NBC Orders Dolly Parton Holiday Movie Sequel

Following the success of Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors, NBC will air the sequel, Dolly Parton’s Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love later this year. The telemovie is the next chapter in the life of a young Parton.

“It’s no secret that everyone loves Dolly Parton and the response to our first movie was overwhelming, both in terms of the size of the audience and outpouring of love for a film with family values and faith,” said Robert Greenblatt, chairman, NBC Entertainment. “So it felt like a no-brainer to bring this talented cast back together and tell another compelling holiday story culled from Dolly’s own life growing up in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. Her spirit and belief in God—and her music—will infuse this movie with the true spirit of Dolly Parton.”

The original cast, including Jennifer Nettles, Ricky Schroder, Gerald McRaney, and Alyvia Alyn Lind as young Dolly, will return for the sequel. Stephen Herek, who directed the original film, will return.

In the movie, an unexpected blizzard in rural Tennessee threatens the family, while at the same time Dolly’s family makes sacrifices to raise enough money to so her father can buy his wife the wedding ring he could never afford to give her.  

No premiere date has been announced. The film is a production of Magnolia Hill Entertainment and Dixie Pixie Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television.

“I was so overwhelmed and touched by how many people watched Coat of Many Colors and their reaction to it,” Parton said. “The song, of course, has always been my favorite and has touched so many people through the years, especially me. It is a true story from a very special time in my childhood. I am so happy to share this story with the viewers and to say there is so much more to tell because mine truly has been a life of many colors. I hope the viewers will fall in love all over again.”

The Dec. 10 telecast of Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors generated a 2.45 rating in adults 18-49 and 15.9 million viewers overall, according to Nielsen.

Michael Malone

Michael Malone, senior content producer at B+C/Multichannel News, covers network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television. He hosts the podcasts Busted Pilot, about what’s new in television, and Series Business, a chat with the creator of a new program, and writes the column “The Watchman.” He joined B+C in 2005. His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy and New York magazine.