Although occasionally the episodes could truly become maudlin, Highway To Heaven was generally a nice family oriented series that dealt with some serious topics in the stories. Michael Landon produced and co-starred in this series with his fellow expatriate regular from Little House On The Prarie Victor French.
I remember that first episode well. French is a cynical former detective with the Oakland PD and throughout the series proclaimed his love for the Oakland Athletics with the cap he wore. He's a peripheral character in the plot of that episode, but he hasn't forgotten his police training. He knows there's something not quite right about Landon and in the end Landon has to fess up the holy unvarnished truth. So French becomes uncynical and a partner in the various assignments that probationary angel Landon gets.
The assignments ran the gamut from simply uniting people in romance who were meant for each other but never quite connected to tackling things like racism, poverty, homelessness among others. Some stories were better than others, some things might be dealt with today that couldn't have been dealt with in the Eighties. It would be interesting if the Landon estate would consent to a revival of the series, what might be an episode subject now that wasn't then. And of course who could take the place of Michael Landon and Victor French.
The real life friendship between these guys is a big part of what made the show work. Their scenes in their vehicle are a lot like the ones between Jack Webb and Harry Morgan in Dragnet where you got to see a bit of the human and human-about-to-be-an-angel sides of French and Landon. The small talk between the two players in both series gave these guys a more rounded character. In the case of Landon he's not quite left earthly values and emotions behind and in some episodes he struggles.
I'd check some of the stories out, they're worth a look.
I remember that first episode well. French is a cynical former detective with the Oakland PD and throughout the series proclaimed his love for the Oakland Athletics with the cap he wore. He's a peripheral character in the plot of that episode, but he hasn't forgotten his police training. He knows there's something not quite right about Landon and in the end Landon has to fess up the holy unvarnished truth. So French becomes uncynical and a partner in the various assignments that probationary angel Landon gets.
The assignments ran the gamut from simply uniting people in romance who were meant for each other but never quite connected to tackling things like racism, poverty, homelessness among others. Some stories were better than others, some things might be dealt with today that couldn't have been dealt with in the Eighties. It would be interesting if the Landon estate would consent to a revival of the series, what might be an episode subject now that wasn't then. And of course who could take the place of Michael Landon and Victor French.
The real life friendship between these guys is a big part of what made the show work. Their scenes in their vehicle are a lot like the ones between Jack Webb and Harry Morgan in Dragnet where you got to see a bit of the human and human-about-to-be-an-angel sides of French and Landon. The small talk between the two players in both series gave these guys a more rounded character. In the case of Landon he's not quite left earthly values and emotions behind and in some episodes he struggles.
I'd check some of the stories out, they're worth a look.