Christy (1994) is the pilot TV movie based on Catherine Marshall’s bestselling 1967 novel, inspired by the real-life experiences of the author’s mother. Nineteen-year-old Christy Huddleston (Kellie Martin) leaves the comforts of her home in Asheville, North Carolina, to teach school in the impoverished Appalachian community of Cutter Gap, Tennessee, in 1912. Overwhelmed by both the stunning beauty of the Great Smoky Mountains and the poverty, superstition, and old-fashioned ways of the mountain people, Christy is guided by the mature faith of missionary Alice Henderson (Tyne Daly, in an Emmy-winning role) as she learns to serve and understand this proud, isolated community. Along the way, she finds herself drawn to both the mission’s minister, Reverend David Grantland, and the local doctor, Neil MacNeill. The pilot’s strong ratings led CBS to launch it into a full series, which aired from 1994 to 1995 and has retained a devoted fan following ever since.