A Place Called Home (TV)

Fiercely independent Tula Bouvier Jeeters (Golden Globe nominee Ann-Margret) is living out her golden years in the sprawling but crumbling country home she shared with her beloved late husband. Intensely private, she’s also wary of visitors, especially the likes of Billie (Hunter Tylo, The Bold and the Beautiful) and Dave (Sean O’Bryan, The Princess Diaries), her deceased husband’s niece and nephew, and county social worker Jan Kyles (Rebecca McFarland, Scream 2). It’s their job to see to Tula’s welfare—like vultures—and to count the days when she can be recommended for “assisted living.” The only man on Tula’s side is the hopelessly romantic Doc Abrams (Gary Sandy, WKRP in Cincinnati), the town’s last true gentleman. But the final years of the aging Southern belle aren’t as predictable as everyone thinks. Her routine is unexpectedly shaken by the arrival of drifters Hank Ford (Matthew Settle, Band of Brothers) and his daughter Cali (Shailene Woodley, Without a Trace), nine-going-on-thirty and every bit the experienced con that her father is. Hank and Cali size up Tula as a quick mark, someone to take advantage of and then move on. But Tula’s no fool. She sees the pair as her last hope and plans to take them in as boarders so they can help with the upkeep of her home. For Hank and Cali, it sure beats living out of their convertible. However, when Billie encounters Hank’s slick charms firsthand, her suspicions, as well as those of the local sheriff, are soon roused. But an unlikely bond has already developed between Tula and her new friends, and it’s going to take more than a woman like Billie to break it. For the first time, Cali discovers what childhood is, Tula finds an enlightening new lease on life, opening herself up to the affections of Doc, and Hank is finally learning the meaning of friendship, family, and trust. Together they’re saying goodbye to yesterday, and, naysayers be damned, they’re going to fight for a new tomorrow that will change all their lives.