The Waltons
The Prodigals
TV Flash files “The Prodigals” as hour 191 of 220 in the TV Flash guide — The Waltons (1972–1981) on CBS, season 8, episode 17, aired 1980-01-17, 60 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S08E17: listed hour 191 of 220 in the The Waltons guide, hour 17 of 24 in season 8. It aired 1980-01-17 (60 min). The listed hour before it is “The Idol” (S08E16). Next is “The Remembrance” (S08E18).
Catalog log
Broadcast listing — not a TV Flash recap.
After an encounter with a GI, Ben is annoyed with what he feels to be preferential treatment in regards to being deferred in the draft to work at the mill. After getting into trouble with their respective families, Jeffrey and his friend Josh Foster get in trouble gambling. When Josh gets caught trying to steal their winnings out of Ike's store, Jeffrey starts to feel guilty when Josh has to deal with all the fallout.
Viewer FAQ
Where does The Prodigals sit in the The Waltons guide?
S08E17 is listed hour 191 of 220 — hour 17 of 24 in season 8, season 8 episode 17.
When did The Waltons S08E17 air?
The Prodigals aired 1980-01-17 and is listed at 60 minutes.
Where should I start?
Start with the early years while Richard Thomas is John-Boy. The Depression-era Virginia household and the good-night ritual are the premise.
In the series
Why this series still plays
Earl Hamner's Depression-era mountain family says good night until the roll call becomes national ritual. Richard Thomas's John-Boy, Ralph Waite, and Michael Learned hold a Virginia porch against 1970s cynicism. Family drama with patience and place — hearth, not sneer.
Good night, John-Boy — and good night to a whole mountain of Depression-era family mythology sold as weekly weather. CBS's The Waltons (1972–1981), from Earl Hamner Jr.'s autobiographical vein and Spencer's Mountain lineage, ran nine seasons, some 220 hours, with Richard Thomas, Ralph Waite, and Michael Learned at the emotional core. Will Geer and Ellen Corby held the grandparents' porch. Soft-focus values met real economic strain. The show became the gentle counterweight to 1970s cynicism. On the palate: radio…
Filed against
- Richard Thomas as John-Boy Walton
Richard Thomas's John-Boy Walton kept The Waltons' Virginia porch against 1970s cynicism — Earl Hamner's Depression-era mountain family saying good night until the roll call became national ritual. Hearth, not sneer. TV Flash files him as…
- Ralph Waite as John Walton Sr.
Ralph Waite played John Walton Sr. on The Waltons, Earl Hamner’s 1970s Depression-era mountain family that said good night until the roll call became national ritual. Richard Thomas’s John-Boy, Michael Learned, a Virginia porch against…
- Michael Learned as Olivia Walton
Michael Learned’s Olivia Walton held a Virginia porch against 1970s cynicism on The Waltons — Earl Hamner’s Depression-era mountain family, Richard Thomas’s John-Boy, Ralph Waite, good night until the roll call became national ritual. TV…
- Will Geer as Zebulon Walton
Will Geer’s Zebulon Walton said good night on The Waltons until the roll call became national ritual — Earl Hamner’s Depression-era mountain family, Richard Thomas’s John-Boy, Ralph Waite and Michael Learned holding a Virginia porch…
- Ellen Corby as Esther Walton
Ellen Corby said good night as Esther Walton on The Waltons — Depression-era mountain patience, a Virginia porch against 1970s cynicism, and a roll call that became national ritual. Hearth, not sneer. TV Flash files her as catalog…