Highway to Heaven Is Getting a Fox Reboot in 2027

One of the most beloved faith-based dramas in television history is coming back. Fox has officially ordered a reboot of Highway to Heaven — Michael Landon’s beloved NBC series about a probationary angel sent to Earth to help people in need — with a premiere set for the 2027-28 broadcast season.

Jason Katims, the Emmy Award-winning showrunner behind Friday Night Lights and Parenthood, will helm the reimagining as executive producer and showrunner. It’s a pairing that makes a lot of sense: Katims has built his career on exactly the kind of grounded, emotionally resonant storytelling that made the original run for five seasons on NBC from 1984 to 1989.

“I’m excited by the challenge of putting a contemporary lens on this classic tale,” Katims said in a statement. “The idea of telling a very grounded, human story about an angel feels immediately emotional to me — and fun. I love going outside my comfort zone to tell a tale about someone trying to do better as an angel than he did as a man.”

The original series starred Landon as Jonathan Smith, an angel sent down by The Boss — that’s God — to do good deeds and complete assignments alongside a retired cop named Mark Gordon, played by Victor French. The two traveled across the country week after week delivering compassion, redemption, and the kind of heartfelt storytelling that built an intensely loyal audience. It’s the sort of show people still bring up with genuine warmth decades later.

A Family Legacy, Carried Forward

What makes this reboot feel different from a typical IP revival is who’s in the room. Cindy Landon — Michael Landon’s widow — is an executive producer through Michael Landon Productions, working alongside Amblin Television’s Darryl Frank, Justin Falvey, and Todd Cohen, as well as Mark Itkin and Wayne Lepoff.

“Highway to Heaven has always been about connection, compassion, and the idea that small acts can have big ripple effects and make a lasting difference,” Cindy Landon said. “I’m proud to help carry Michael’s legacy forward with partners like Fox and Amblin, who understand the heart of this series and are bringing it to a new generation at just the right moment.”

Fox Television Network president Michael Thorn echoed that sentiment: “With the incredible pairing of Jason Katims, Cindy Landon, and the Amblin team, we’re building on Highway to Heaven’s timeless legacy of transformation and optimism in a way that feels deeply relevant and relatable to our audience.”

The series will be produced and owned by Fox Entertainment Studios — part of the network’s ongoing push to control a significant portion of its own content — and distributed worldwide by Fox Entertainment Global.

Why This, Why Now

The timing isn’t an accident. Fox has been leaning hard into feel-good programming in recent years, finding real success with series like Doc and Best Medicine, and is also reviving Baywatch for the upcoming 2026-27 season. There’s a clear appetite right now for shows that lead with optimism and adventure — something Highway to Heaven was built on from day one.

Katims is no stranger to that emotional register. His résumé — which also includes My So-Called Life, Roswell, Dear Edward, and About a Boy — is essentially a master class in finding the humanity in difficult, messy, real-feeling stories. He’s won an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series, a Peabody Award, and multiple Humanitas Prizes. If anyone knows how to make an audience cry in the best possible way, it’s him.

It’s also worth noting that this won’t be the first time someone has revisited the material. Lifetime aired a Highway to Heaven TV movie in 2021 starring Jill Scott and Barry Watson — but a full series order from a major broadcast network is a different proposition entirely.

No casting has been announced yet for the new Jonathan Smith, but with Cindy Landon in the room and Katims at the keyboard, the foundation is about as solid as a reboot can get. The show hits Fox during the 2027-28 season.