In the new story, Lassie has settled down with the McCulloch family in the fictitious town of Glenn Ridge, California. Lassie's new family includes Dee Wallace Stone who played the mother in "E.T.," and her real-life husband, Christopher Stone. Their two TV children are newcomers — 14-year-old Wendy Cox and 10-year-old Will Nipper.

Jon Provost played Timmy, the young master Lassie often rescued from trouble, from 1957 to 1964. In the new version, 39-year-old Provost plays Uncle Jack, who comes to visit now and then.

Instead of being merely a story about a boy and his dog, the new "Lassie" will throw a girl into the mix and move the family from the country into the suburb of a large city. The unflappable collie, stepping into a new age will champion causes ranging from animal rights to latchkey children.