By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy. We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
In the latest TV ratings, The Waltons’ Homecoming — a remake of the 1971 TV-movie that wound up spawning CBS‘ The Waltons series — averaged nearly 960,000 total viewers on Sunday, marking The CW‘s most watched night of the fall (and since April 14). In the 18-49 demo, it scored a CW-typical 0.1.
TVLine readers gave the remake an average grade of… “D+” (read recap).
Over on CBS, 60 Minutes (7.2 million/0.5)) delivered Sunday’s largest non-NFL audience, followed by the Lady Gaga/Tony Bennett concert (6.1 mil/0.4, TVLine reader grade “A+”). The Equalizer‘s fall finale (5.7 mil/0.4) closed out CBS’ night with series lows.
Elsewhere:
ABC | Leading out of some Wonderful World of Disney special (2.6 mil/0.4), a double pump of The Great Christmas Light Fight averaged 2.3 mil and a 0.4.
NBC | Sunday Night Football (13.5 mil/3.7) is up sharply from last week’s fast nationals.
FOX | The Simpsons drew 3.7 mil and a 1.2, followed by The Great North (1.8 mil/0.6), Bob’s Burgers (1.6 mil/0.5) and Family Guy (1.4 mil/0.5).
Want scoop on any of the above shows? Email InsideLine@tvline.com and your question may be answered via Matt’s Inside Line.
The Live+Same Day numbers reported in our ratings column do not reflect a show’s overall performance, given the increased use of delayed playback via DVR and streaming platforms, plus out-of-home viewing. These numbers (Nielsen fast nationals, unless denoted as finals) instead aim to simply illustrate trends or superlatives. Warning: Contents may be hot!
Such a high viewership number is good news for those who have expressed an interest that either the Waltons (or similar nostalgia series) might get an order. If it did happen there would need to be a tightening up on some obvious problem areas which have already been discussed in the review of “The Waltons’ Homecoming”
agree
This is exactly what yo get when you try to remake a one of a kind great movie. You get tv garbage. SHAME ON THE CW NETWORK.
The new Waltons’ movie was not meant to be an exact remake and is not obligated to make the “Walton Fan Base”satisfied by creating a replica. Hence, why it’s on the CW which caters to a younger fan base. We loved it and are so thankful that the CW brought this beautiful holiday movie to our family. Hope it becomes a series, and when it does, just keep watching your original series and be happy with that. Nobody is forcing you to watch. Leave the rest of us to enjoy the new version that I know we will also love.
If this was not intended to draw in the “Walton’s Fan Base”, it should not have given us the impression that this was exactly why they called it a “Walton’s Homecoming”. They could have just as easily called it something else and it would have been a sweet little Christmas Story that might, just might, remind Walton’s Fans of their beloved original Walton family.
We LOVED it! More Waltons!
I don’t know why in hindsight but I was expecting like over 2/2.5 million minimum….. with a likely very low 0.2 max rating. Nostalgia factor didn’t play very greatly then.
Maybe stick with holiday movies for now possibly, see if increases with fixes made.
It was horrible! The obvious attempt to play up to a black audience was very off target. Many of the positives of the show were not there. Like the extended family living under one roof. Also one of the best parts of the original was the many views of Virginia landscape. Which were missing and fake in many ways. They have a lot to fix.
Oh God, not black people!!! /sarcasm
Seriously, your racism is showing, Ann.
@JD:
Does Ann’s racism ever stop showing?
I’m continually amused by the desire of some to return to a lilly white America.
The original movie in 1971 was filmed in Jackson Hole, WY and Los Angeles. The original series was filmed on the lot in California and some on the backside of the mountains there. None of the original was filmed in Virginia. I know, I live right here in the part of VA where the Hamner family is from.
Right! I laugh when people talk about how the TV series got it so authentic with the setting.
If only the realized if you walked around “Walton’s Mountain” you’d literally be looking at the Hollywood sign!
It was not fake at all…this Waltons movie was shot earlier this year in Georgia, mostly at The Gaither Plantation in Covington and the surrounding area.
It was beautifully done. More Waltons!
As usual with shows today, it was ham fisted. The original movie from 1971 treated racism like it didn’t exist. The black people were just there and John boy shows up in the church just because. They don’t make a big deal about it. In fact, they make no deal about it at all. In this show, of course they make a huge deal out of it. It’s part of the reason why it’s so obvious and so many people start rolling their eyes at it
I am an original Walton fan. I loved it and can’t wait to see more!
I was hoping it’d have potential to become a series, but it was much more close-ended than I expected… unless they do a modern day Waltons with their descendants, as seen briefly at the end. I guess they still could do one set back then too, though the mom might need recast depending on how Bellamy’s new show Promised Land does on ABC midseason.
Hope she can do both series. She was fantastic as Olivia Walton.
A D+ for the Waltons? Really bad stuff usually gets a B in these polls.
Apparently there are lots of Waltons purists who frequent this site….
Bingo!
I guess there were black people in it or something, and ya know the “purists” just hate that.
“Pureists” as in white as snow lol
Older viewers 50+ were determined to destroy this show from the beginning. They all flocked to that grading poll in droves to give it a low ranking because they are angry that their beloved show was being redone. it was a wonderful Christmas special and one that my family will watch every year. Also, News Flash: the new Waltons’ Homecoming movie and series that may follow may not be for you, if you are a 50+ Waltons Purist. Don’t watch it, that’s fine. Let the rest of us enjoy a new wonderful family Christmas show and hopefully, a follow up series. Thanks CW.
Repeat the poll for everyone younger than age 55 and watch the grade improve.
I liked it the storyline was a little different and where was Ben they cut him out I guess overall I’m glad I watched it
Yes! I was pleasantly surprised. I liked it so much that I forgot Ben was missing.
I was glad to see the CW try to bring the Waltons back. Some characters were better than others. What happened to Ben? What happened to ol’ Cora Beth? The John-Boy actor was pretty good, the grandparents were good, Olivia was good. John, Sr seemed too young. The Walton kids were far too out of control and disrespectful of their elders and they cussed too much. Ellen Corby would have whipped them good..This movie made me realize how good the original cast was…Their house this time was too nice. These are poor mountain people during the Depression. A black cop in Nelson County in 1935 was hard to believe. Film the mountain scenes in Virginia, folks!
If you look at the real house they lived in Schuyler, VA Earl Hamner, Jr. It looks very much like the house that was IN this movie. Also I read the Grandparents did not live with them. As for Ben; The Hamners had 8 children so one was not in the original series. People need to research before jumping to conclusions.
I thought it was the best two hours of TV I can remember in a long long time. Loved it! I loved the cast much more than the original. As for bringing in the black cast that so many are complaining about, that was my favorite part, teaching young people that blacks and whites have always gotten along just fine, despite today’s corrupt media trying to tear us apart. I absolutely loved it.
Amen, the media is trying to start a black and white war! and it seems to be gaining fuel People grow up!. Do the movie again but stop the young actors from cussing, and add a few bib overalls on them. Richard Thomas it was great to see you onTV again bring back a few more of the original actors. We will watch anything as long as you all are in it. Thanks love to see more of you and our favorites.
Same! More Waltons!
Really was no good at all ! Where was Ben ?
It was so good that you don’t notice Ben is missing. Sweet Holiday movie!
I watched some of this Waltons remake and I didn’t care for it. That being said, a lot of people haven’t seen the original and probably really enjoyed it. There’s nothing wrong with the CW offering this kind of entertainment. There is so little on that families can watch together anymore.
I have watched The Walton’s entire series many times over, every episode and even remember watching it in prime time as a child in the 1970’s. Obviously the one’s “complaining”, or “commenting” on the black community in the remake didn’t really watch The Walton’s at all, because John Sr.and Olivia were both very accepting and openly friendly and welcoming of the black characters in their community. Verdie was a very good friend of their family. Josh came to them and John actually wanted to keep and raise him but Verdie and her husband, Harley took him in as their own son. John Sr was very good friends with Verdies husband, Harley, even going to Georgia to help get him a presidential pardon. The Walton’s worshipped/visited with the black church/community several times during the series. So to see the family at the black church should not have been such an off putting moment. One commenter said that before people go off make comments that they should actually look/research something before mouthing off about something they know nothing about. The reason Ben was not in this show was because the director did not want another child just to say a line or two that really didn’t add to the story. Look it up, it’s right there on the internet. Yes the house in this movie looks more like the actual home place than then home on the TV show did. The views from the mountains looked very much like Blue Ridge to me, as I’m a WNC born/bred girl myself so I know very well what those majestic mountains look like!! In my opinion the only off putting objection to the movie would have been that the children were disrespectful, cursed, and John Boy seemed more mean and aggressive then the TV show, definitely not entertaining. Earl Hamner was probably rolling over in his grave. If they want to remake anything, please make it generations down, don’t mess with the original Walton’s, it just can’t be redone.
I feel that a great show simply cannot be remade! It’s the actors attached to such a show that make it what it is, and that was not The Waltons. They also went off track with too many details and added an excessive amount of cursing by the kids and especially John! I had to watch it just because I love The Waltons and had to see what they did with it, but I was greatly disappointed!
Take a look at the book “The Homecoming” by Earl Hamner Jr. from what this show is based on. It has a lot more cursing than this TV movie did. It was just released on Kindle.
It can simply be remade and was. It was never meant to be a replica- listen to the Richard Thomas interview. People cursed in the 1930’s and they cursed in the original Spencer’s Mountain. The cursing was not excessive. I actually loved this version much more than the original Christmas Homecoming.
I thought it was sad. They did not stick to the TV show. Needed to have ben and these people looked rich and not poor. The grand parents were way off mark compared to TV show. John boy the nararator should have had more say so it would of come closer to the TV show. Original cast would of ben better. Next try use the actors from TV show and drop the ones you used.
My mom didn’t like the movie as a fan of the original, but I watched it last night and I thought it was okay. People who were fans of the original would undoubtedly find things wrong with it. But I thought it was just fine. My biggest problem was that everything looked too clean and new. It didn’t need to look like it was filmed in 2021.
I had to miss it!!!😭 Will there be a rerun of it soon??? When??!!🙏
Comes on again Dec. 11th! Can’t wait! But you can stream it now, watch on their website, or download CW ap to view.
Fantastic Christmas movie! Thank you CW!
So impressed with all of the actors- they did a great job. Loved the beautiful scenery of the Virginia Mountains- so beautiful. Looking forward to purchasing the DVD and watching it for years to come!
I would watch this movie again and again despite what people have said about it. I grew up with the original Homecoming 1971 movie and the 1972 series and adored them both and still do for the most part to this day. Now, you’re probably thinking I’m a boomer or an old person, but I’m actually a young girl barely into my adulthood who grew up with the show because of my mama. Once it came out on the CW for free, we decided to give it a chance. We were five or ten minutes in and we both agreed how well everything was so far. And by the end of the movie, we were in happy tears because of the way everything was portrayed, the story, the characters, actors, etc. I saw a good mix of the 1961 Spencer’s Mountain book and the original Homecoming movie (1971). I was surprised by the language like most everyone else, but it made sense to include that. Olivia Walton may not swear, but John Walton certainly does and his kids find that normal, so like any child despite having been told otherwise, they experiment and use those words once in a while just like a few of the Walton children did. So despite what anyone may think of the movie, I give the movie a 9.5/10 for its story, the actors/actresses, the way everyone was portrayed, the set, the script, and so on. This is one of the best remakes I’ve seen in a very long time and I think they should make a tv series, the creators have my mama and I’s vote.
I agree, Sarah. It was lovely.
I still watch the Walton reruns all the time!!!! I love them they are clean family entertainment
I was disappoint in the remake only because of the language in it
If you remake an icon like the Waltons keep it true to form. Keep it Family friendly. Most of us like the clean entertaining shows; adding the swear words did NOT enhance the show so why add them!!!!
This grade is such a joke and so unfair. Everyone knows that this was a good movie and that the “Walton Purists” are ranking it low. Wait for The CW fans to pick up on it, and start lifting the score. Or has voting stopped?
Just ordered the DVD! Although many scenes were left out or changed, I really liked this updated version of The Homecoming. Remember it’s on CW and they are trying to engage new viewers as well. Everyone comparing it to the original is missing the point. It’s on The CW so they are trying to bring in younger viewers as well. My favorite NEW scenes were the ones with John Walton. I loved seeing his background story.
I will probably catch some flake for my opinion but here goes….I actually tuned out the movie about half way through ~ In my opinion the acting was too forced and “sugary”. The house was obviously on a set and looked cheap in comparison to all the labor that had gone into the creation of the original Walton’s home ~
And it may not mean anything to anyone else but I was very disappointed to see that the majority of the children did not have that bright, beautiful red hair that was known to be a Hamner/Walton trait.
If the creators had simply put this film out as a nice “Christmas” story instead of trying to draw attention to it by alluding to the possibility that it was anything remotely like the actual Waltons’, I probably could have enjoyed it more and not find myself disappointed with it’s poor attempt to be the Waltons ~
This has been my favorite holiday movie so far this year! I’m saying this as a fan of the original movie. The acting was very good and the music was beautiful. Love the scene in the church and the surprise at the end!
Walton was very different from original. I didn’t expect it to be exactly the same. But to me it seemed to be a play instead of a movie. I thought the acting was horrible.
It was not what I thought the new Walton’s homecoming would be.
They left out Ben and the barn part of the story and going to the Ballwin home.
They were dress to middle class home was middle class.
It did not give you the impression of the depression in 1930s
It made you think they were living in the city not out in the country.
It seem like the home was from the 1950’s
It was weird to see Maryellen was the one that wanted to fly.
It really was not a Walton remake
It should have been call something else.
It would have been better that way.