Jonathan Smith (Michael Landon) is an angel on probation sent back to Earth by “the Boss,” God, to complete missions with the goal of earning his angel wings. His mission is to help people through their struggles, spreading the message of love and peace on Earth. Accompanied by his friend Mark Gordon (Victor French), the two are an inseparable team as they help the down and out.
Season 2 of “Highway to Heaven” addresses complex human issues including morality, sickness, death, and racism. The constant theme throughout each episode is the message of loving one another and exhibiting kindness despite differences. Though the show originally aired in the 1980s, the issues dealt with are still relevant in the 21st century. While the storyline is indeed based on an angel sent by God, the message of the series does not so much encourage the audience toward faith as it encourages the audience toward humanity. Still, the main characters tackle common questions like, “How can God allow bad things to happen to good people?” and “Is God’s will better than human will?” While viewers certainly should not base their core beliefs in God on the messages provided through this series, the series does encourage asking these imperative questions. It is because of this that the Dove Foundation can award “Highway to Heaven: Season 2” the “Family-Approved” Seal, recommended for ages 12 and older. Episode 1: “A Song for Jason, Part 1”—Jonathan and Mark work in the oncology ward of a children’s hospital recruiting patients to a camp for kids diagnosed with cancer. Episode 2: “A Song for Jason, Part 2”—Jonathan and Mark are counselors at a camp for children diagnosed with cancer, where they inspire courage to scared patients with the help of a brave little boy named Jason. Episode 3: “Bless the Boys in Blue”—Jonathan and Mark take on a mission as police officers in which they deal with the harsh realities that the armed forces face every day. Episode 4; “Cindy”—In this twist on the popular Cinderella fairy tale, Jonathan and Mark assist a father in his career and in his relationship with his daughter. Episode 5: “The Devil and Jonathan Smith”—In this dark and disturbing Halloween episode, Mark accidentally sells his soul to the devil and Jonathan has to rely on himself and a conman to trick the devil into giving them back the signed contract to save Mark from an eternity in hell. Episode 6: “Birds of a Feather”—After Jonathan realizes a town’s water supply is being contaminated by the local chemical plant, he defies God’s orders to do something about it. Episode 7: “Popcorn, Peanuts, and Crackerjacks”—Jonathan and Mark take jobs as sports journalists to help a struggling minor league team get their game back with the talent of an unexpected baseball veteran. Episode 8: “The Smile in the Third Row”—An elderly stage actor helps increase Jonathan’s faith when he believes he sees God in the audience of his play. Episode 9: “The Secret”—While Jonathan is on trial in heaven, Mark must intervene for his friend whose family is falling apart after a past secret comes to light. Episode 10: “The Monster, Part 1”—Jonathan and Mark play cupid in the lives of a self-conscious man with a physical deformity and a young woman who is blind. Episode 11: “The Monster, Part 2”—When the blind woman is hurt and unconscious and the physically deformed man is accused of trying to kill her, Jonathan and Mark seek the assistance of their lawyer friend Scottie. Episode 12: “The Good Doctor”—In an episode that confronts the issue of pain medication addiction among athletes, Jonathan and Mark are there to help a veteran football player accept that he has a drug problem and work to overcome it. Episode 13: “Alone”—Jonathan and Mark become friends with a runaway little boy who is mentally challenged, and make a way for him to no longer have to live alone. Episode 14: “Close Encounters of the Heavenly Kind”—A little boy becomes orphaned and might be taken away from his grandfather who is searching for extraterrestrial life, but Jonathan and Mark are there to keep the two together. Episode 15: “Change of Life”—As Jonathan and Mark are working on a Hollywood set, Mark and the leading actress find that their bodies are switched so they can learn what life is really like for the opposite gender. Episode 16: “Keep Smiling”—Jonathan and Mark are sent on their hardest mission yet when they must intervene for the most important person in Jonathan’s former life. Episode 17: “The Last Assignment”—Jonathan and Mark must take a break from their own missions to correct another wayward probationary angel who is misusing his miraculous abilities. Episode 18: “To Bind the Wounds”—A father is mourning the life of his son who was killed in the Vietnam War when Jonathan and Mark step in to restore the memory of his son to a community that had forgotten. Episode 19: “Heaven on Earth”—Mark becomes upset with the harsh realities of human consequences when God allows him to see what life would be like if he had all the power. Episode 20: “Summit”—A dying woman wishes to be reunited with her long-lost son, but the mission to fulfill her wish proves more difficult than Jonathan and Mark anticipated. Episode 21: “The Torch”—Jonathan and Mark are on a challenging mission to help a Holocaust survivor promote peace, while local Nazis stir hatred and violence. Episode 22: “Sail Away”—A grandfather and his grandson are both struggling authors who Jonathan and Mark must help to find their voices again. Episode 23: “Children’s Children”—A home for teen moms is about to be foreclosed on when Jonathan and Mark intervene. Episode 24: “Friends”—An overweight teen is lonely and a jock is failing high school, but Jonathan and Mark have a plan that will allow the two to help each other overcome their problems through unpredicted friendship.