Thursday, August 19, 2021
Lifetime's Highway to Heaven Premieres November 6; COZI TV's Dog Days of Summer on August 21

The Lifetime original movie Highway to Heaven, starring Grammy(R) Award winner Jill Scott and Barry Watson, is set to premiere on Saturday, November 6 at 8/7c. A "first look" trailer for the film has been released by the network in anticipation of the upcoming premiere. A contemporary take on Michael Landon's iconic 80s television series Highway to Heaven, the new movie follows Angela Stewart (Jill Scott), an angel who is sent back to earth to help others in need. In the premiere movie, Angela takes on the role of a temporary school counselor and finds herself working alongside junior high school principal Bruce Banks (Barry Watson) as she intervenes in the lives of a troubled student Cody (Ben Daon), his father Jeff (Robert Moloney) and his aunt Vanessa (Victoria Bidewell), who are grieving the tragic loss of Cody's mother, Melissa (Ashley Ross). As Angela seemingly works miracles with Cody, Bruce is stunned when he learns of the divine nature of Angela's work. Just like the original series, Lifetime wishes to retain the same messages of hope and encouragement for its audience, while exploring social and emotional issues with sensitivity, joy, and humor.
The first movie installment of the Highway to Heaven series is produced by Rain Productions and Propagate for Lifetime. Jonathan Baruch and Rob Wolken executive produce for Rain Productions; Ben Silverman, Howard T. Owens, Gregory Lipstone and Rodney Ferrell executive produce from Propagate; Howard Braunstein is executive producer; Jill Scott and Shawn Gee also executive produce. Stacey K. Black directs from an original script by executive producer/writer Cathryn Humphris and award-winning playwright Angelica Chéri. Cindy Landon and Wayne Lepff are executive producing on behalf of Michael Landon's estate.
COZI TV will be airing its Dog Days of Summer special, a day full of viewers' favorite television dogs, on Saturday, August 21 starting at 9:00 a.m. The special will begin with a Lassie marathon running until 1:00 p.m., followed by a special edition Ten Secret Stories episode, TV's Amazing Dogs, and concluding with a season two episode of Frasier, where fans are introduced to Dr. Frasier Crane's Jack Russell Terrier, Eddie, who will also be featured in the prior special Ten Secret Stories special. All of these animal-friendly episodes are to help kick-off NBCUniversal Local's Clear The Shelters™ campaign. The animal adoption campaign starts on Monday, August 23 and goes through Sunday, September 19.
Ten Secret Stories is a COZI original series that first aired in 2017. The half-hour episodes feature clips from many of television’s most beloved programming along with behind-the-scenes access to many of television's best-known personalities. This year's special is an updated episode from the original series showcasing TV's most iconic dogs. The special episode, TV's Amazing Dogs, will include appearances by The Nanny's Fran Drescher, sharing memories of her beloved dog, Chester, who also appeared on her sitcom, John Roberts from Bob's Burgers, comedian Chris Gethard, and from NBC's 1st Look, Johnny Bananas. Clear The Shelters™ is NBCUniversal Local's campaign promoting pet adoption and is returning for its seventh consecutive year on Monday, August 23. This campaign has nationally helped find forever homes for more than half a million pets. For more information on Clear The Shelters™ including participating animal shelters and rescues, along with details on local events, visit ClearTheShelters.com.
The following is the episode lineup for the Dog Days of Summer special airing on Saturday, August 21 (check local listings):
Lassie Episodes
9:00 a.m. – "Winged Rescue"
9:30 a.m. – "The Cliff"
10:00 a.m. – "Warm Heart--Cold Nose"
10:30 a.m. – "Whitewater Fury"
11:00 a.m. – "Lassie's Busy Day"
11:30 a.m. – "The River"
12:00 p.m. – "For the Love of Lassie (1)"
12:30 p.m. – "For the Love of Lassie (2)"
1:00 p.m. – Ten Secret Stories, "TV's Amazing Dogs"
1:30 p.m. – Frasier, "The Unkindest Kind of Cut" (Season 2, Episode 2)
Sitcoms Airing Tonight
Monday, September 25
Son of a Critch - "Particip-action" (The CW, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Mark is forced to participate in the school's Sports Day; Fox fights for her mother's attention and attempts to break the school record for gold medals.
Run the Burbs - "Li Xi" (The CW, 8:30PM ET/PT)
As they celebrate Vietnamese Lunar New Year, Andrew worries about his parents' relationship; Camille pitches her business to Andrew's mother; the kids get into trouble with their business startup.
Children Ruin Everything - "Dignity" (The CW, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Following embarrassing run-ins with her boss and co-workers, Astrid feels on the back foot and disconnected from her younger co-workers; Astrid realizes her best move might be to attend a drink night with the rest of her team.
American Dad! - "Productive Panic" (TBS, 10:00PM ET/PT)
Francine becomes an overnight sensation when a famous art dealer discovers her homemade pottery.
Breeders - "No Matter What: Part Two" (FX, 10:00PM ET/PT)
Jackie's health is continuing to worsen; Paul helps out a distressed Luke but finds himself in more conflict with Ally; at Baby Jay's naming party, Ava declares her love, and Paul makes an offer that will take him and Ally back in time.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of September 25)
Monday, September 25
- Eddie Murphy (The PJs) - Watch Eddie on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- D'Arcy Carden (The Good Place/Barry) - D'Arcy is a guest on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Idris Elba (Turn Up Charlie) - Idris appears on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation) - Aubrey is a guest on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Wilmer Valderrama (That '70s Show) - Wilmer appears on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Woody Harrelson (Cheers) - Woody is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Jon Lovitz (Mr. Box Office/NewsRadio/Foley Square) - Jon is a guest on a repeat of Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen on CBS between 12:37-1:37am.
- Kelly Ripa (Hope & Faith) and Mark Consuelos (Alpha House/Hope & Faith) - E! News has interviews with Kelly and Mark at 11pm on E!.
- Jamie-Lynn Sigler (Guys with Kids/Entourage) - Jamie-Lynn appears on Watch What Happens: Live at 3:30am on Bravo.
- Kerry Washington (Unprisoned) - Kerry talks about her new book Thicker than Water: A Memoir on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
- Punkie Johnson (After Life) - Punkie talks about her podcast Love Thang with Punkie Johnson on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
- Keke Palmer (Scream Queens/True Jackson, VP) - Keke talks about her Big Boss album and tour on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
New on DVD/Blu-ray (June-October)
06/13 - Mayberry R.F.D. - The Complete Series
06/13 - Night Court (1984-1992) - The Complete Series
07/18 - South Park - Seasons 21-25 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
07/25 - The Neighborhood - Season Five
07/25 - Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin - Season One
07/25 - Superstore - The Complete Series
08/22 - Back to Life - Season 1 / Season 2
08/29 - Smiling Friends - Season 1 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/05 - Young Sheldon - The Complete Sixth Season
09/12 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Second Season
09/12 - Rick and Morty - The Complete Seasons 1-6 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/26 - Family Matters - The Complete Series
09/26 - Step by Step - The Complete Series
10/10 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Thirteen / The Complete Season Fourteen
10/17 - ALF - The Complete Series (Deluxe Edition) (Shout! Factory Special Offers)
10/17 - Night Court (2023) - The Complete First Season
More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD Releases / DVD Reviews Archive / SitcomsOnline Digest
Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts