Approved for 12+

Highway to Heaven: Season 3

From its debut season, Michael Landon's "Highway to Heaven" has captured the hearts of viewers young and old. Season 3 of this breakthrough series continues the tradition with 25 episodes full of everyday miracles and remarkable transformations.
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Negative Rating
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SexLanguageViolenceDrugsNudityOther
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Positive Rating
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FaithIntegrity

Dove Review

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 3 of “Highway to Heaven” continues its theme of addressing serious cultural issues, ranging from the acceptance of those who are considered abnormal by society to the consequences of drug abuse. Though the show originally aired in the 1980s, the issues dealt with are still relevant in the 21st century. The message to have the courage to do what is right despite potential social backlash, as this show proves, does not change with the decades.

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 Judeo-Christian values. Jonathan Smith and Mark Gordon uphold the traditional family unit when they influence struggling married couples to strengthen their marriages instead of walking away. The angel and his friend reach out to the socially rejected homeless person and the mentally recovering patient. These are values our culture needs to be reminded of and because “Highway to Heaven: Season 3” delivers that very reminder, the Dove Foundation is pleased to award it the “Family-Approved” seal, recommended for ages 12 and older.

Episode 1: “A Special Love, Part 1”—Jonathan and Mark are on a mission to help a young boy who has special needs as they coach Track and Field in the Special Olympics.

Episode 2: “A Special Love, Part 2”—Jonathan and Mark continue their assignment coaching in the Special Olympics as they help bring a new family together.

Episode 3: “For the Love of Larry”—When a stray dog continues to follow Mark, Jonathan and Mark soon discover the dog is on a mission of his own.

Episode 4: “Another Kind of War, Another Kind of Peace”—Jonathan and Mark help a hardened man come to grips with the loss of his veteran son when his son’s Vietnamese girlfriend and son come to stay with him in America.

Episode 5: “That’s Our Dad”—A calloused and famous actor is in for a shock when Jonathan and Mark introduce him to two orphaned children who melt his frozen heart.

Episode 6: “Love at Second Sight”—Jonathan and Mark must assist another probationary angel, Ted, as he hesitantly completes the most difficult assignment of helping his earthly wife find new love.

Episode 7: “Love and Marriage, Part 1”—Mark’s honorary niece’s wedding is just around the corner, but as her parents’ and grandparents’ marriages fall apart, her own marriage may never actually begin.

Episode 8: “Love and Marriage, Part 2”—Jonathan steps in on an assignment to help each couple in Mark’s dear friend’s family save their marriages as they rekindle their love and respect for one another.

Episode 9: “Code Name: ‘Freak’”—A child prodigy attending college five years early needs an angel’s help to find his place.

Episode 10: “Man to Man”—Mark’s old friend is terminally ill and has a son who resents him, so Jonathan and Mark must work to restore their relationship before it’s too late.

Episode 11: “Jonathan Smith Goes to Washington”—When Mark’s future niece is diagnosed with a serious illness, Jonathan must seek the government’s assistance to get her the medication she needs.

Episode 12: “Oh Lucky Man”—Mark unexpectedly wins millions of dollars and discovers that judgment can become cloudy when wealth is involved.

Episode 13: “Basinger’s New York”—In this Christmas episode, Jonathan and Mark team up with a local news writer to help a young couple, Joseph and Mary, find a place to deliver their new baby.

Episode 14: “All That Glitters”—A con man walks into a church dressed as a priest, meets an angel, and leaves a changed man in this lighthearted episode.

Episode 15: “Wally”—Jonathan and Mark encounter a homeless man who has chosen the life of less to meet the needs of many.>/P> Episode 16: “A Song of Songs”—Jonathan and Mark play cupid as an old love is renewed in unexpected circumstances.

Episode 17: “A Night to Remember”—In an episode that addresses pride and materialism, Jonathan and Mark take an assignment working at a high school where they help the social misfits find their place.

Episode 18: “A Mother and a Daughter”—Jonathan’s work is evaluated by a higher angel as he works on an assignment restoring an angry daughter’s relationship with her famous mother.

Episode 19: “Normal People”—Jonathan and Mark work at a halfway house for recovering psychologically ill patients.

Episode 20: “The Hero”—A Vietnam War veteran who lost limbs needs Jonathan and Mark’s help as he struggles to reclaim his life and health.

Episode 21: “Parent’s Day”—Jonathan and Mark are narcotics officers who discover drug use is a problem for everyone, no matter their age or financial situation.

Episode 22: “A Father’s Faith”—Mark learns that an old fishing buddy is facing a family tragedy in need of a miracle.

Episode 23: “Heavy Date”—Jonathan and Mark play cupid again for a young woman with a secret and a young man with potential.

Episode 24: “Ghost Rider”—Jonathan and Mark take a lovesick fictional writer on the adventure of a lifetime with a twist from the afterlife.

Episode 25: “Gift of Life”—A heartless businessman is given a second chance at life.

Dove Rating Details

0
Faith

None

0
Integrity

Mildly violent fist fights resulting in occasional nose/head bleeds; guns and knives wielded; secondary character killed in car accident, body not shown; brief war scenes.

1
Sex

Several couples hold hands, kiss, and develop romance; mild insinuation made about intimacy between married couple; reference made about a gigolo; unwed pregnancy discussed.

2
Language

D-23; D-it-6; Hell-27; Jack A-1; Darn-2; OMG/God-25; Lord-1; Stupid-5; Dumb/Dummy-4; Shut Up-1; Wimpy-1; Freak-2; Loser-1; Snake-1; Buzzard-1; Jerk-2; Old Bitty-2; Son of a Gun-1; Scum-1; Rats-1; Bum-3; Troll-1; Crazy Sickos-1; Cracker Factory-1; Tramp-1; Bimbo-1; Goons-1; Mooks-1; Retard-used repetitively in episodes 1 & 2 in context without offensive intent because it was politically correct at the time.

2
Violence

Mildly violent fist fights resulting in occasional nose/head bleeds; guns and knives wielded; secondary character killed in car accident, body not shown; brief war scenes.

2
Drugs

Drinking by secondary characters; drug use by secondary characters with consequences; secondary character shown preparing cocaine, camera shot is of the back of his head as he sniffs it (episode 21, 30:00-30:40).

1
Nudity

Women in low-cut shirts and tight dresses.

1
Other

Main characters frequently lie about their identity; secondary characters lie to each other, often without correction; drunkenness and drug use shown as negative; secondary characters steal but are corrected; children speak disrespectfully toward adults but are corrected; spouses speak harshly toward each other; social stereotypes are addressed and corrected.

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