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List of Highway to Heaven episodes

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Highway to Heaven is an American television drama series which ran on NBC from 1984 to 1989.

Series overview

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
125September 19, 1984 (1984-09-19)May 8, 1985 (1985-05-08)
224September 18, 1985 (1985-09-18)May 7, 1986 (1986-05-07)
325September 24, 1986 (1986-09-24)May 6, 1987 (1987-05-06)
424September 16, 1987 (1987-09-16)April 27, 1988 (1988-04-27)
513October 12, 1988 (1988-10-12)August 4, 1989 (1989-08-04)

Episodes

Season 1 (1984–85)

The Pilot was filmed from March to April 1984; Season 1 was filmed from August 1984 to March 1985.

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code
Rating/share
(households)
11"Highway to Heaven (Pilot)"Michael LandonMichael LandonSeptember 19, 1984 (1984-09-19)7849-A20.6/35
227849-B

Angel Jonathan Smith is assigned to help the residents of a retirement home that may be sold, but Mark Gordon, an embittered ex-cop and brother of the home's female supervisor, is suspicious of him, especially when she starts seeing Jonathan socially.
Guest Stars: Helen Hayes, Eddie Quillan

  • Originally shown as a feature-length Pilot TV Movie, which was later cut into two separate episodes for syndication.
33"To Touch the Moon"Michael LandonMichael LandonSeptember 26, 1984 (1984-09-26)780317.4/28
Jonathan comes into the lives of the widow of an astronaut who landed on the Moon and her terminally ill son, while Mark deals with a juvenile delinquent abandoned by his family. The young hood is surprisingly well-received by the widow, and helps her deal with the forthcoming tragedy.
Guest Star: Barret Oliver
44"The Return of the Masked Rider"Michael LandonDan GordonOctober 3, 1984 (1984-10-03)780518.1/29
Jonathan and Mark's latest assignment is in a ghetto populated by gang members and aging men who once starred in a Western TV show, as well as a gym where a retired boxer trains his grandson for an upcoming fight against the gang leader, with a prominent championship at stake. When the gang tries to ensure that their man will win by kidnapping the old boxer, Jonathan motivates the retired actors to be the Old West heroes who inspired kids to do right, and they in turn rally the neighborhood residents to stand up to the gang and rescue the grandfather.
Guest Star: John Agar
55"Song of the Wild West"Victor FrenchStory by : Maryanne Kasica and Michael Scheff
Teleplay by : Dan Gordon, Maryanne Kasica and Michael Scheff
October 17, 1984 (1984-10-17)780716.1/26
Jonathan helps an aspiring singer follow in her late mother's footsteps despite her father's objections.
Guest Stars: Ronee Blakley, Michele Greene
66"One Fresh Batch of Lemonade: Part 1"Michael LandonDan GordonOctober 24, 1984 (1984-10-24)780617.2/27
A baseball player hoping to get into the pros is injured in a motorcycle accident.
Guest Stars: Ken Olandt, James Troesh
77"One Fresh Batch of Lemonade: Part 2"Michael LandonDan GordonOctober 31, 1984 (1984-10-31)780916.3/26
Jonathan enlists a gymnast to help rehabilitate Deke Larson following his accident.
Guest Stars: Virginia Capers, Bart Conner
88"A Divine Madness"Michael LandonDan GordonNovember 7, 1984 (1984-11-07)781016.1/25
A construction magnate believes he's King Arthur and his son wants him declared incompetent.
Guest Stars: Jonathan Frakes, Ron Moody, Helen Kleeb
99"Catch a Falling Star"Michael LandonMichael LandonNovember 14, 1984 (1984-11-14)780817.7/27
Jonathan and Mark help a movie star learn to spend time with his children.
Guest Star: Daniel Davis
1010"Help Wanted: Angel"Michael LandonDan GordonNovember 21, 1984 (1984-11-21)781114.9/25
An old screenwriter's prayers are answered when Jonathan and Mark agree to support his movie about the lonely people in his neighborhood, including a woman Mark falls in love with but who is hiding a terrible secret.
Guest Star: Stella Stevens
1111"Dust Child"Victor FrenchPaul W. CooperNovember 28, 1984 (1984-11-28)780418.1/28
A Vietnam War veteran and his wife welcome the 15-year-old girl he fathered overseas into their house. However, the couple's teenage son is not so welcoming to his half-Vietnamese half-sister; even less so are their neighbors, and the boy's schoolmates.
Guest Stars: Jenny Sullivan, James Whitmore, Jr.
1212"Hotel of Dreams"Michael LandonStory by : Paul Wolff
Teleplay by : Paul W. Cooper
December 12, 1984 (1984-12-12)781217.0/26
Jonathan and Mark get jobs at a hotel where they give the guests what they deserve.
Guest Star: Brian Kerwin
1313"Another Song for Christmas"Michael LandonDan GordonDecember 19, 1984 (1984-12-19)781315.3/25
If this one sounds like a variation on A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, it should. Mark and Jonathan are tasked with getting "Honest Eddy" Barton, a crooked-as-they-come used-car dealer, into the Holiday spirit.
Guest Stars: Geoffrey Lewis, Matt Shakman, Kellie Martin
1414"Plane Death"Victor FrenchMichael LandonJanuary 9, 1985 (1985-01-09)781416.4/23
An old friend of Mark's disappears after discovering the illegal cargo inside a model airplane.
Guest Stars: David Faustino, Ramon Bieri
1515"One-Winged Angels"Michael LandonStory by : Jan Heininger and Hugh Corcoran
Teleplay by : Jan Heininger
January 16, 1985 (1985-01-16)781519.5/28
Jonathan falls in love with the divorcee he's been assigned to help.
Guest Star: Wil Wheaton
1616"Going Home, Going Home"Michael LandonDan GordonJanuary 23, 1985 (1985-01-23)781619.5/29
Mark loses consciousness in an auto accident and finds himself and Jonathan back in time to when his grandfather was about to lose his ranch.
Guest Stars: John McLiam, Sean De Veritch
1717"As Difficult as ABC"Victor FrenchParke PerineJanuary 30, 1985 (1985-01-30)781720.5/29
An illiterate basketball player loses his scholarship due to a heart condition.
Guest Star: Deborah Lacey, Beah Richards
1818"A Child of God"Michael LandonMichael LandonFebruary 6, 1985 (1985-02-06)781820.0/29
A young woman is shunned by her minister father for having a child out of wedlock, then becomes terminally ill.
Guest Stars: Nora Boland, William Windom
1919"A Match Made in Heaven"Michael LandonStory by : James Troesh and Theresa Troesh
Teleplay by : Michael Landon
February 20, 1985 (1985-02-20)781917.9/27
A quadriplegic friend of Jonathan's wonders if his relationship with a woman is meant to be.
Guest Stars: James Troesh, Margie Impert
2020"The Banker and the Bum"Michael LandonDan GordonFebruary 27, 1985 (1985-02-27)782018.1/28
A mayoral candidate intent on turning a local park into a parking lot is made to trade places with a park bum who, in turn, may help save the candidate's marriage.
Guest Star: Ned Beatty (dual role)
2121"The Brightest Star"Victor FrenchChristopher BeaumontMarch 6, 1985 (1985-03-06)782119.3/29
Jonathan and Mark return a runaway child star to her dysfunctional parents.
Guest Stars: Trish Van Devere, Gerald S. O'Loughlin, Carrie Wells
2222"An Investment in Caring"Michael LandonParke PerineMarch 13, 1985 (1985-03-13)782218.2/28
Jonathan helps a neighborhood being threatened by a corporate takeover.
Guest Stars: Eileen Heckart, Dane Clark, Andrew Duggan
2323"The Right Thing"Victor FrenchMichael LandonMarch 27, 1985 (1985-03-27)782318.4/29
An old man, depressed over his wife's death, is put in a rest home by his daughter-in-law.
Guest Stars: Michael Durrell, Lew Ayres, Matthew Laborteaux
2424"Thoroughbreds: Part 1"Michael LandonDan GordonMay 1, 1985 (1985-05-01)782417.0/28
An attraction develops between a trainer's daughter and the son of a horse-breeding farmer.
Guest Stars: Helen Hunt, John Hammond, Noble Willingham, Stephen Elliott, Richard Bull
2525"Thoroughbreds: Part 2"Michael LandonDan GordonMay 8, 1985 (1985-05-08)782517.1/30
Lizzy MacGill and Garth Armstrong elope, but their relationship is jeopardized by Lizzy needing treatment for her cancer.
Guest Star: Elizabeth Storm

Season 2 (1985–86)

Season 2 was filmed from July 1985 to March 1986.

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code
Rating/share
(households)
261"A Song for Jason: Part 1"Michael LandonDan GordonSeptember 18, 1985 (1985-09-18)785118.9/32
Jonathan and Mark get jobs at Camp Good Times, a camp for young cancer patients, particularly one boy who suffers from overprotection by his well-meaning but selfish mother...whose impossible demands create hardship not only for him, but also for the rest of their otherwise-cancer-free family.
Guest Stars: Brian Lane Green, Robin Riker, Giovanni Ribisi
272"A Song for Jason: Part 2"Michael LandonDan GordonSeptember 25, 1985 (1985-09-25)785220.9/33
Jonathan and Mark's work at Camp Good Times involves helping a boy whose rock-star father avoids him and a teenager smitten with a counselor.
Guest Stars: Joshua John Miller, Barry Williams
283"Bless the Boys in Blue"Victor FrenchDan GordonOctober 2, 1985 (1985-10-02)785322.4/35
When Mark complains that Jonathan has too much advantage as an angel, "The Boss" apparently agrees that Jonathan should be in Mark's shoes and then gives Jonathan and Mark an assignment as policemen with no divine abilities.
Guest Star: Elvia Allman
294"Cindy"Michael LandonDan GordonOctober 23, 1985 (1985-10-23)785418.9/29
In a modern retelling of Cinderella, a waitress aspires to be an actress.
Guest Stars: Bill Macy, Alice Ghostley, Kip Gilman
305"The Devil and Jonathan Smith"Michael LandonDan GordonOctober 30, 1985 (1985-10-30)785719.4/30
When Mark sells his soul to the Devil to save the life of a boy he accidentally ran over, Jonathan must get help from two con men to get him out of it.
Guest Stars: Anthony Zerbe, Conrad Janis, Michael Berryman
316"Birds of a Feather"Michael LandonMaxine HermanNovember 6, 1985 (1985-11-06)785920.2/31
Factory workers face the consequences for ignoring evidence of water contamination in order to keep their jobs.
Guest Stars: Philip Abbott, Rick Hurst, Paul Walker
327"Popcorn, Peanuts and Crackerjacks"Michael LandonVince R. GutierrezNovember 13, 1985 (1985-11-13)785619.5/29
Jonathan and Mark come to the aid of a minor-league baseball team that's never won a game and an old vendor, once a player for the black leagues, who gets kicked out of the stadium.
Guest Stars: Moses Gunn, Keenan Wynn, Lynn Hamilton
338"The Smile in the Third Row"Michael LandonLan O'KunNovember 20, 1985 (1985-11-20)786020.7/31
An actor starring in a failing Broadway play thinks he sees God sitting in the audience.
Guest Star: Lorne Greene, David Lander
349"The Secret"William F. ClaxtonPaul W. CooperNovember 27, 1985 (1985-11-27)785520.5/33
When Jonathan must return to Heaven to face disciplinary action, Mark is left on his own to help when the daughter of his friends learns that she's adopted and sets out to find her real mother.
Guest Star: Shannen Doherty
3510"The Monster: Part 1"Victor FrenchDan GordonDecember 4, 1985 (1985-12-04)786121.3/31
A disfigured artist falls for a blind girl and Jonathan's quadriplegic lawyer friend denies having marital problems.
Guest Star: Eve Brent Ashe
3611"The Monster: Part 2"Victor FrenchDan GordonDecember 11, 1985 (1985-12-11)786223.1/35
Scotty defends Julian on charges of attacking Rachel, who's in a coma.
Guest Star: Peter Billingsley
3712"The Good Doctor"William F. ClaxtonRift FournierDecember 18, 1985 (1985-12-18)785821.1/33
The doctor for a football team who got a player addicted to painkillers and pep pills is forced to confront his own addictions.
Guest Star: Michael Constantine
3813"Alone"Michael LandonMichael LandonJanuary 8, 1986 (1986-01-08)786323.1/35
A mentally challenged runaway with a cat as his only friend wishes that someone would love him.
Guest Stars: Frank Birney, John Franklin
3914"Close Encounters of the Heavenly Kind"Victor FrenchPaul W. CooperJanuary 15, 1986 (1986-01-15)786419.9/29
Jonathan and Mark emerge from a meteorite crater to help an unemployed man keep custody of his orphaned grandson.
Guest Stars: Harold J. Stone, Louise Latham
4015"Change of Life"Michael LandonDan GordonJanuary 29, 1986 (1986-01-29)786623.8/34
A movie star and her hairdresser (Mark) have their wish to trade places granted by God.
Guest Stars: John McCook, Anne-Marie Martin
4116"Keep Smiling"Michael LandonMichael LandonFebruary 5, 1986 (1986-02-05)786522.8/35
Jonathan is assigned to help his widow move on with her life and be happy again.
Guest Stars: Dorothy McGuire, Richard McGonagle
4217"The Last Assignment"Michael LandonMichael LandonFebruary 12, 1986 (1986-02-12)786722.0/32
An errant angel has been on probation for 200 years because he keeps spreading happiness by breaking the rules.
Guest Star: Ed Asner
4318"To Bind the Wounds"Michael LandonDan GordonFebruary 19, 1986 (1986-02-19)786822.2/33
The father of a soldier killed in action in Vietnam is met with indifference when he tries to establish a scholarship in his son's name.
Guest Star: Eli Wallach
4419"Heaven on Earth"Michael LandonDavid O. YoungFebruary 26, 1986 (1986-02-26)786919.7/29
Following two tragedies for which Mark feels responsible, Jonathan gives him the power to start over.
Guest Star: Alyson Croft
4520"Summit"Dan GordonDan GordonMarch 5, 1986 (1986-03-05)787021.0/32
A dying woman wishes to see her son, who was left in the Soviet Union during World War II and is now the Deputy Premier.
Guest Stars: Nehemiah Persoff, Frank Welker
4621"The Torch"Michael LandonLan O'KunMarch 12, 1986 (1986-03-12)787121.1/32
A Holocaust survivor and his son are targeted by neo-Nazis.
Guest Stars: Herschel Bernardi, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Robert O'Reilly
4722"Sail Away"Michael LandonLan O'KunApril 2, 1986 (1986-04-02)787218.3/29
A novelist and his grandson find inspiration on a small island.
Guest Stars: David Bowe, Lew Ayres, Laurie Prange
4823"Children's Children"Victor FrenchDavid ThoreauApril 30, 1986 (1986-04-30)787319.1/32
A reporter interviews the director of a home for unwed mothers, but intends to write a story exposing the director's long-hidden secret.
Guest Star: Bibi Besch
4924"Friends"Michael LandonMichael LandonMay 7, 1986 (1986-05-07)787417.2/30
Jonathan and Mark are substitute teachers at a high school where Jonathan assigns a lonely obese girl to tutor a jock.
Guest Star: Darren Dalton

Season 3 (1986–87)

It's presently unclear when Season 3 began filming, but it can be confirmed that filming wrapped in March 1987.

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code
Rating/share
(households)
501"A Special Love: Part 1"Michael LandonDan GordonSeptember 24, 1986 (1986-09-24)790116.7/27
Jonathan and Mark talk a youngster into joining the Special Olympics and help out a couple who are unable to have children.
Guest Stars: Paul Walker, James Troesh, Margie Impert
512"A Special Love: Part 2"Michael LandonDan GordonOctober 1, 1986 (1986-10-01)790217.3/29
Todd's parents won't let Scotty and Diane adopt him until Todd's elder brother discovers the truth about him.
Guest Star: Josh Brolin
523"For the Love of Larry"Michael LandonMichael LandonOctober 8, 1986 (1986-10-08)790321.1/33
A dog tries to draw attention to a father and son trapped in a Jeep that's gone off the road and crashed.
Guest Star: Ryan Bollman
534"Another Kind of War, Another Kind of Peace"Dan GordonStory by : Dan Gordon and Sally Baker
Teleplay by : Dan Gordon
October 15, 1986 (1986-10-15)790418.9/29
Despite sponsoring their immigration, a cab driver wants nothing to do with the wife and child his deceased son left in Vietnam. A lonely older neighbor takes them to a carnival and offers to share his apartment.
Guest Stars: Eugene Roche, Ernest Borgnine
545"That's Our Dad"Victor FrenchGeoffrey FischerOctober 29, 1986 (1986-10-29)790516.8/27
A pair of orphans wish to be adopted by a family sitcom star who is really a cold-hearted cynic.
Guest Stars: R. J. Williams, Ned Beatty
556"Love at Second Sight"Michael LandonJames KearnsNovember 5, 1986 (1986-11-05)790819.1/29
A fellow angel doesn't want his widow to remarry.
Guest Stars: John McLiam, Peggy Doyle, Nana Visitor
567"Love and Marriage"Michael LandonDan GordonNovember 12, 1986 (1986-11-12)790718.7/28
578

Three generations of arguing couples go on a road trip to find out what brought them together.
Guest Stars: Bill Erwin, Valorie Armstrong, Robert Mandan

  • Originally shown as a feature-length episode, which was later cut into two separate episodes for syndication.
589"Code Name: FREAK"Michael LandonVince R. GutierrezNovember 19, 1986 (1986-11-19)790614.5/22
A 12-year-old boy genius is an outcast at college where he has a popular jock for a roommate.
Guest Stars: Jeff B. Davis, Jack Ging
5910"Man to Man"Michael LandonRobert SchaeferNovember 26, 1986 (1986-11-26)791016.4/25
A tycoon who is dying of leukemia tries to mend his relationship with his teenage son.
Guest Stars: Joe Dorsey, Lee Montgomery
6011"Jonathan Smith Goes to Washington"Michael LandonDan GordonDecember 3, 1986 (1986-12-03)790915.7/24
A senator is bent on getting a bill through Congress that would cut funds required for the production of drugs to cure rare diseases, but learns that passage of the bill will have fatal consequences affecting his family.
Guest Star: Eddie Albert
6112"Oh Lucky Man"Dan GordonDavid ThoreauDecember 10, 1986 (1986-12-10)791216.8/26
Mark plans to give the $5 million he won to a boys' club, but loses it to a pair of con artists.
Guest Stars: Shannon Tweed, Roy Thinnes
6213"Basinger's New York"Michael LandonLan O'KunDecember 17, 1986 (1986-12-17)791319.1/30
On Christmas Eve, a New York City columnist learns there are still miracles in the world.
Guest Star: Richard Mulligan
6314"All That Glitters"Michael LandonDan GordonJanuary 7, 1987 (1987-01-07)791118.5/27
A hustler finds a case containing a million dollars, dresses as a priest to escape from the gangsters who lost the case and then hides out with the money in the same church where "Father" Jonathan and "Father" Mark are helping victims of an urban fire.
Guest Stars: Didi Conn, John Pleshette
6415"Wally"Michael LandonMichael LandonJanuary 14, 1987 (1987-01-14)791419.7/30
Jonathan and Mark's latest assignment concerns an elderly street puppeteer who is marked for a favored position in heaven.
Guest Star: Dick Van Dyke
6516"A Song of Songs"Michael LandonDan GordonJanuary 21, 1987 (1987-01-21)791719.5/28
A jazz pianist tries to start over following a heart attack.
Guest Stars: James Earl Jones, Rosalind Cash
6617"A Night to Remember"Michael LandonDavid ThoreauJanuary 28, 1987 (1987-01-28)791619.5/29
High school seniors pray for dates to the prom.
Guest Star: Mitchell Anderson
6718"A Mother and a Daughter"Michael LandonElaine Newman and Ed BurnhamFebruary 4, 1987 (1987-02-04)791518.1/28
Jonathan will be promoted to Heaven if he succeeds in reuniting a movie star with her daughter, who's writing a vicious expose of her mother, and Mark, who doesn't want Jonathan to go, is thinking of sabotaging the assignment.
Guest Stars: Gloria DeHaven, Judith Chapman
6819"Normal People"Michael LandonPaul W. CooperFebruary 11, 1987 (1987-02-11)791817.0/25
Hostility ensues when a halfway house for mental patients is established in a neighborhood.
Guest Star: Brian Austin Green
6920"The Hero"Michael LandonMichael LandonFebruary 18, 1987 (1987-02-18)791918.6/28
A Vietnam War veteran is unable to receive government aid for dental work because his dental problems are not related to his military service.
Guest Star: James Stacy
7021"Parents' Day"Michael LandonDavid ThoreauFebruary 25, 1987 (1987-02-25)792018.0/27
A student is arrested for drug possession, then brings the same charge against his father, a crusading TV news anchor who's secretly a cocaine addict.
Guest Star: Robert Culp
7122"A Father's Faith"Michael LandonGinny WeissmanMarch 4, 1987 (1987-03-04)792117.9/27
A fisherman friend of Mark's is paying too much attention to his comatose son, which threatens to destroy both his livelihood and his family.
Guest Stars: Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson
7223"Heavy Date"Michael LandonMichael LandonMarch 18, 1987 (1987-03-18)792219.1/30
A young man with no ambition in life falls in love with a pregnant girl.
Guest Stars: Brittain Frye, Pat O'Bryan, Lorie Griffin
7324"Ghost Rider"Michael LandonDan GordonApril 1, 1987 (1987-04-01)792318.5/29
A spy novelist buys her hero's sports car, which comes with his ghost.
Guest Stars: Alan Abelew, Didi Conn
7425"The Gift of Life"Michael LandonDan GordonMay 6, 1987 (1987-05-06)792414.1/25
Jonathan and Mark are hired as bodyguards for a wealthy man with no principles and no friends.
Guest Star: Leslie Nielsen

Season 4 (1987–88)

Season 4 was filmed from May 1987 to March 1988. The show managed to finish filming this Season just as the 1988 WGA Strike was about to begin.

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code
Rating/share
(households)
751"Man's Best Friend: Part 1"Michael LandonMichael LandonSeptember 16, 1987 (1987-09-16)795116.6/28
A wealthy couple are unable to have more children, so they hire a surrogate.
Guest Stars: Elisabeth Harnois, William Schallert
762"Man's Best Friend: Part 2"Michael LandonMichael LandonSeptember 23, 1987 (1987-09-23)795215.6/27
Alex is reunited with his dog, but may lose him again when a foster family accepts him.
Guest Star: Danny Pintauro
773"Fighting for Your Life"Michael LandonLan O'KunSeptember 30, 1987 (1987-09-30)795513.5/23
A boxer reconsiders taking dives when a fighter he's been training is asked to take one himself.
Guest Star: Clint Lilley
784"The People Next Door"Michael LandonVince R. GutierrezOctober 21, 1987 (1987-10-21)795614.9/23
A doctor is forced to confront a terrible secret when a black family plans to live next door to him.
Guest Stars: David Spielberg, Míriam Colón
795"I Was a Middle-Aged Werewolf"Michael LandonMichael LandonOctober 28, 1987 (1987-10-28)795812.0/18
Jonathan turns into a werewolf on Halloween to help out a frightened trick-or-treater.
Guest Star: Raffi Di Blasio
806"Playing for Keeps"Michael LandonJames KearnsNovember 4, 1987 (1987-11-04)795413.1/21
Jonathan and Mark type-cast a retired comic and his movie-star son in a new play about a young man struggling to relate to his father.
Guest Stars: Eric Douglas, Donald O'Connor
817"Amazing Man"Michael LandonElaine Newman & Ed BurnhamNovember 11, 1987 (1987-11-11)795715.6/24
A youngster turns to a comic book superhero to deal with his father's death.
Guest Star: Pat Crawford Brown
828"All the Colors of the Heart"Michael LandonStory by : Parke Perine and Tom Sullivan
Teleplay by : Parke Perine
November 18, 1987 (1987-11-18)796013.7/22
A blind athlete expecting to gain his sight must counsel a surfer threatened with losing his own.
Guest Stars: Brandon Bluhm, Peter Kowanko, Tom Sullivan
839"Why Punish the Children?"Michael LandonPaul W. CooperNovember 25, 1987 (1987-11-25)796113.7/24
Jonathan and Mark deal with a penal system that doesn't allow inmate mothers to see their children.
Guest Stars: Mary Pat Gleason, Bebe Drake
8410"A Dream of Wild Horses"Michael LandonStory by : Laura Braunstein and Mary Cappelli Cruise
Teleplay by : Laura Braunstein, Mary Cappelli Cruise and Dan Gordon
December 2, 1987 (1987-12-02)796213.4/22
The patriarch of a family feels too old to take care of his horse ranch.
Guest Star: Richard Farnsworth
8511"In with the 'In' Crowd"Michael LandonDavid ThoreauDecember 9, 1987 (1987-12-09)796314.0/22
A policewoman goes undercover at a high school to expose a group of drug users, but could get suspended when Mark jeopardizes the operation.
Guest Star: Cooper Layne
8612"With Love, the Claus"Michael LandonDan GordonDecember 23, 1987 (1987-12-23)795914.1/25
At Christmastime, a man claiming to be Santa Claus wants a department store to stop using his name for promoting war toys and is arrested. The lawyers involved are a bickering divorced couple who are Jonathan and Mark's assignment - with the ex-husband defending "Santa" and the ex-wife representing the store.
Guest Stars: Bill Erwin, Wendie Malick, John Calvin
8713"A Mother's Love"Michael LandonVince R. GutierrezJanuary 6, 1988 (1988-01-06)796417.4/26
To fulfill a promise to their dying mother, four brothers go on the run from a court order that would split them up.
Guest Stars: Byron Thames, Doreen Lang
8814"Country Doctor"Michael LandonDan GordonJanuary 13, 1988 (1988-01-13)795316.2/24
A country doctor is working himself to death.
Guest Star: Roscoe Lee Browne
8915"Time in a Bottle"Michael LandonParke PerineJanuary 20, 1988 (1988-01-20)796516.9/26
A lawyer who's hit rock bottom agrees to defend his friend, another homeless man who's charged with robbing a liquor store.
Guest Star: Alan Fudge
9016"Back to Oakland"Michael LandonDavid ThoreauFebruary 3, 1988 (1988-02-03)796715.5/24
The old saying "You can't go home again" may prove true when Mark returns to his old beat, which has become a racist storm.
Guest Star: Eugene Jackson
9117"We Have Forever: Part 1"Michael LandonMichael LandonFebruary 10, 1988 (1988-02-10)796615.8/24
After his widow's death, Jonathan hopes to be reunited with her in Heaven, but when his request is refused he rebels and is stripped of his divine powers.
Guest Star: Dorothy McGuire
9218"We Have Forever: Part 2"Michael LandonMichael LandonFebruary 17, 1988 (1988-02-17)796816.8/26
After turning his back on everyone and everything, a now-human and embittered Jonathan is offered shelter and help from a young woman.
Guest Star: Leann Hunley
9319"The Correspondent"Michael LandonLan O'KunFebruary 24, 1988 (1988-02-24)796914.0/21
A correspondent about to be executed by revolutionaries somewhere in South America is shown what he's missed and lost by putting work ahead of his family.
Guest Stars: Will Estes, Darren McGavin
9420"Aloha"Michael LandonParke PerineMarch 2, 1988 (1988-03-02)797012.8/19
A Hawaiian singer learns to overcome self-pity and pride when she's injured in a truck accident.
Guest Star: Hartley Silver
9521"A Dolphin Song for Lee: Part 1"Michael LandonDan GordonMarch 16, 1988 (1988-03-16)797114.4/23
Jonathan and Mark help a teenage cancer patient save the dolphins.
Guest Star: Christine Healy
9622"A Dolphin Song for Lee: Part 2"Michael LandonDan GordonMarch 23, 1988 (1988-03-23)797214.0/23
After Lee's operation, she continues her save-the-dolphins campaign.
Guest Star: Natalie Gregory
9723"Heaven Nose, Mister Smith"Michael LandonLan O'KunMarch 30, 1988 (1988-03-30)797313.8/22
Jonathan is dispatched to stop an angel from breaking up his son's marriage and receives help from an unexpected source.
Guest Stars: Bob Hope, Bill Macy, John Pleshette
9824"The Whole Nine Yards"Michael LandonDavid ChomskyApril 27, 1988 (1988-04-27)797413.8/23
Jonathan and Mark enable a female wide receiver to play for a junior-high football team.
Guest Stars: Chad Allen, Dinah Lacey, Beau Starr

Season 5 (1988–89)

Season 5 was filmed from August to December 1988. Only the first three episodes aired that year, with episode 4 airing in March 1989, and the last nine episodes airing later that summer. Many of the episodes this season were released posthumously after the death of Victor French on June 15, 1989, with the last episode airing on August 4 of that year.

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code
U.S. viewers
(millions)
Rating/share
(households)
991"Whose Trash Is It Anyway?"Michael LandonDavid ThoreauOctober 12, 1988 (1988-10-12)800116.512.8/20
Mark's friend Pete Nelson is running for mayor against a ruthless opponent. Jealousy prompts the mayor's son to plant drugs in the locker of Pete's son Jeff, creating scandal. Mark sets out to clear Jeff's name.
Guest Star: David Spielberg
1002"Hello and Farewell"Michael LandonVince R. GutierrezDecember 7, 1988 (1988-12-07)800316.711.8/18
10138004

A nurse is still reeling from the Vietnam War and a 17-year-old discovers he is adopted. Kim goes to a veterans' counseling group and Jonathan consoles Major Hastings about his son.
Guest Star: Matthew Perry

  • Originally shown as a feature-length episode, which was later cut into two separate episodes for syndication.
1024"The Silent Bell"Michael LandonParke PerineMarch 21, 1989 (1989-03-21)800218.412.5/19
A church council decision that Christianity must be taught in a multi-ethnic school causes major upheaval among the staff and students at the school.
Guest Stars: Mimi Kuzyk, Dennis Lipscomb
1035"The Reunion"Michael LandonDavid Ketchum and Tony DiMarcoJune 2, 1989 (1989-06-02)801110.77.4/16
Mark goes to his high school reunion where some of his friends' memories prove to be bittersweet.
Guest Stars: Jesse Henecke, Lloyd Bochner, Eve Brent
1046"The Source"Michael LandonElaine Newman and Ed BurnhamJune 9, 1989 (1989-06-09)800710.47.4/15
A teenage girl tells two high school reporters (one of whom is the principal's son) that a school bus driver was coming on to her just before an accident. The story is published without verifying the facts, thus wrecking the driver's reputation and his career.
Guest Star: Michele Scarabelli
1057"The Squeaky Wheel"Michael LandonPaul W. CooperJune 16, 1989 (1989-06-16)800910.17.7/17
Following a false fire alarm, a double amputee joins a crusade for the handicapped.
Guest Star: Mary Pat Gleason
1068"Goodbye, Mr. Zelinka"Michael LandonJerry WinnickJune 23, 1989 (1989-06-23)800810.17.3/17
A beloved teacher is forced to retire because of his age. Jonathan and Mark rally his students and the teaching staff against the school board in an effort to prevent the enforced retirement.
Guest Stars: Brian Krause, Lew Ayres
1079"Choices"Michael LandonParke PerineJune 30, 1989 (1989-06-30)801211.48.3/19
A Vietnamese couple come to America to find their sons after ten years of being separated. Jonathan and Mark help them achieve their goal, inadvertently tearing apart the sons' adoptive family when the elder son feels morally obligated to return to Vietnam with his biological parents.
Guest Star: Haing S. Ngor
10810"Summer Camp"Michael LandonStory by : Tom Sullivan
Teleplay by : Jodie Lewis
July 14, 1989 (1989-07-14)800511.27.7/17
After being scarred for life in a fire, an actress/model takes a counseling job at a camp for blind children run by sightless athlete Frank Riley (last seen in "All the Colors of the Heart"). Meanwhile, a reluctant philanthropist's bigotry threatens the growing friendship between his son (who can see) and a fellow camper (who can't).
Guest Stars: Priscilla Barnes, Tom Sullivan
10911"The Inner Limits"Michael LandonLan O'KunJuly 21, 1989 (1989-07-21)800610.97.7/17
Hoping to overcome his mother's insistence that his paralyzed brother is fully aware and get him the institutional care he needs, a young man consults a doctor, only to be advised that his brother is not only fully aware but capable of communication.
Guest Star: Julianna McCarthy
11012"It's a Dog's Life"Michael LandonParke PerineJuly 28, 1989 (1989-07-28)801010.17.1/16
After complaining that Jonathan's angelic powers give him an unfair advantage, Mark thinks Jonathan has been turned into a dog as he deals with a runaway kid and his ditzy parents.
Guest Star: Kimberley Conrad
11113"Merry Christmas from Grandpa"Michael LandonMichael LandonAugust 4, 1989 (1989-08-04)801310.57.1/16
On Christmas Eve, Jonathan presents a future ravaged by pollution to three different people: a tycoon, a farmer and the President of the United States.
Guest Star: Harriet Sansom Harris

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