‘The Waltons’ Joins the MeTV Line-Up

Classic family drama “The Waltons,” which aired on CBS from 1972 to 1981 and spawned six made-for television movies, will be featured on nostalgia network MeTV weekdays at 12 p.m. ET effective on Wednesday, January 1. The series is based on the rural upbringing of creator Earl Hammer Jr. who detailed his childhood memories in the 1961 novel Spencer’s Mountain,” which was made into a feature film two years later starring Henry Fonda and Maureen O’Hara.

In 1971, the characters were renamed Walton and were featured on TV movie “The Homecoming: A Christmas Story,” which led to the beloved series the following fall.

Set in a fictional mountain town, “The Waltons” follows the life and of John Walton Jr. (aka “John-Boy,” Richard Thomas), along with his six siblings, parents John (Ralph Waite) and Olivia (Michael Learned), and grandparents Zeb (Will Geer) and Esther (Ellen Corby).

By season two, “The Waltons” was the second highest rated program on television (behind “All in the Family”), and it won 13 Primetime Emmy Awards (including one for Outstanding Drama) and two Golden Globe Awards.