>>"The Waltons" may be at the top of my personal list of annoying TV shows. That kind of phony, hokey schmaltz drives me straight up the wall.
>
>What's schmalz in American context? I have a feeling my rudimentary knowledge of German is getting in the way of proper understanding.

#1 is about what I meant. I never thought of it as being focused on music. Books and movies can certainly be schmaltzy as well, at least as I think of the word. "Love Story" is a good example. (Probably predictably, the movie is now a camp classic to college students).

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/schmaltz