Hallmark to Release a Robust Slate of Original Movies and Series, Introducing New Genres, Expansive Holiday Content, and Returning Fan Experiences for 2025-2026 Upfronts
This Upfront season, Hallmark presents an exceptional array of advertising and brand partnership opportunities that fuse the magic of its signature storytelling, with the power of its iconic brand, and unmatched fandom. A rich slate of programming will be offered, including new, original movies and new seasons of fan-favorite original series like, When Calls the Heart, The Way Home, and The Chicken Sisters. Additionally, it will unveil an exciting slate of unscripted series under the banner, “Reality TV with Heart,” bringing unscripted programming back to primetime on Hallmark’s linear flagship network. The 16th installment of Countdown to Christmas on Hallmark Channel - the #1-rated holiday network - will feature a robust roster of new holiday movies, including the second year partnership with the NFL and Skydance Sports for Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story , as well as two original scripted series - the world premiere of limited series, The Twelve Dates of Christmas (working title), and the premiere of Season 1 and 2 of Mistletoe Murders. Viewers will have access to over 4,000 hours of holiday content this season. All premieres will be available to stream the next day on the streaming service and membership program, Hallmark+. What’s more, the media company’s keen approach to align with parent company Hallmark opens the door for Upfront marketers to explore on-air and digital sponsorships, exposure at hit fan experiences, licensing opportunities, and more.
Hallmark Channel Reigns as #1 Most-Watched Entertainment Cable Network in the Fourth Quarter To-Date
Merry Thanksgiving Weekend Elevates Hallmark Channel to #1 Most-Watched Network in Thanksgiving Week for 11th Straight Year Among Women 18+. Network Delivers #1 Most-Watched Programs of the Day All Weekend Long
Alison Sweeney Unveils Secrets of "The Wedding Veil Expectations"
They're back! After last year's hugely successful The Wedding Veil trilogy, Alison Sweeney (above center), Autumn Reeser (left) and Lacey Chabert (right) return to Hallmark Channel this weekend as the network unveils the first of three new movies in the ongoing series.
Kevin McGarry on His Hallmark Channel "Takeover" and the Return of "When Calls the Heart"
If you think Kevin McGarry (pictured above) is suddenly all over Hallmark Channel, you're right. The popular star of When Calls the Heart was most recently seen in walking down the aisle with Lacey Chabert in The Wedding Veil trilogy and will be seen next week in the premiere of the movie Feeling Butterflies (co-starring his When Calls co-star and real-life lady love, Kayla Wallace -- be here next week for more about that). Until then, McGarry will be celebrating the return of When Calls the Heart for its ninth season. So, is he taking over? "Yeah, my plan is almost complete," he laughed during an exclusive interview with MediaVillage. "I have one more [movie] that has something to do with butterflies, and now all I need is an Easter movie. Once I do one with bunnies, then I think they'll actually just give me the network!"
"The Wedding Veil Legacy" -- Will Alison Sweeney Finally Be a Hallmark Bride?
Hallmark Channel’s enchanting The Wedding Veil trilogy concludes this weekend when Tracy (Alison Sweeney), the biggest skeptic of the veil's mystical match-making powers, is provided the opportunity of finding true love in The Wedding Veil Legacy. In the first two installments, both of Tracy’s dearest friends, Avery (Lacey Chabert) and Emma (Autumn Reeser), walked down the aisle as the legend of the magical veil came to fruition and united them with their soulmates. Finding love on a Hallmark project is not new for Sweeney, but she somehow has never been a bride in a Hallmark movie. However, the precedent set by her co-stars -- the prospect of finally donning a bridal gown on screen -- didn’t factor into her accepting the role. (No spoilers here; Sweeney is veiling her character's fate in secrecy.) “I was just so thrilled to work with Lacey and Autumn,” she said during an exclusive interview with MediaVillage. “I would have said yes either way to this. I wasn’t saying yes to the dress, or the possibility of one."
Hallmark Holidays: With 41 Movie Premieres, It's Once Again Looking a Lot Like Christmas
Christmas may come only once a year, but it always comes early for viewers of Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies and Mysteries, and 2021 is no exception. Hallmark Channel kicks off the holiday season celebrations Friday night with the launch of their annual "Countdown to Christmas" programming event, followed by the start of Hallmark Movies & Mysteries' returning "Miracles of Christmas" event on Saturday. With 41 original holiday premieres across all platforms (including streaming service Hallmark Movies Now, which will host its own programming event, "Movies & Mistletoe"), the impending holiday season couldn't be brighter.
Autumn Reeser on Working Overtime for Hallmark's "The 27-Hour Day"
This weekend’s premiere of The 27-Hour Day is a special one for its star Autumn Reeser (pictured above). Not only is the film her twelfth for Hallmark (that's Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries combined), it’s also the first time the popular network regular has starred in and executive produced a project for them. “Getting to executive produce was amazing, so amazing!” she beamed during an exclusive interview with MediaVillage. “This [movie] is something that Linda Carolei and I pitched to Hallmark maybe three or four years ago based on an idea by one of our writers. We developed it, and it was a great experience.
Lacey Chabert Delivers a Double Dose of Hallmark Christmas Cheer this Year
It just wouldn’t be Christmas at Hallmark Channel or Hallmark Movies & Mysteries without Lacey Chabert. Fortunately, there will be no worries this season, as there are two new holiday movies starring the beloved fan favorite set to premiere within the next few days -- Christmas Waltz (November 28 on Hallmark Channel) and Time for Us to Come Home for Christmas (December 5 on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries).
Hallmark's "Christmas in Vienna" Was a Perfect Year-End Bonus for Brennan Elliott
Last December, actor Brennan Elliott was awarded a unique Christmas bonus when the Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries fixture celebrated his 18th project (between the two channels) with an opportunity to work on location in Vienna. In 2020, a year largely devoid of bonuses for many, Elliott is thrilled to able to finally share Christmas in Vienna, co-starring Sarah Drew, with everyone. "Sadly, I didn't do [a Christmas film] in 2019," he explained in an exclusive MediaVillage interview. "I really wanted to, but it just didn't happen. Then I got Christmas in Vienna last December! I think I've done six Christmas movies now. Hallmark has been very kind to me, and I love working for them. Whenever they call, I just say 'yes' because it's always a wonderful time. I'm very blessed to be part of the Hallmark family. I know you probably hear that a lot, but they're just great to work with and to work for.
A Rainbow of New Talent and Returning Stars Usher In Christmas as Usual at Hallmark
Here’s something we all need after the unrelenting misery of 2020 to date: A look at what’s coming from Hallmark for the Christmas season. Crown Media this week announced that Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries and its subsidiary companies are celebrating Christmas 2020 in a big way. When all television production was shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic, it seemed that Hallmark’s annual Countdown to Christmas and Miracles of Christmas programming events could be jeopardized. But with film production in Canada, home-base for a lot of Hallmark projects, recently resuming (amidst stringent COVID-19 restrictions), both networks will be kicking off those events with new content beginning October 23.
