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 / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Wednesday, July 9
Shifting Gears - "Gummies" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Riley is horrified when she finds weed gummies in Carter’s pocket, prompting surprising advice from Matt. Meanwhile, Eve inadvertently lands Gabriel and Stitch in hot water after asking them to donate to a charity auction.
Shifting Gears - "Kiss" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Jimmy returns with a new job and a proposition for Riley and the kids to move into his house, Riley is torn between her past and her future. Meanwhile, Matt's feud with Eve flares up once again after she damages his car.
Abbott Elementary - "Volunteers" (ABC, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Ava announces the school district is sending a group of volunteers to help out at Abbott; however, when they arrive, things don’t go as planned.
Abbott Elementary - "100th Day of School" (ABC, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
During Abbott’s 100th day of school celebrations, Barbara receives a surprise from her daughter. Melissa, Jacob and Mr. Johnson join forces to conduct a search party.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - "The Gang F***s Up Abbott Elementary" (FXX and FX, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Months after the Gang visited, Abbott's Principal Ava walks viewers through some of the unseen footage of the Gang's volunteerism and reveals their true intentions.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - "Frank Is in a Coma" (FXX and FX, 9:33PM ET/PT)
The five stages of grief set in for Dee as Frank lies on his deathbed; the Guys plot their new path forward by pitching their business ventures to Philadelphia's elite.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of July 7)
Wednesday, July 9
- Anthony Anderson (black-ish/Guys with Kids/All About the Andersons) - Anthony guest hosts Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Salma Hayek Pinault (The Sinbad Show) - Watch Salma on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Jean Smart (Hacks/Samantha Who?/Center of the Universe/In-Laws/Style & Substance/Designing Women) - Jean is a guest on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Cole Escola (Human Resources/Search Party/Mozart in the Jungle/Difficult People) - Cole appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Richie Moriarty (Ghosts), Betsy Sodaro (Ghosts/Duncanville/Disjointed/Animal Practice) and Punam Patel (Ghosts/Return of the Mac/Kevin from Work) - Richie, Betsy and Punam are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Ronny Chieng (Young Rock/Ronny Chieng: International Student) - Ronny hosts Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
- Tika Sumpter (mixed-ish/Final Space/The Game) - Tika sits down with the Tam Fam to talk about her new children's book I Got It From My Mama a repeat of Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
- Isabela Merced (100 Things to Do Before High School/Growing Up Fisher) - Isabela chats about her film Superman on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- Anna Camp (Perfect Harmony/Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt/The Mindy Project) and Justin Bartha (The New Normal/Teachers) - Anna and Justin discuss their film Nuked on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- Simon Helberg (The Big Bang Theory) - Simon talks about Peacock's Poker Face on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season
05/13 - The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered)
06/06 - Shoresy - Season 2
06/17 - Looney Tunes - Collector's Vault - Volume 1 (Blu-ray)
07/22 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
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