‘Anne of Green Gables — The Good Stars’ to premiere on AETN

CONWAY — “Anne of Green Gables — The Good Stars” will premiere on the Arkansas Educational Television Network at 7 p.m. Thursday.

In “Anne of Green Gables — The Good Stars,” Anne Shirley turns 13 and faces complex situations with friends, learns from inspirational adults and experiences an escalating friendship with Gilbert. Her free-spirited nature is challenged by her perceived need to be sensible, a journey fraught with confusion and some unfortunate, albeit amusing, mishaps.

The second installment in a new adaptation of the classic L.M. Montgomery tales written and directed by John Kent Harrison, “The Good Stars” will again star critically acclaimed actor Martin Sheen as Matthew Cuthbert, along with returning leads Ella Ballentine as Anne Shirley and Canadian treasure Sara Botsford as Marilla Cuthbert.

Additional cast members include Julia Lalonde as Diana Barry, Kate Hennig as Rachel Lynde, Stefani Kimber as Josie Pye, Drew Haytaoglu as Gilbert Blythe, Kyle Gatehouse as Mr. Phillips and Linda Kash as Mrs. Barry.

The iconic Canadian literary classic returns after the successful Thanksgiving 2016 premiere of “Anne of Green Gables,” which reached more than 3.2 million viewers nationwide, a news release said. The third installment, “Anne of Green Gables — Fire & Dew,” will premiere in 2018.

At 9 p.m., a rebroadcast of the series’ first installment, “Anne of Green Gables,” will follow the premiere of “Anne of Green Gables — The Good Stars.”