Jamie Albrecht
Highway to Heaven was a very good family show. I don't know if it is still out there running on TV in reruns on any channel because I still do not have cable, but I don't think it is. I have not been able to find it on DVD for any affordable price yet but if I did I would pick it up. It lasted several seasons and was about Michael Landon as an angel sent from Heaven to help people on earth who are struggling in some way. He is helped by the nice bearded man who was in Little House on the Prairie with him as his best friend. He drives Landon from place to place and helps him out with his different missions and adventures. The show was really heartwarming and just a good show, the kind of thing the whole family would watch together.
bkoganbing
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.
Raymond
Great show. I only recently started to watch it. So sad that Michael Landon & Victor French died so young. This is such a feel good TV series. Unfortunately these days TV seems to be filled with negative themes with no role models to look up to. The 1980s was a great era for shows such as this. Fond memories indeed. My favorite episodes would be: For the Love of Larry, I Was a Middle-Aged Werewolf, Pilot & Wally. The intro is fantastic and the music perfectly fits to the overall theme of the show. The cap that Mark Gordon wore was like his trademark. I wonder what the A on his cap stood for? I presume is was the letter of his hometown sports team. 9/10
Syl
Okay, Highway to Heaven was one of those feel-good dramas with a heart and soul. Of course, Michael Landson's last show brought us one of his finest acting performances as angel sent to earth to help the mortals make amends with their loved ones, relatives, friends, and themselves. All the episodes had a heart and soul kind of feeling that made you want to reach out and grab a handkerchief. This show was one of the better shows of the 1980s. Sadly, Michael Landon and Victor French died shortly later. They both acted wonderfully as friends, travelling companions and nothing more on a journey that took them all over the country. We don't have shows like Highway to Heaven anymore and I hope they will bring it to DVD soon.