Hallmark has revealed that it will have 40 all-new, original movies for both its flagship channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, as well as special content for Hallmark Movies Now, the company’s subscription streaming service.
Even though the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes impacted TV and film productions, Hallmark anticipated the labor dispute by getting a head start on production. “Christmas is a year-round business at Hallmark, so we were able to mitigate early in the year understanding that the strikes were unfortunately imminent,” Lisa Hamilton Daly, EVP of programming at Hallmark Media, was recently quoted as saying. “We’re grateful to meet all our goals for a full, all-new holiday slate and to bring our viewers the content they love most to celebrate the season.”
Holiday programming kicks off Friday, Oct. 20 with the channel’s Countdown to Christmas and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries’ Miracles of Christmas.
Among the actors set to headline Hallmark’s movies include Lacey Chabert (A Merry Scottish Christmas, Haul Out the Holly: Lit Up); Benjamin Ayres, Katherine Barrell, Catherine Bell, Jonathan Bennett, Krystal Joy Brown, Warren Christie, Cindy Busby, Erin Cahill, Paul Campbell, Nikki DeLoach, James Denton, Brooke D’Orsay, Jaicy Elliot, Brennan Elliott, Tyler Hynes, Dan Jeannotte, Hunter King, Bethany Joy Lenz, Luke Macfarlane, Chandler Massey, Niall Matter, Barbara Niven, Ryan Paevey, Janel Parrish, Brendan Penny, Kristoffer Polaha, Michael Rady, Marcus Rosner, Ronnie Rowe Jr., Jessy Schram, Kimberley Sustad, Andrew Walker, and Victor Webster.
Here’s the full slate for Hallmark Channel:
Friday, October 20: Checkin’ It Twice starring Kim Matula and Kevin McGarry. A journeyman hockey player (McGarry) falls for a real estate agent (Matula) in a career crisis when he’s traded to her hometown and moves into the cottage in her hockey loving family’s backyard.
Saturday, October 21: Where Are You, Christmas? Starring Lyndsy Fonseca, Michael Rady, Jim O’Heir, Julie Warner. When Addy (Fonseca) wishes for a year without Christmas, she wakes up in a world of black and white. She must work together with the town mechanic (Rady) to restore Christmas.
Sunday, October 22: Under the Christmas Sky starring Jessica Parker Kennedy, Ryan Paeve.: Kat (Kennedy) is an esteemed astrophysicist, who is scheduled for her first trip into space next year until an accident grounds her. While on leave, coming to terms with the reality that her dream of being an astronaut is over, she volunteers at the local planetarium. There, she is paired up with by-the-book David (Paevey) to work on an exhibit opening right before Christmas. Will the stars align to bring these two together at the holidays?
Friday, October 27: Christmas by Design starring Rebecca Dalton, Jonathan Keltz. A fashion designer (Dalton) gets accepted into a Christmas challenge to create a new holiday- themed collection and not only finds the inspiration for her next line but decides to redesign her approach to what’s most important in life.
Saturday, October 28: Mystic Christmas starring Jessy Schram, Chandler Massey, Patti Murin, William R. Moses. Juniper (Schram) travels to Mystic, Connecticut during the holidays to work at the rehabilitation center and aquarium. She reconnects with Sawyer (Massey), the owner of the pizza shop.
Sunday, October 29: Joyeux Noel stars Jaicy Elliot, Brant Daugherty. When a romantic painting of a Christmas market captures the imagination of copy editor Lea (Elliot), she is sent to France with pragmatic reporter Mark (Daugherty) to uncover the mystery behind the artist.
Friday, November 3: Flipping for Christmas starring Ashley Newbrough, Marcus Rosner. It’s almost Christmas when busy realtor Abigail (Newbrough) agrees to help her sister with the “simple flip” of a recently inherited home. Unfortunately, co-beneficiary Bo (Rosner) has other plans in mind.
Saturday, November 4: Never Been Chris’d starring Janel Parrish, Pascal Lamothe-Kipnes, Tyler Hynes. Home for the holidays, BFFs Naomi (Parrish) and Liz (Lamothe-Kipnes) reconnect with high school crush Chris Silver (Hynes). A complex love triangle forms, forcing them to take stock of their lives and find the value of friendship.
Sunday, November 5: The Santa Summit starring Hunter King, Benjamin Hollingsworth. It’s time for the annual Santa Summit, in which revelers put on Santa suits and hop around designated locations in town to eat, drink, and be merry. Three best friends decide to go together: Jordin (King), a recently dumped art teacher looking to cut loose; Ava, a shy woman hoping to run into her crush; and Stella, a Christmas cynic with no interest in the Santa Summit whatsoever. At the start of the night, Jordin meets and bonds with Liam (Hollingsworth), but doesn’t get his name before getting separated and lost in a sea of Santas. As the night progresses and hijinks ensue, amidst the chaos, celebration, and a sea of Santas, they all find what they’re looking for: Christmas spirit, potential romance, and a strengthened bond of friendship.
Friday, November 10: Everything Christmas starring Katherine Barrell, Cindy Busby, Corey Sevier, Matt Wells. Lori Jo’s (Busby) love for Christmas takes her on a road trip to Yuletide Springs with her roommate Tori (Barrell), where Christmas is celebrated year-round, to participate in a longstanding town tradition to honor her late grandmother. Along the way, the friends meet Carl (Sevier) and Jason (Wells), and the foursome make stops during their journey to enjoy more small-town Christmas attractions. But when a series of events puts a damper on their plans, a little Christmas magic may put this trip back on the right path.
Saturday, November 11: Christmas Island starring Rachel Skarsten, Andrew Walker. When a snowstorm diverts Kate’s (Skarsten) first private flight en route to Switzerland to Christmas Island, she must team up with an air traffic controller (Walker) to secure her dream job as the family’s pilot.
Sunday, November 12: A Heidelberg Holiday starring Ginna Claire Mason, Frédéric Brossier. Heidi Heidelberg (Mason) receives the dream opportunity to sell her beautiful, handmade glass ornaments at the prestigious Heidelberg Christmas Market in Germany. While there, she meets Lukas (Brossier), a local artisan who helps her reconnect with her lost heritage.
Friday, November 17: Navigating Christmas starring Chelsea Hobbs, Stephen Huszar. Recently divorced Melanie (Hobbs) and her son Jason visit a remote island for Christmas, only to find themselves running a real working lighthouse where she connects with the curt but cute owner (Huszar).
Saturday, November 18: A Merry Scottish Christmas starring Lacey Chabert, Scott Wolf. When estranged siblings, Lindsay (Chabert) and Brad (Wolf) Morgan travel to Scotland at Christmas to reunite with their mother Jo, a big family secret is revealed.
Sunday, November 19: Holiday Hotline starring Emily Tennant, Niall Matter. After leaving London, Abby (Tennant) connects with an anonymous caller while working at a cooking hotline. The caller is single dad “John” (Matter) who Abby unknowingly has become smitten with in real life.
Thursday, November 23: Catch Me If You Claus starring Italia Ricci, Luke Macfarlane. Avery Quinn. (Ricci) is an aspiring news anchor who’s finally getting her big break on her station’s Christmas morning newscast. But that’s put in jeopardy when she captures an intruder in her home wearing a red suit claiming to be Chris (Macfarlane), Santa’s son, who is on his first mission. A night of adventure ensues as they find themselves being pursued by the police as well as some shady characters. Along the way, they connect over living in the shadow of their parents and inspire each other to go after their dreams.
Friday, November 24: Letters to Santa starring Katie Lecler, Rafael de la Fuente. When young siblings receive a magic pen from Santa that appears to be granting wishes, they request a Christmas gift they want more than anything – for their separated parents (Leclerc, de la Fuente) to reunite.
Friday, November 24: Holiday Road starring Sara Canning, Warren Christie. When bad weather leaves each of them stranded at the airport for the holidays, a tech entrepreneur (Christie), a travel writer (Canning), a devoted mother (Enid-Raye Adams) and her son (Kiefer O’Reilly), a stubborn senior (Trevor Lerner), an enigmatic woman with a hint of mystery (Brittany Willacy), a couple traveling from Hong Kong (Sharon Crandall, Ryan Mah) and a social media influencer (Princess Davis) all agree to rent a shared van to embark on a road trip to Denver. When their unexpected journey brings them into uncharted territory, they navigate a series of misadventures together and form a deeper bond that just might change the trajectories of each of their lives. Inspired by true events.
Saturday, November 25: Christmas in Notting Hill starring Sarah Ramos, William Moseley. Famous soccer star, Graham Savoy (Moseley), has always been too busy for love, but when he comes home to Notting Hill for Christmas, he changes his mind after meeting Georgia (Ramos) – a visiting American and the one person who has no idea who he is.
Saturday, November 25: Haul Out the Holly: Lit Up starring Lacey Chabert, Wes Brown, Stephen Tobolowsky, Melissa Peterman, Ellen Travolta, Seth Morris, Jennifer Aspen. As the holidays approach, Emily (Chabert) and Jared (Brown) are looking forward to celebrating the holidays together again, this time as a couple. Emily, now embracing Evergreen Lane’s uniquely festive spirit, is ready to work with Jared, Ned (Tobolowsky), Mary Louise (Travolta) and Pamela (Peterman) to make this year’s Christmas celebrations the best yet – even if being the HOA president’s girlfriend doesn’t stop those dreaded decorating citations. When a house on the block goes up for sale, it causes quite a stir with residents. When the soon-to-be neighbors turn out to be holiday royalty (Morris, Aspen), it looks like this year’s competition is about to heat up.
Sunday, November 26: Our Christmas Mural starring Alex Paxton-Beesley, Dan Jeannotte. Olivia (Paxton-Beesley) is a single mom who returns home for Christmas. Her mom secretly enters her into a mural contest; she wins but partners with teacher Will (Jeannotte) to create a Christmas masterpiece.
Sunday, November 26: A Biltmore Christmas starring Bethany Joy Lenz. Lucy Hardgrove (Lenz) is a screenwriter who lands the job of a lifetime when she’s hired to pen the script for a remake of the beloved, holiday movie classic, His Merry Wife!, which was filmed in 1947 at beautiful, historic Biltmore House. When the head of the studio isn’t satisfied with the ending Lucy wrote because it deviates from the original’s feel-good conclusion, he sends Lucy to Biltmore Estate for research and inspiration. While there, she unwittingly discovers the ability to travel to the 1947 set of His Merry Wife! through the help of an hourglass.
Friday, December 1: My Norwegian Holiday starring Rhiannon Fish, David Elsendoorn. JJ (Fish), grieving the loss of her grandmother and seeking dissertation inspiration, stumbles upon an unexpected holiday destiny. Meeting Henrik (Elsendoorn), a Norwegian from Bergen, their connection deepens when he discovers she has a troll figurine from his hometown. To explore the troll’s history and her grandmother’s ties, JJ agrees to join Henrik on a journey to Norway. In Bergen, they’re drawn into Henrik’s family Christmas and wedding traditions, with his sister’s wedding the day before Christmas Eve. JJ embarks on a holiday adventure, uncovering the troll’s origins and finding her own path to healing, love and family.
Saturday, December 2: A Not So Royal Christmas. Starring Brooke D’Orsay, Will Kemp. Tabloid journalist Charlotte (D’Orsay) attempts to land an interview with a reclusive Count. In response, the royal family has a groundskeeper (Kemp) pose as the Count since the real one fled years ago.
Sunday, December 3: Christmas with a Kiss starring Mishael Morgan, Ronnie Rowe Jr., Jaime M. Callica. A Mahogany Presentation. A woman (Morgan) returns home to help with her family’s Christmas Carnival and romance ignites. A photo journalist (Rowe) curates a surprise reunion.
Friday, December 8: Magic in Mistletoe starring Lyndie Greenwood, Paul Campbell. Harrington (Campbell) is the author of a popular book series but commercial success has left him a bitter recluse. As he returns to his hometown for an annual Christmas festival celebrating his books, he’s joined by April (Greenwood), a publicist for the major publishing house he works with. April is there for damage control after Harrington’s recent comments on social media have ruffled some feathers. But as she gets to know him better, hope springs that April can unlock Harrington’s guarded heart and help him rediscover the spirit of the holiday.
Saturday, December 9: Christmas on Cherry Lane starring Catherine Bell, Jonathan Bennett, John Brotherton, Erin Cahill, James Denton, Vincent Rodriguez III. A young couple preparing to welcome their first child (Brotherton, Cahill); an empty-nester (Bell) and her fiancé (Denton) ready to start a new chapter; and a couple (Bennett, Rodriguez III) who unexpectedly have the chance to expand their family on Christmas Eve celebrate the holiday as they navigate these turning points in their lives.
Sunday, December 10: Round and Round starring Vic Michaelis, Bryan Greenberg, Rick Hoffman. Rachel’s (Michaelis) stuck in a time loop, reliving the night of her parents’ Hanukkah party. Can Zach (Greenberg), the “nice boy” Grandma’s trying to set her up with, help her make it to tomorrow?
Friday, December 15: The Secret Gift of Christmas starring Meghan Ory, Christopher Russell. Bonnie (Ory) is a personal shopper who helps her new, widowed client Patrick (Russell) reconnect with his young daughter. Though Bonnie and Patrick’s ideas of shopping couldn’t be more different, she is determined to get Patrick and his daughter everything on their wish list.
Saturday, December 16: Sealed with a List starring Katie Findlay, Evan Roderick.This holiday season, festive Carley (Findlay) sets out to conquer her list of abandoned resolutions from last year. Aided by coworker Wyatt (Roderick), she finds love and the confidence to chase her dreams.
Sunday, December 17: Friends & Family Christmas starring Humberly Gonzalez, Ali Liebert. Daniella (Gonzalez) has recently moved to New York to pursue an art career and decides to stay in town to share the holidays with her circle of artist friends, instead of going home to see her sweet, if overbearing parents. Amelia (Liebert) is a talented entertainment lawyer trying to stay focused on her work after a broken engagement. When Daniella and Amelia are set up by their parents, they agree to pretend that they are dating, to appease them for the holidays. However, as they spend time in eachother’s worlds, they soon build a connection that is deeper than either of them could have hoped for.
