The Waltons became one of the biggest shows throughout the 1970s and early 80s, before it was cancelled. The show mostly revolved around The Walton’s family and their eldest child John-Boy Walton. The show follows the family throughout The Great Depression and World War II as they live their lives in rural Virginia.

Despite being the lead actor on the show, Richard Thomas, who played John-Boy for the first five seasons, decided to leave the show to pursue other interests after being tied down in the role for several years. Robert Wightman took over the role for the final few seasons before Thomas returned to reprise his role for the three spin-off movies. Even though Wightman portrayed John-boy for two seasons, the role is more commonly associated with Thomas, who was well-liked by the audience throughout his time on the show.