When Is ‘The Waltons: Homecoming’ on TV This Year?
What To Know
- The CW will air The Waltons: Homecoming, a remake of the classic holiday story, on Monday, December 8 at 8pm ET.
- This special revisits the beloved Walton family, with a new cast and original star Richard Thomas as narrator, retelling the story of John-Boy and his family’s hopes during a Christmas Eve in 1933.
- The remake aims to introduce the Waltons’ enduring themes of family and faith to a new generation while honoring the show’s legacy as one of television’s most cherished family dramas.
Get your cocoa ready and settle in, because on Monday, December 8 at 8pm ET, The CW will air The Waltons: Homecoming, a newer version of the story that started it all. This holiday special, which originally aired in 2021, revisits one of television’s most beloved families, honoring the 50th anniversary of The Homecoming: A Christmas Story, the 1971 film that introduced audiences to the Waltons.
What was the original Homecoming?
When The Homecoming: A Christmas Story premiered on CBS on December 19, 1971, it was never meant to spark a nine-season television phenomenon. Written by Earl Hamner Jr. and inspired by his own childhood in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, the film followed young John-Boy Walton as he dreamed of becoming a writer and longed for his father’s safe return home on Christmas Eve during the Great Depression.
Everett Collection
Hamner later reflected on why the story struck such a chord. “I think the story reminded people a lot of their own experiences or the way they might have wished that their own experiences had been,” he said, according to Showbiz CheatSheet, “So they reacted with letters and telephone calls. We had a flood of audience reaction.” Viewers wrote to CBS and shared their love for the film and how they wanted more, which led the network quickly greenlit The Waltons series, which premiered in 1972 and became one of the most beloved family dramas of its time.
Everett Collection
How is the CW The Waltons: Homecoming different?
The CW’s Waltons: Homecoming isn’t just a nostalgic retelling, it’s a way to reintroduce the Waltons’ message of family and faith to a new generation. Executive producer Sam Haskell explained that the idea came from a desire to celebrate the film’s 50th anniversary while reflecting on how its themes still resonate today. “I believe people looked inside themselves and rediscovered family. What I’m trying to do with the Waltons is not only bring back the parents and grandparents who know the show but have the kids come to the TV set and watch this movie as well,” Haskell told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The new version features Bellamy Young as Olivia, Ben Lawson as John Sr., and Logan Shroyer as John-Boy, with original star Richard Thomas returning as the narrator. The story once again takes place in 1933 rural Virginia, where John Sr. struggles to make it home through a Christmas Eve storm while his family holds on to faith and hope. Much like the original, this remake captures the spirit of togetherness that first made The Waltons a household name. Will you be watching it this year?
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April 2019
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