TV producer Sam Haskell was thrilled last year to be able to revive “The Waltons” for the first time in a quarter century with “The Waltons’ Homecoming” on the CW. It drew solid ratings.He was hoping he could convince the network to turn the wholesome family series into a rebooted series. But the CW instead gave him the green light for a second movie, “A Waltons Thanksgiving,” which premiered Sunday and repeats on Thanksgiving night.
If this particular film can bring in a strong enough viewership, Haskell believes the CW, which is under new ownership that is gearing the network to an older audience, might pick it up. If not, he might shop it elsewhere.
“In this day and time, we need something people can hang on to,” said Haskell, 67, who loved “The Waltons” as young adult and has produced a vast array of Dolly Parton projects. “We need something positive. There’s so much negativity in this world. This family is so beautiful and well put together. They understand each other.”
He said the first film was basically a reboot of the original 1971 film. The Thanksgiving sequel doesn’t follow an original “Waltons” storyline, providing the writers the freedom to create new plot where the Waltons meet a young abused orphan nicknamed Red at a harvest festival before Thanksgiving and adopt him as one of their own.
