- Hello. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Today I actually wanted to talk a little bit
about The Homecoming reboot.
I've been asked a lot of questions about it,
and I had the opportunity
to attend a screening a couple of weeks ago.
Richard Thomas was there.
Of course, he narrates this new version of The Homecoming.
And Eric Scott and Kami Cotler were also there.
It was very surreal for all of us to sit
and watch, 50 years later, this reboot of The Homecoming,
and to get to meet this new cast
who are all at the beginning of a journey
and so excited to be part of bringing back to life
this iconic family.
All of this of course,
was the creation of Earl Hamner, Jr.
He spoke about his family originally
in the book Spencer's Mountain, which became a movie.
And then we wrote The Homecoming and we did that TV movie,
which of course became the 9 Seasons of The Waltons.
One can say that any kind of copying is a sign
that you are popular enough that people want to imitate you.
In this case, it isn't so much that they're imitating us.
They are creating The Homecoming
in a new light, in a new time, at a new point
in history where I think the story and the need for family,
family programming,
that message of love and support
is as important as it ever was.
So I applaud what they are looking to do with this.
It was done with great love and care and attention.
Sam Haskell, the producer grew up watching The Waltons,
he's very close to our age
and it was a big part of his life.
So we are honored that he loved the show enough
that this was something he wanted to bring back
to a new audience.
The new cast is lovely. They're adorable.
And they have a difficult task because the show
is so iconic, but it's not, it's not an imitation.
It's not a carbon copy.
There were things that you will find are different
and things that you will recognize as the same,
perhaps things you'll like better
and things that won't touch you as much as the original.
But I often hear from you
how much you want more shows like The Waltons.
So perhaps you can think of this as - not The Waltons
so much as like The Waltons,
another family show that deserves to be embraced
in its own right.
Don't think of it as a copy, but you know,
just another possibility as if it's cousins or siblings or,
you know, another branch of the Walton family,
having a similar story.
There are some things that are the same
that you will recognize completely in other aspects
of the story that have been changed in some way,
some of which I thought were really lovely choices
and lovely additions.
So I hope that you will give it a chance.
It was done with love and care.
And I think it is worth a watch. Make up your own mind,
don't decide in advance that you are going to dislike it
or dismiss it.
I know that it will, likely, if it goes forward,
it will likely need to find its own new audience,
but all of you can certainly
help bring that into being by getting behind it
and giving it a chance.
Our show took a while to grow and find its audience.
It's even harder for shows these days
because they are given so little time.
And there is so many things to watch
that it's hard for people to even know what's on.
The producer has said that
should the show go to series again,
which he sincerely hoping it will, that he would like the,
as many of the original members of The Walton cast to come
and make guest appearances on a new series.
So that would certainly be fun to do for all of us.
And we hope that we will have that opportunity.
So just letting you know what I thought of it,
I think it's charming
and I think you should give it a watch.
So it is on this Sunday night on the CW
and the time will depend on what time zone you are in.
So do look that up on your local listings
and then let me know what you thought of it.
Okay, I will be back with more Behind the Scenes
of The Waltons, and more Ask Judy.
Thanks for watching.
(soothing music)