The moment it was announced that country music and dance darling Julianne Hough would be portraying the iconic title character from “Jolene” alongside Dolly Parton, it was clear that Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings would be crucial binge watching. The format of the new Netflix anthology series is simple; it tells eight different stories about eight very distinct & legendary Parton songs, including “These Old Bones,” “If I Had Wings,” “JJ Sneed,” “Cracker Jack,” “Sugar Hill,” “Down from Dover” and “Two Doors Down”, in addition to the legendary “Jolene”.
The stars chosen for each story are both carefully curated as well as complete revelations, truly pushing the story narrative along gorgeously. Kathleen Turner and Ginnifer Goodwin team up in “These Old Bones”, while real life married couple Gerald McRaney and Delta Burke reunite on screen in “If I Had Wings”. And without giving too much away, it looks like one of the episodes may have an LGBT theme….(Read cast details and synopses below according to Deadline).
These Old Bones
Kathleen Turner – “Miss Mary Shaw aka Old Bones”
Ginnifer Goodwin – “Genevieve”
Kyle Bornheimer – “Landon”
Writer: Jim Strain
Director: Joe Lazarov
Synopsis: A big-city lawyer comes home to TN to convince an alleged “witch” (Old Bones) to sell her land to a mining company. She wrestles with her past and the future of the town.
If I Had Wings
Gerald McRaney – “Tom Freeman”
Delta Burke – “Ellie Holder”
Ben Lawson – “Clay”
Michele Weaver – “Phyllis”
Brooke Elliott – “Nancy Bridges”
Tim Reid – “Kendal Hooks”
Writer: Jim Strain
Director: Timothy Busfield
Synopsis: After receiving invitations to the 70th birthday party of their decades-long estranged father, three disparate siblings converge on a Mississippi farm where they test the bonds of blood and issues of faith, all to confront the sins of their father
JJ Sneed
Colin O’Donoghue – “JJ Sneed”
Willa Fitzgerald – “Maddie”
David Denman – “Deke Fletcher”
Mac Davis – “Reverend Riggs”
Vanessa Rubio – “Cimmaron”
Writer: Jim Strain
Director: Terry McDonough
Synopsis: In the 1880s, a feisty young woman trapped in a mundane existence dreams of more, until a seductive outlaw pulls her into the adventure of a lifetime.
Jolene
Julianne Hough – “Jolene”
Dolly Parton – “Babe”
Kimberly Williams-Paisley – “Emily”
Dallas Roberts – “Aaron”
Writer: Patrick Sean Smith
Director: Andrew Fleming
Synopsis: Based on Dolly Parton’s Grammy award-winning classic, “Jolene” tells the story of an unexpected friendship between two very different women who find themselves part of the iconic love triangle, ultimately impacting each other’s lives in profound ways.
Cracker Jack
Sarah Shahi – “Lucy Jane”
Rochelle Aytes – “Scarlett”
Jessica Collins – “Monica”
Tammy Lynn Michaels – “Bitsy”
Writer: Lisa Melamed
Director: Liesl Tommy
Synopsis: Two stories — one past, one present — about the power of unconditional love between a girl and her dog, and that same girl, now grown, who questions what her life means and who she can truly count on when faced with her greatest fear.
Sugar Hill
Patricia Wettig ‘ “Harper Cantrell”
Timothy Busfield – “Logan Cantrell”
Virginia Gardner – “Young Harper”
Tom Brittney – “Young Logan”
Writer: Thomas Ian Griffith & Mary Page Keller
Director: Lev L. Spiro
Synopsis: A married couple in their twilight embarks on a road trip back to the place where they first fell in love, along the way revisiting the history of their love story.
Down From Dover
Holly Taylor – “Delilah ‘Dee’ Covern”
Shane McGhie – “Lincoln Dollarhyde”
Robert Taylor – “Reverend Covern”
Bellamy Young – “Myrna Jorgensen”
Camryn Manheim – “Mrs. Grover”
Mary Lane Haskell – “Mrs. Cunningham”
Writer: John Sacret Young
Director: Erica Dunton
Synopsis: After being shunned by her pious widowed father, a pregnant teenager finds support at a home for unwed mothers, where she hopes for the safe return, of the young man she loves, from the Vietnam War.
Two Doors Down
Melissa Leo – “Amelia Meegers”
Ray McKinnon – “Roy Meegers”
Andy Mientus – “Tyler Meegers”
Katie Stevens – “Lee Meegers”
Michael Willett – “Cole Evans”
Writer: Mark B. Perry
Director: Wendey Stanzler
Synopsis: A family’s lifetime of secrets come bursting out during a chaotic and comedic New Year’s Eve wedding weekend. Will they make it to witness the “I do’s” without killing one another?
All eight hourlong stand-alone episodes of Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings launch November 22 on Netflix.
Art Courtesy of Netflix