<P> The television movie The Homecoming : A Christmas Story was broadcast on December 19 , 1971 . Based on its success , the CBS television network ordered one season of episodes based on the same characters and that became the television series The Waltons . Beginning in September 1972 , the series subsequently aired on CBS for nine seasons . After the series was canceled by CBS in 1981 , NBC aired three television movie sequels in 1982 , with three more in the 1990s on CBS . The Waltons was produced by Lorimar Productions and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution in syndication . </P>
when did the tv show the waltons first air
September 1972