 2022. A follow-up to 2021’s “The Waltons’ Homecoming,” the special will feature Bellamy Young, Logan Shroyer and Richard Thomas reprising their roles with Teddy Sears newly joining the cast.

Set on Walton Mountain in 1934, “The Waltons’ Thanksgiving” follows the Walton family as they eagerly prepare for the annual Harvest Festival Fair. Carnival rides, talent shows and pie contests come around every year, but at this year’s fair, a young boy arrives that will dramatically change the Waltons’ lives in ways that they could have never imagined.

The TV movie that kicked off the Waltons franchise was 1971’s “The Homecoming: A Christmas Story.” Earl Hamner Jr. wrote the screenplay based on his own 1961 book and 1963 movie “Spencer’s Mountain.” “The Homecoming” was so well-received that CBS ordered a season of television using the same characters,...

The CW this Sunday night commemorated the 50th anniversary of The Homecoming: A Christmas Story — the 1971 TV-movie that wound up siring The Waltons — with a remake. But did it evoke enough folksy charm?

As with the source material, and set in 1933, The CW’s The Waltons’ Homecoming found the titular family readying for Christmas but also waiting… and waiting… for patriarch John Sr. (played by Ben Lawson) to come home for the holiday from his far-away job. (John’s already long bus ride was further slowed by a brewing snow storm, and is eventually derailed when the bus skids off an icy road.

There seems to be a yearning for nostalgia in entertainment these days, given that our daily headlines are rarely upbeat and heartwarming, what with the country’s deeply ingrained political divisions as well as the ongoing threat of the Covid-19 pandemic. That might be why TV execs have been capitalizing on their audience’s hunger for comfort viewing with revivals of hits from past, ranging from “Sex and the City” and “Dexter” to “The Wonder Years” and “Gossip Girl.”

However, this holiday season will get a one-night only treat when the CW presents a new version of an early ‘70s classic, “The Waltons’ Homecoming.” The two-hour film that airs on November 28 at 8 p.m. features actor Richard Thomas, who played John-Boy in the original CBS TV series that premiered in 1972 for nine seasons and launched six more reunion movies for NBC. Thomas will take over the narrating duties that were...

“The Waltons: Homecoming” special at CW has added ten new cast members.

Ben Lawson, Marcelle LeBlanc, Christian Finlayson, Tatum Matthews, Samuel Goergen, Callaway Corrick, Rebecca Koon, Alpha Trivette, Marilyn McCoo, and Billy Davis Jr. will all star in the special. They join previously announced stars Bellamy Young, who plays Olivia Walton, Logan Shroyer, who plays John Boy, and Richard Thomas, who originally starred as John Boy Walton in the beloved television series “The Waltons,” in the role of The Narrator.

“The Waltons: Homecoming” comes on the 50th anniversary of “The Homecoming: A Christmas Story,” which aired on CBS in 1971. It is set in the 1933 Depression Era and told through the eyes of John Boy (Shroyer), the 17-year-old eldest child of John (Lawson) and Olivia Walton (Young). His mother expects John Boy to help her raise his sisters and brothers, and his father expects him to follow in his footsteps to help support the family,...

The CW has rounded out the cast for its original made-for-tv movie The Waltons’ Homecoming. Ben Lawson (Firefly Lane) stars as patriarch John Walton Sr., joining previously announced Bellamy Young (Scandal) who stars as his wife Olivia, Logan Shroyer (This is Us) as John Boy and Richard Thomas, who originally starred as John Boy Walton in The Waltons series, as “The Narrator.”

The Waltons’ Homecoming marks the 50th anniversary of The Homecoming: A Christmas Story television movie, which aired December 19, 1971, and launched the long-running series The Waltons, created by Earl Hamner.

The Waltons: Homecoming is set in the 1933 Depression Era and told through the eyes of John Boy, the 17-year-old eldest child of John and Olivia Walton. His mother expects John Boy to help her raise his sisters and brothers, and his father expects him to follow in his footsteps to help support the family, but secretly, John Boy wants to be a writer.

The CW has filled out its Walton family for the upcoming TV movie “The Waltons’ Homecoming.”

Ben Lawson will play family patriarch John Walton Sr., joining the previously announced Bellamy Young (Olivia Walton), Logan Shroyer (John Boy) and original cast member Richard Thomas, who will narrate as older John Boy.

The other new cast additions include Marcelle Le Blanc (Mary Ellen), Christian Finlayson (Jason), Tatum Matthew (Erin), Samuel Goergen (Jim Bob), Callaway Corrick (Elizabeth), Rebecca Coon (Grandma Walton), Alpha Trivette (Grandpa Walton), Marilyn McCoo (Sister Harriet) and Billy Davis Jr. (Brother William).

Timed to the 50th anniversary of the original movie that launched the series, “The Waltons’ Homecoming” will revisit the franchise and will air during the holiday season.

The film is set in the 1933 Depression Era and told through the eyes of John Boy. Here is the full description:

His mother expects John Boy to help her raise his sisters and brothers,...

The CW has ordered three new specials and they're all based on existing properties.

The Waltons’ Homecoming is a remake of The Homecoming: A Christmas Story, the TV movie that aired 50 years ago and spawned the popular long-running drama, The Waltons (1972-81). The movie will star Bellamy Young and Logan Shroyer and will feature Richard Thomas (star of the original show) as the narrator.

The Scooby-Doo Reunion Special will feature animated mystery-solvers Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby-Doo as they reunite on the Warner Bros. backlot to reminisce about their favorite cases. The team soon discovers there's a mystery to be solved at the studio.

In Beebo Saves Christmas, the fuzzy toy turned furry god (from DC's Legends of Tomorrow) will once again be a hero as he hopes to save Christmas. The animated special features the voices of Ben...

The CW has lined up three original specials for premiere in fourth quarter 2021 — original made-for-tv movie The Waltons’ Homecoming, The Scooby Doo Reunion Special and holiday adventure Beebo Saves Christmas. Dates and times will be announced later.

The Waltons’ Homecoming marks the 50th anniversary of The Homecoming: A Christmas Story television movie, which aired December 19, 1971, and launched the long-running series The Waltons. Bellamy Young (Scandal) stars as Olivia, Logan Shroyer (This Is Us) as John Boy and Richard Thomas, who originally starred as John Boy Walton in The Waltons series, as “The Narrator.”

Per the description: The Waltons’ Homecoming is set in the 1933 Depression Era and told through the eyes of John Boy, the 17-year-old eldest child of John and Olivia Walton. His mother expects John Boy to help her raise his sisters and brothers, and his father expects him to follow in his footsteps to help support the family,...

The CW has commissioned three new TV specials for late 2021: “The Scooby-Doo Reunion Special,” “The Waltons: Homecoming,” and “Beebo Saves Christmas.”

In “The Scooby-Doo Reunion Special,” the Mystery Inc. gang reunites at Warner Bros. Studios to reminisce about their favorite cases and how they were filmed. But it turns out that the backlot may have its own monster problem. Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy and Scooby-Doo investigate this mystery while celebrating the legacy of the franchise during this one-hour special.

Jonathan Stern will executive produce the special, which hails from Warner Bros. Animation and Warner Bros. Unscripted Television in association with Warner Horizon and Abominable Pictures.

“The Waltons: Homecoming” comes on the 50th anniversary of “The Homecoming: A Christmas Story,” which aired on CBS in 1971. It is set in the 1933 Depression Era and told through the eyes of John Boy, the 17-year-old eldest child of John and Olivia Walton. His...

The CW has picked up three specials to air at the end of the year, including a new “The Waltons” movie starring Bellamy Young, “This Is Us” alum Logan Shroyer and original series star Richard Thomas.

Timed to the 50th anniversary of the original movie that launched the series, “The Waltons’ Homecoming” will revisit the franchise, with Young taking up the role of Olivia Walton and Shroyer playing her 17-year-old son, John Boy. Thomas, who starred as the original John Boy, will narrate the film.

The film is set in the 1933 Depression Era and told through the eyes of John Boy. Here is the full description:

His mother expects John Boy to help her raise his sisters and brothers, and his father expects him to follow in his footsteps to help support the family, but secretly, John Boy wants to be a writer. Times are hard enough in 1933, but to make matters worse,...

The CW is getting into the holiday movie business by resurrecting a beloved title from TV’s past: The Waltons.

Original movie The Waltons’ Homecoming is one of three specials the network has ordered for the fourth quarter of 2021. The others are The Scooby-Doo Reunion Special, an animated spoof of TV cast reunions, and Beebo Saves Christmas, an animated show centered on the Legends of Tomorrow character.

The Waltons’ Homecoming will mark the 50th anniversary of The Homecoming: A Christmas Story, which premiered in December 1971 and introduced the Walton family to TV audiences. Though it wasn’t considered a backdoor pilot at the time, the movie’...

The CW is getting into the holiday movie business by resurrecting a beloved title from TV’s past: The Waltons.

The original movie The Waltons’ Homecoming is one of three specials the network has ordered for the fourth quarter of 2021. The others are The Scooby-Doo Reunion Special, an animated spoof of TV cast reunions, and Beebo Saves Christmas, an animated show centered on the Legends of Tomorrow character.

The Waltons’ Homecoming will mark the 50th anniversary of The Homecoming: A Christmas Story, which premiered in December 1971 and introduced the Walton family to TV audiences. Though it wasn’t considered a back-door pilot at the time, the ...

Patricia Neal, the Oscar-winning actress whose life off-screen contained as much drama, tragedy, and inspiration as any of her film or theater roles, died Sunday at her home in Martha's Vineyard of lung cancer; she was 84.

An Oscar, Tony and Golden Globe winner, Neal was just as well-known for the trials, tribulations and triumphs she lived through, including a nervous breakdown, the death of one of her children, and a series of strokes that left her in a three-week coma while pregnant at the age of 39. Her subsequent rehabilitation, with the help of her then-husband, author Roald Dahl, led to yet another chapter of her acting career, as well as her pioneering for the cause of stroke rehabilitation.

Born Patsy Louise Neal in Packard, Kentucky in 1926, Neal grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee, and studied acting at Northwestern University before heading to New York, where she began her long and illustrious stage career, winning a Tony Award in 1946 for Lillian Hellman's Another Part of the Forest, which attracted the attention of Hollywood. Though she filmed the comedy John Loves Mary first in 1949 -- a film in which she played the Mary to future President Ronald Reagan's John -- it was the second film she made that year which introduced her to audiences with a huge splash: the highly-anticipated adaptation of Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead, where she played conflicted, imperious heroine Dominique Francon opposite Gary Cooper's stalwart architect Howard Roark, already a famed character thanks to the success of Rand's novel. Though actress Barbara Stanwyck championed the project to Warner Bros., the studio ultimately cast the unknown 22-year-old Neal opposite the 47-year-old Cooper.