The 1970s television series The Waltons bridged generations in my family. The story was set in my grandparents’ youth, and my parents were teenagers when it premiered. Reruns were the reason I decided ...

There were no car chases, blazing guns, glamorous gowns or dreamy-eyed doctors. Critics said it wouldn’t last. After all, no one wanted to watch a television show about poor children growing up in a ...