Can we discuss The Hallmark channel?

It must work. They keep doing it.

Do they have the Hallmark Channel in Russia, Boris?

Funny you posted this, I watched one of those xmas movies just this week.

It’s was like watching a slow moving train wreck. I couldn’t look away.

Me, love them!! They have the hottest men

I thought you were kidding. They really are showing Christmas movies now!

Канал Hallmark представляет: Ради любви к Sputnik! Сексуальная Светлана влюбляется в Бориса. Она узнает, что он не вакцинирован, и придумывает, как это сделать.

Yea, it’s Christmas in July you fools! 😘

Who's the freak who thinks everyone is Boris and why on a thread like this? Bizarre.

Next Saturday

Two-hour Hallmark Channel Original Movie

“A Little Daytime Drama”

In order to save her daytime soap drama from cancellation, head writer Maggie (Jen Lilley) must convince Darin (Ryan Paevey), fan-favorite actor and her real- life ex-boyfriend, to return to the show. Alice (Linda Dano), the show’s creator and producer, wants to retire and hopes to pass the baton to Maggie if the soap can be salvaged.

[quote]Who thought this was a good idea?

Their accountants.

Teri Polo's got to work.

I am watching a movie where Jesse Metcalfe plays a retired policeman

Teri Polo's name was an answer in the NY Times Sun. Crossword recently.

R12 I wonder if someone called and let her know.

R13, is that the sort of thing a clipping service picks up? Though clipping services may not exist anymore -- Google Alerts?

There's one with gorgeous Ryan Paevey on right now. Scrumptious...and SINGLE.

I don't get The Hallmark Channel, has Ryan Paevey learned to act or is he still getting by on his good looks?

Hallmark is straight women's opportunity to fantasize as they watch gorgeous gay guys kiss women!

He's good R16. Very natural, charming. And butch.

I think you're right R17. Whenever I see a commercial or tune in, it seems like ALL the leading men are in real life, single, and have never married, despite being in their 30's-early 40's. Like Trevor (cough-cough) Donovan.

Thanks r18, he was rather wooden on GH, glad to hear he has evolved.

Ryan Paevey and his bell pepper nose. No thanks.

R16 No

I dislike the movies only because, without Christmas music, they don't feel truly authentic.

With that said, they always have the best decorations. I want their set designers to decorate for me.

A friend of a friend made a fortune in a few years providing mostly fairy lights and fake snow to Hallmark.

Then Hallmark switched to digital fairy lights. So the friend moved on to the Instagram filter industry.

We should be grateful - Hallmark keeps DL favourite Jonathan Bennett gainfully employed. There's no telling what he might do otherwise.

OP, You are now responsible for me getting filthy looks from my cat. I don't watch hallmark but you got me singing "It's beginning to look a lot like christmas" as I put her food out. We both hate me.

It's a channel for women who leave their Xmas decorations up all year. Like one of my former neighbors.

Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Mystery Movie Channel are both more pathetic than I imagined they would be. The mysteries are a little less horrible than the regular movies (especially the wretched Xmas movies) but they're still bad. I don't mind the ones with Alison Sweeney (from DOL) too much because I do like her and they're slightly better written than the others, but even those aren't worth watching unless you're bored out of your mind with every other possible activity (taking the trash out, cleaning the litterbox, etc).

The Hallmark Christmas movies really are a huge industry.

I love Christmas and I love Christmas movies but somehow these movies never conjure up any Christmas spirit for me. So formulaic.

The snow falls only in the background, not on the characters. Hey producers: snow falls on everything and everyone outdoors.

It must be a good gig for people like former stars of soaps and sitcoms, getting paid to spend a few weeks in Canada walking through these undemanding roles a couple of times a year. Beats auditioning in Hollywood or NYC after you're no longer hot.

I dropped stuff off at some friends' house today and their mom was there, watching a Hallmark movie on TV. She had the closed captioning on and I'm a compulsive reader so I read the captions while waiting for my friend to get off the phone so we could bring the stuff in from the car. I noticed that the captions identified one of the characters as "Jacques" when he spoke, which I thought was odd because the movie didn't seem to be set in France. When I got home, I looked the movie up on IMDb and the cast list shows that character's name as "Jack". I know these Hallmark movies are filmed in Canada, so I think the captioning was done by Canadians and they're used to people being named "Jacques" (due to the French influence from Quebec) but the English nickname "Jack" may not be used for people named "John". If any Canadians are as bored as I've been all afternoon, please share your opinion.

These movies all seem to be about a woman finding Mr. Right. Have they ever had a gay couple finding each other?

I like them but I agree about the year long Christmas movies. They used to only show them staring in December and then they started in November and then October and now it’s all year.

I don’t get it.

They're all filmed in Canada. Actors been in American TV and films under SAG/AFTRA. How does that affect Hallmark productions?

I am watching one right now but only because The Golden Girls is on at 10. I find it amusing how they always find the same slightly above average vaguely cute but not really good looking people on.It should be called the 6.5/7 Channel.

I didn't realize that Lifetime was going after the market so much, until this year. Their movies look to be a little bit ediger than Hallmark. I'm looking forward to the one Reba is doing with John Schneider, she will now have co-starred with both of the Duke boys. Tom Wopat was her Frank Butler in Annie Get Your Gun on Broadway.

Perhaps you could have your prescription checked R37. They played a rerun of 'Right in Front of Me', with lucious, soft-spoken...and curiously SINGLE Marco Grazzini. Yes, it was the standard Hallmark fare, but he was very laid back and natural. And very cute.

His leading lady...OINK.

R34, sort of...

R39, Yes after some contemplation, MG merits an unshameful 7.5...pretty high for Hallmark channel standards. But the female l.i was a 6 at my most generous.

On the podcast "Juicy Scoop," host Heather McDonald interviewed Denise Richards, and they discussed Denise working for the Hallmark Channel frequently.

Anyone a fan of Denise and movies?

Does she play a grannie or a trannie R42?

Passing through a room just now with one of these movies on TV. A character referred to the "cache" on a malfunctioning computer and pronounced it "cash-ay". I know these things are filmed in Canada but that's no excuse for the American actor (Brooks Darnell, ex-Nate on YR) to pronounce the word that way and everyone else to let it go uncorrected.

Christmas season is coming

You, Me & the Christmas Trees premieres next week on October 22th

Saturday 23th sees the premiere of Boyfriends of Christmas Past

Sister's channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, starts on October 23th too with Christmas in My Heart starring Luke McFarlane

Part of Mr wants to retire from my job (which was once intellectually demanding now just boring), retire down South with my relatives, grow tomatoes and watch Hallmark.

Maybe I could transition to an older Southern woman, like something out of My Sordid Life.

There is always a town square with a gazebo.

I respectfully disagree, R23. I find the sets of Hallmark movies to be eerie and soulless, even with all of the fairy lights and fake snow. They’re like thomas kinkade paintings… the eeriness of which typically stems from the lack of people. But this time there are people inhabiting the paintings, but it doesn’t help matters. But yes, I do like a hallmark hunk.

I don't care much for their Christmas movies, but I do love their murder mystery ones like Mystery 101.

Apparently, the reason why Hallmark does so many Christmas movies is that - once upon a time - they had the highest ratings. And, I guess, the Fraus do love their Christmas romance movies. And all movies (Christmas or regular ones) follow the same formula. One lead lives a busy and successful life in the big city, but has to make a trip to a small town (usually the one he or she grew up in) and resolve some issue while not only falling in love with a local, but also the small town itself.

Good lord, I'm the OP of this thread and can't believe it's still going. Still wondering about the bizarre Boris accuser troll though.

I enjoy the Christmas shows, but it's so sad that the most handsome men, beautiful women are always alone for the holidays, so they pretend to be a couple to make their parents happy. I cannot wait to see "Christmas Get Away" with that hunk, Travis Van Winkle. Our local Hallmark store sells the dvd's. Also the Hallmark Channel ratings are "through the roof" during this period.

R51, the reason they do so many Christmas movies is to SELL THEIR GREETING CARDS. Period.

Allegedly they have a quota for the number of minorities they cast in any of their projects. Pass. All of their stuff is dreck. Frau pablum xxxxxx infinity.

The Karen Network.

Dear Sherlock at r54. Does it really make that much sense to air a Christmas movie in June in order to sell Christmas themed Hallmark cards in June?

R56 Usually in July, Hallmark stores host their first Keepsake Ornament event, they call it the Keepsake Ornament Premiere.

R56 of course not, but lil' blue-hair ladies WITH NO LIVES have been slurpin' up this crap for 60-70 years, like R57 pointed out.

[quote] I didn't realize that Lifetime was going after the market so much, until this year.

WHERE the FUCK have YOU been?

F.Y.I.

R59 I don't really watch Lifetime.

OP is that the only channel you get?

This Friday, October 22, Hallmark's Countdown to Christmas begins!

I wish Ryan McPartlin would make it into the Hallmark rotation.

He's another in a long line of gorgeous, but unthreatening guys, who are nice to watch, bad acting notwithstanding.

He was in a Hallmark movie a few years ago, R64. Seems he's done more Lifetime movies, though (including one with Mayim Bialek!).

I hate that they stop showing Murder She Wrote until January. I would much rather watch Jessica solve murders in Cabot Cove than some insipid Christmas movie.

Why did Hallmark stop airing Hart to Hart late at night? I used to watch that show if I woke up in the middle of the night and I miss it.

You're talking about Hallmark's other channel R66 -- their 'Murders and Mysteries' channel. And Murder She Wrote is playing right now.

Don't forget that DL Fav and the most Emmy awarded daytime actress Erika Slezak is making her Hallmark Channel debut in Next Stop, Christmas Saturday, November 6th at 8pm. The movie also reunites Lea Thompson and Christopher Lloyd from Back to the Future, and also features DAYS soap hunk Chandler Massey.

I have basic cable - or some other budgetary plan, and I cannot watch Hallmark. I tried and tried.

Hallmark is the definition of Frau catnip.

While I get that they cast based more on looks and "appeal" than acting, I'm surprised at how bad the acting is - even from established actors who can actually do better.

Of course, no one is watching for the story, just the very attractive guys who almost always are shirtless multiple times throughout the show.

More like frau meth, r70…

R69 - You are not missing much!

R66 Hart to Hart is on the free streaming channel Tubi TV. And the DVDs are fairly cheap.

WARNING!!! Both "Hallmark Movies" and "Hallmark Mystery Movies" seem to be showing non-stop Xmas movies from now until you-know-when.

Like what actual channel is it on the TV?

They could show this one weekly and I'd be 100% okay with that!

R76, depends on your cable provider. With AT&T U-Verse, it's 365 (Hallmark Movies) and 366 (Hallmark Mystery Movies).

Not sure if it's the same in every market, R76, but on Spectrum in Los Angeles it's 88 for Hallmark Channel and 89 for Hallmark Mysteries & Movies.

Several have been filmed in Wilmington, NC this year. Apparently, they are a favorite with the film and tech crews because they don’t work super-long hours like major productions do.

DL fave Julian Morris will be in one of them

It's always a white Christmas in a Hallmark Christmas movie. I love it.

I caught one with Blair and Tootie last year. The nostalgia factor enhances the palatability of some of these flicks.

I know there's one in which all 4 Eastland girls appear, but I haven't stumbled across it yet.

Do the lower-classes even celebrate Christmas in the Hallmark universe?

It's escapism for women. I know several gays who enjoy them, too. And not ironically.

I'm more of a fan of the old Hallmark Hall of Fame from the '90s and earlier, when they actually had big-name stars and great production values. Remember the SARAH, PLAIN AND TALL trilogy with Glenn Close and Christopher Walken? What about THE LOVE LETTER with Jennifer Jason Leigh and Campbell Scott? That's the Hallmark I miss.

Wait, when things became controversial because of politics to film in North Carolina, Hallmark just went right on filming there anyways and didn’t move out of state? Even shows like Outer Banks that’s supposed to take place there refused and films in South Carolina?

R86, NC repealed their notorious bathroom bill, which was the cause of the boycott. Since GA is dipping its toe into the voter suppression waters Atlanta’s loss is NC’s gain.

Are they going to give pity roles to that jailbird, Aunt Becky?

Well, Hallmark does keep Trevor Donovan from doing OnlyFans, so there’s that…

[quote]Do the lower-classes even celebrate Christmas in the Hallmark universe?

No. No one below upper-middle class, blandly attractive white folks appear. What a wonderful world. Rather be there than Pleasantville.

What's with people in these movies mispronouncing words and no one correcting them? The other day, an actor said "cash-ay" for the memory cache in an internet search engine. Then last night, an actress referred to historical mores (which should be pronounced "morays", like eels) and pronounced it without the accent aigu over the "e" (as if it were s'mores). I think the actress was Elizabeth Henstridge in "Christmas At The Plaza", who's English but didn't speak with an English accent -- whoever it was should know better or, if not, should be corrected by the director.

R91 - Do not get upset. One must remember that one is watching the Hallmark Channel!

I watched a couple of the gay Hallmark movies from last year (not actually during xmas, mind you).

They were terrible movies, however...they were as bad as the straight ones, not actually worse. It was oddly comforting for the gay people to be treated exactly the same as the straight couples.

In the past, the gay couples always got the shaft - and not in the good way - when romances were told. The gay couples weren't the comic relief, the gay best friend, or drug addicted and troubled sons who couldn't deal with being a homo.

I am relieved Luke Macfarlane is returning to Hallmark for Christmas.

It just isn’t the holidays without Like and Lacey Chabert.

I adore Luke McFarlane, too. He's cute as a bug's ear.

Lifetime and ION Xmas movies are the poor cousins of Hallmark, but I'll watch them, too. As another poster said upthread, they're a bit edgier, and I enjoy spotting the cheap set decorations

I like McDonald's food, too, and that explains why I like the occasional assembly-line Xmas movie. I know what flavor I want and I know where to find it.

And, it never gets old: the small-town, male, hot, heterosexual, appealing, late 20s, early 30s available widower or single older brother of a cute kid, holds no appeal to the local, single, eager-to-be-married, would-be local fraus, who, apparently, all have turned their noses up at him, making him available to the big-city, high powered female executive stranded in their small town over Xmas.

[quote]And, it never gets old: the small-town, male, hot, heterosexual, appealing, late 20s, early 30s available widower or single older brother of a cute kid, holds no appeal to the local, single, eager-to-be-married, would-be local fraus, who, apparently, all have turned their noses up at him, making him available to the big-city, high powered female executive stranded in their small town over Xmas.

There is somethng very subtlely (or maybe not so subtle) misogynistic about the Hallmark movies, even though their target market is the fraus.

They're oddly contemptuous of women with careers or women and insist that women cannot be happy or complete without a man. Also, even when the women are the ones choosing to stay with the guy or not, they're still doing the "oooh, pick-me, pick-me" dance to get his attention.

Excellent point, r96.

Luke Macfarlane look like a hot homeless guy in his latest Christmas movie.

While channel surfing, I just overheard a female lead whine "But you know I've always dreamed of a Christmas wedding!" -- and she wasn't making a wry joke! Her fiance had the good sense to dump her. How can people actually watch these things?

[quote]They're all filmed in Canada. Actors been in American TV and films under SAG/AFTRA. How does that affect Hallmark productions?

Not so! Many are filmed in various states (with film tax credits) like Massachusetts and New York.

I was in one a few years ago (airing again next week a couple times) and we filmed about a hundred miles north of NYC in Ulster County, NY. I loved every second playing the Dad, it was a blast. Our reviews were lousy, but Hallmark still plays it with some frequency!

I never watched any Hallmark Christmas movies because I was petrified that I would actually like them (I have very unfortunate taste in TV and movies). I always kind of assumed that the hate towards them was slightly exaggerated, and if I gave one a shot, I would get addicted to them.

Well, back in July, I overheard one in the waiting room at the doctor’s office. Holy fuck, it was utter dogshit. I could barely stand to listen to it. Even though I knew they were paid well, I felt bad for the actors involved.

They’re like Disney Channel Original Movies for fraus. Cheap, cheesy, formulaic, and they recycle the same batch of Z-list actors over and over again. The key merit that they should have—that warm and fuzzy Christmas spirit—is mysteriously absent. There’s no joy in them. Everything feels weirdly sterile.

R101 the Hallmark movies from before 2000 were exquisite in their star power, acting, and production values. I highly recommend those.

Even 2000s films like THE MAGIC OF ORDINARY DAYS (with Keri Russell and Skeet Ulrich) and FRONT OF THE CLASS (with James Wolk and Patricia Heaton) ware pretty good all around. The 2010s is really when they started scrimping and it shows.

These Christmas Hallmark movies are as personal as Hallmark holiday greeting cards. It's all about a commercial style that is supposed to a make you feel good and cozy, but also make you feel like shit for not having a Christmas romance or doing enough to celebrate the holiday like buying an entire store supply of Christmas decorations.

What's the title, R100?

R103 the ones you have in mind are the movies from the Hallmark Hall of Fame franchise which aired on CBS/ABC. There were 2-3 of them each year. And yes, the casting was at higher level as it was made for Big 4 channels and therefore, I suppose, had higher budgets.

According to Variety (2017), the movies for Hallmark Channel are filmed in 3 weeks and costs around $2 million each

Lifetime’s Christmas movies have slightly higher production values.

These movies are so low effort and inoffensive. I can actually understand their appeal. They're really just background noise. The audiovisual version of Christmas decorations. They are so lacking in diversity that you'd think they were a segregationist period piece. I'm not their target demographic. I'm gay, a person of color and I prefer urban areas. I am fascinated by how much money they make. I actually wouldn't mind working on the set of these movies because I heard it's pretty easy money and can be fun from a Reddit post.

[quote] They are so lacking in diversity that you'd think they were a segregationist period piece

Not true! Last year I viewed Hallmark movies with a sassy gay personal assistant, a butch female Christmas tree delivery driver and at least 3 appearances by a Mowry twin.

R109 Ok. I'm glad they're changing. But I cut the cord a while ago. So it must have taken them until just now to realize other people exist who aren't white and straight. Lifetime's shock was always more diverse. I think BET dipped their toes in making wholesome holiday movies for Black people.

*schlock

Hallmark movies make money because they are targeted toward the masses, something that Hollywood has forgotten about. It is show business. You are trying to make a profit. Socialism doesn't help with that.

R112 I understand. I still don't care and don't watch those movies. Also no straight man is watching Hallmark. They only target white straight women .

R110 They now have a couple of movies each year with black leads. A few years ago the first attempts with black leads used to get lower ratings than the movies of previous and following weeks. Now fraus are getting used to that

Last week premiere had a black couple leading the movie.

Full set of 2021 Countdown to Christmas

You, Me and the Christmas Trees premiere got 2,222,000 viewers.

Boyfriends of Christmas Past premiere got 2,027,000 viewers.

The Santa Streakout got 2,108,000 viewers

I watched I think an ION Christmas movie one time called Christmas Twister. That was actually a fun watch because the acting was even worse and it was just a whole new level of camp. It was at least different from the Hallmark “Executive frau goes home for the holidays” template.

I'm happy they are becoming diverse and featuring gay couples now. The biggest Christmas culture lovers I know are gays and lesbians.

The new CEO of Hallmark Movies is Wonya Lucas, whose uncle was Hank Aaron. Diversity is expected to increase under her direction, which would be a good thing. However, a sappy movie with characters of various races and sexual orientations is no less sappy just because of the cast.

R118 so much for escapism. We'll just be pummeled with far-left propaganda.

Besides, how will it better reflect so-called society? Whites are still the great majority. Blacks are only 12% of the U.S. population. Thus, showing a more diverse country is not accurate.

Social Justice Warrior's hearts are in the right place but they sure are as hell don't know how to run a business.. I can just see millions of viewers tuning out. SJWs still haven't yet realized that people don't want to be preached to. I fear that before long many whites will have turned right politically because of stuff like this.

[quote] They now have a couple of movies each year with black leads. A few years ago the first attempts with black leads used to get lower ratings than the movies of previous and following weeks. Now fraus are getting used to that

Just like Vogue covers. It’s not a big deal to have black women on the cover any more.

Naomi walked so I could run.

Funny how “socialism” (an andodyne concept, oh, everywhere in the world except one particular country) has replaced “communism” as the boogeyman.

I caught a few minutes of one last night and realized the female lead was the girl who used to play Claudia on Party of Five. She went from a real little troll kid to a very pretty, very Va Va Voom woman.

R123 She is in tons of them

What R108 said, condensed

White Americans are only about 60% of the population now. Asian, Indian and Middle Eastern immigrants who come here tend to be wealthy and are a big consumer base. Hispanics are growing too and also a big consumer base. You guys realize the media is about targeting people with money? Mexico is mostly Indigenous descendants, South Africa is mostly black, most of Brazil is mulatto yet most of the celebrities and movies feature white people because that's the wealthy class there. White Americans on the other hand are not the most powerful class anymore. Asians, Indians and Latinos are becoming more and more influential and you see that in politics and CEOs. Why do you think Republicans have gotten so powerful it's due to the fear of white men losing their cultural dominance. That's what allowed Trump to rise.

R126 that’s why Whites use ethnics to raise their population numbers. There are actually less of them than they want us to believe now.

A lot of those “white” Latinos aren’t even white. Same with a lot of those middle eastern folk they classify as white now.

It’s all a ploy to keep their numbers higher than they are.

Imagine if Holly Robinson Peete appears in 3 Hallmark Christmas movies instead of her standard 2.

Imagine if harried businessman Colin Lawrence falls for sassy mystery novelist and single mom Danica McKellar when they’re snowed in at Vail on Christmas Eve.

Imagine if soulful local cop and single dad Kristoffer Polaha and real estate mogul Tatyana Ali meet cute whilst apple picking in Vermont.

Imagine if aged care worker Mekhi Pfifer and urban forager Lacey Chabert lock eyes at an Amish food fair.

Imagine if Luke Macfarlane’s love interest is a Jew. Played by Justin Bartha.

Any of these scenarios could put Marjorie Taylor Green in the White House in 2024!

I'm all for more fine BBC on all networks all the time.

The films with black leads, or gay leads do poorly, but they feel they must produce them because the diversity can be waved like a flag even though they are really not sound business decisions.

The current crop of popular leading ladies are all about to age out of the system, they should be bringing in the next wave of female leads.

The Hallmark movies are basically porn for white flyover fraus. It's a niche market that's proven very successful. Not everything has to be diverse.

In this age of 5000 channels and streamers to choose from I just think some things can be niche for a specific audience and if people want diversity there are 1 million other shows to choose from.

[quote] do poorly

Eh, they all perform about the same. Cable and streaming have divided up the pie so small that getting these movies made for cheap is the name of the game, and ratings for the first showing of a movie aren't really telling the whole story. Each movie just becomes another nugget in the content farm.

Just as HGTV repeats its content over and over, adding a new one here and there, but they are almost never in real competition in the ratings race. It's a contest of how much bang for the buck can they get for the smallest cents per viewer.

Holly Robinson Peete movies do no worse than the Candace Cameron or others. She is liked by many white people.

The gay one did not do well, however. And is that a shock? I’m sick of the bitching about it when you all didn’t even watch it. What was the point then?

In the long run, content you own (aka exclusives) will be more profitable when you can air them over and over again for years without having to pay a licensing fee. That's why VIACOM created so many channels, like LOGO, to use them as their dumping ground to air stuff VIACOM owns. Streaming goes into a similar direction where a streaming platforms may start with a lot of licensed content, but adds more and more of its own created content and add fewer releases that require a license fee (which will run out at one point, and they have to take it off their streaming platform).

Urban Forager Lacey Chabert! 🤣

Hallmark doesn’t do hipster. Hey, they barely lean in to Christian Girl Autumn. Although they should appeal to the Kinfolk brigade, as the eldest millennials are entering their 40s and will become grandparents about now.

Urban foragers, parkour enthusiasts, Mac and Cheese aficionado insomniacs tweeting “Mariah is a skinny legend in group chats”.

Everything is about demographics. Who watches Hallmark most? Isn’t it that over 80% of their audience are straight white women?

Holly Robinson Peete was given a contract with Hallmark and has worked with them for years now. Why? Because her films do well. Believe it or not, some black people are liked by many white people. I know, it’s hard for racist DLers to grasp. However, I do think putting her with a white male lead gets more viewers than if it’s a black man.

[quote] Eh, they all perform about the same. Cable and streaming have divided up the pie so small that getting these movies made for cheap is the name of the game, and ratings for the first showing of a movie aren't really telling the whole story. Each movie just becomes another nugget in the content farm.

Exactly. It’s not about numbers of viewers. It’s about advertisers accessing demographics of viewers. And if advertisers who target gays, or black women, or interracial couples buy time, then Hallmark make $$$.

There is ONLY one reason why a legacy company like Hallmark, or even Disney, employs diverse talent - because it makes good financial sense.

[quote] The Hallmark movies are basically porn for white flyover fraus. It's a niche market that's proven very successful. Not everything has to be diverse. In this age of 5000 channels and streamers to choose from I just think some things can be niche for a specific audience and if people want diversity there are 1 million other shows to choose from.

Imagine being triggered by seeing a black person in a Hallmark movie! It’s Christmas. And you’re the wrong kind of snowflake!

Has anyone noticed the "Hallmark on Steroids" fans of the new streaming service Passionflix?

They make their own steamy content based on popular romance novels and they have a wildly enthusiastic audience. Currently they are doing very well with their most recent release of a trashy romance novel adaptation you've likely never heard of called "Seduction & Snacks" which was a hugely popular book.

I find it funny when something is clearly popular to millions which I've still never really heard of, but here it is.

2020 movies with viewers for the premiere. Multiply x 1,000

Winter in Vail 2,539

Love in Winterland 2,294

Love on Iceland 2,210

Amazing Winter Romance 1,329

Hearts of Winter 2,349

A Valentine’s Match 2,463

Matching Hearts 2,548

The Secret Ingredient 2,255

Love in Store 1,995

Bad Date Chronicles 1,623

In the Key of Love 2,215

Just my Type 2,593

You're Bacon me Crazy 2,592

Fashionably Yours 1,811

Nature of Love 2,267

How to Train Your Husband 1,831

Love in the Forecast 2,140

Love under the Olive Tree 1,711

Romance in the Air 2,033

Love on Harbour Island 2,163

Wedding Every Weekend 2,159

Love at Dasy Hill 2,172

Falling for Look Lodge 2,051

Country at Heart 2,197

My Best-Friend's Bouquet 2,018

Sweet Autumn 2,217

Jingle Bell Bride 2,654 (black male lead)

Chateau Christmas 2,686

One Royal Holiday 3,119

On the 12th Date of Christmas 2,823

Never Kiss a Man in a Christmas Sweater 2,900

Christmas with the Darlings 2,814

Christmas in Vienna 2,928

A Timeless Christmas 3,379

A Nashville Christmas Carol 3,164

The Christmas House 2,333 (gay one)

Heart of the Holidays 1,782

A Christmas Tree grows in Colorado 1,658 (black leads)

Good Morning Christmas 2,846

Christmas by Starlight 3,112

Five Star Christmas 3,374

Christmas Waltz 3,949

If I Only Had Christmas 3,927

Christmas in Evergreen 4: Bells are ringing 2,480 (black leads)

Christmas She wrote 2,986

Love Lights, Hamukah 2,991

Christmas comes twice 2,494 (black leads)

A Christmas Carousel 3,142

Cross Country Christmas 3,299

Wow r135 those are some Basic Bitches!

I’ve watched their channel for years. Not only do I watch their movies, I watch their shows, and subscribe to Hallmark Movies Channel. They DO have black people in their movies. They do have gays sometimes. Liberals bitch about the fact that the black people are always the best friends. Or the gay is the girls gay bestie. Never the leads (which isn’t the case for black women, they have black female leads all the time) but when a gay is made the lead those same people bitching about the lack of representation do not even watch themselves! They just want it because.

Gay men on here tend to complain about black people bitching about representation but they do the same shit. Why do you need to be the lead on a network you don’t even watch!?? Honest question

Forced diversity is so annoying.

Someone’s forcing you to watch Hallmark movies?

[quote] “Seduction & Snacks”

Never seen it, never read it, but whoever dreamed up that title is a marketing genius.

I feel there's so many movies about minority groups and gays and so many easy ways to stream. That it doesn't bother me about Hallmark Channel. I don't watch or support it but I don't care if others do. The medium age of Hallmark is probably 55. But it's their taste and choice. I try to support independent or foreign filmmakers anyway. Netflix and Amazon have a good selection and so much free stuff on YouTube and Tubi. I do remember being excited for Logo TV and it ended up becoming a network for reruns which is disappointing.

Also people who keep mentioning money and profits clearly don't appreciate the art of filmmaking. All Hollywood does today is try to make quick money and they pander to countries like Saudi Arabia, India and China hence the rise of CGI blockbusters with little plot. It's getting so bad, experienced directors are going to Netflix, HBO, Amazon and Apple to release their movies and also getting Kickstarters for funding.

Made for TV movies like Hallmark, Ion, Lifetime and Freeform aren't meant to be challenging. Just comfort food. They don't have Hollywood has so much money and funding that it's wasting on all these franchises.

Hollywood is wasting money on all these franchise properties. They don't have the excuse of low budget cable networks.

I have a benign frau in my family, early 50s, empty nester, blindsided by a divorce about 10 years ago. She loves Hallmark Christmas movies but only if the actors are attractive. She said lately they have been casting some unattractive actors and she doesn’t want to sit through the same cliched plot with a bunch of uggos.

Actually a lot of their audience is women in their 30s. The demographic has gotten younger.

The point is, if you don’t watch it, why the fuck do you care? You don’t watch, who cares who is on it then? Jesus.

Is this the network that touts itself as "The channel for women... and gay men"?

Watch an episode of The Good Witch for some spectacularly sappy, wholesome frau schlock.

Only on DL do gay men worry about a network they don’t even watch.

[quote] Also people who keep mentioning money and profits clearly don't appreciate the art of filmmaking.

No you dumb cluck, it means we’re talking about romantic comedies made by a greeting card company.

[quote] The medium age of Hallmark is probably 55

I figure than the people who are the same age as Björk, Eric B, Janet Jackson, Darius Rucker, Dr Dre, Shirley Manson, Ben Folds and Johnny Reznik aren’t quite as triggered as you might imagine…

Actually r155, 55 is more or less Karen's age. Karen loves Hallmark movies.

So does Janet.

Sweetie, the age group has lowered.

Yep. Julia and Sandra and Meg don’t make romantic comedies for the mutiplex any more. Hell, their heirs Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson don’t either. Hallmark cannily filled the void.

[quote] Watch an episode of The Good Witch for some spectacularly sappy, wholesome frau schlock.

The chunky bitch on the local council is hilarious.

And viewers imagine themselves as beautiful but humble, mysterious but earthy, principled but forgiving, and spiritual but not Satanic as Catherine Bell.

R120 thinks acknowledging that ethnic minorities and gays exist is "preaching"

Whining about SJWs makes you sound as stupid as Tucker Carlson

r158 older fraus are still the primary demographic.

r160 these Hallmark movies are for white flyover fraus. Just let them have their stupid movies with pretty white people. There are 1 million other shows with diversity. Hallmark is a giant money-making machine, they shouldn't have to make their movies an HR Diversity Committee.

Hmmm... I didn't know Hallmark had such sensitive fans. Just as nobody should care if you enjoy them. Why care if people hate them and criticize them? It's just the same debate as critics calling McDonald's low effort manufactured crap but people enjoy it. It's a forum. Can't people agree to disagree? I don't care for these movies. I'm not a target demo and I can choose not to watch. But why is diversity bad and why can't gay men make fun of heterosexuals, gender stereotypes and conservative adjacent media again? People keep bringing up the forced diversity as if no other groups of people besides white straight Americans recognize Christmas. Christianity is the most popular religion and The US not being one of the most diverse countries at that. Some defenders seem a bit too on the right wing conservative side here. You can enjoy the movies but understand everyone is entitled to their opinion.

My issue is, WHY DO YOU CARE????? YOU DO NOT WATCH SO WHO CARES?!

r163 the target demographic is flyover white fraus. It's a specific niche of Christians.

You’re nuts if you don’t think white women in cities don’t watch this shit lmao. Oh honey

Hallmark is too racy for OMM now. 😂

[quote] You’re nuts if you don’t think white women in cities don’t watch this shit lmao

No one has said they don’t, but keep going, and tell us how Trump will be installed as Emperor of North America because Morris Chestnut appears in a Christmas movie.

More Brandon Routh!!!

There sure is a lot of hot chocolate being drunk in these movies. My family always called it cocoa -- how come no one on the Hallmark channel ever says that?

What most Americans drink is light on the real cocoa and heavy on the sugar and chocolate flavouring.

Is Lifetime imHallmark with better production values and more Women In Peril movies?

People use the terms interchangeably, but hot chocolate is made with real melted chocolate and cocoa with cocoa powder.

I just heard a Hallmark movie guy tell a girl that it would be inconvenient for him to do a lot of travelling and she asked "Don't you have to travel, as a geologist?", and he said that was true. Do the Hallmark writers and actors confuse geologists with geographers? Geologists study rocks, which certainly could entail travel if the rocks were foreign, but there are lots of rocks at home too and many geologists practice their craft without travelling. I suppose the audiences for these movies are as poorly educated as their creators.

R139 I just noticed Passionflix is available on my midrange 3 years old Sony Bravia. No Apple TV, but Passionflix. What gives?

r174, the one I saw with Claudia from Party of Five was set in NYC. She was telling someone that every year her family would have Christmas Eve dinner at Tavern on the Green. And I was like "so you all went to the food trucks on Christmas Eve the years it was shut down?" Even in its heyday everyone knew Tavern on the Green was for tourists, B&T crowd, and corporate holiday parties. The writers would be better served making up a place.

B&T crowd?

Bridge & Tunnel crowd, R177. In other words, commuting in to NYC.

Blech, I am watching one now that’s supposed to be set in Cape Cod. There is nothing remotely like Cape Cod in the scenery they’re showing.

One of tonight's movies was about a couple with pet cats, so that part was OK with me. But they said that mountain lions mate for life and that's not true. These movies are full of falsehoods about happily-ever-after for humans, let's not spread misinformation about the other animals too.

Just heard a character who's a doctor say "systematic" instead of "systemic" while explaining "systemic nickel allergy syndrome" to a patient. How does this kind of careless error make it past all the people involved before the final product gets shown on TV?

marital argument on xmas eve escalates into near physical violence. 5 Yr old child is once again traumatized as a result.

Hallmark movies are full of widows and orphans but no one ever seems to have died -- they've all "passed away". It's as if the "The D Word" is as prohibited as "The N Word" and "The F Word" in these Family Movies.

Just passed through the tail end of a Hallmark movie and saw a beautiful blue-eyed man -- looked him up in the cast list and found that he bears the odd name of Preston Vanderslice. No info on-line about his personal life but he sure looks like he smells a lot of cookies (not just in cheesy Xmas movies). Does anyone here know?

R184 , that's his real name. He's 36 and he's from Texas. He has a younger brother named Pierce

He's married. I think she's from Canada. Judging by his insta pics, he's super hairy

Thanks, R185. Vanderslice sounds like a Dutch name, which would make sense with those blue eyes. He does look straight in those Instagram pictures -- but his wife isn't as pretty as he is.

None of the young women in these movies ever gets her hair cut! They all have flowing locks cascading over their shoulders, regardless of bone structure or face shape. A nice bob would look so much better on many of them.

Julian Morris ends up in one Hallmark movie premiering next week-end: A Royal Queens Christmas.

How much do you think the actors make for these movies?

DL fave Trevor Donovan already on his 2nd Christmas movie this year.

OP Nobody cares about the theme of the movies. They could be Arbor Day movies and still be successful.

The Hallmark brand is INCREDIBLY HOT MEN! That is why people watch! Who cares if they can't act? Who cares that many of them are gay men pretending to be straight?

It is fantasy for women (and gay men). And it sells!

Jessie Schram needs to stay employed

[quote] None of the young women in these movies ever gets her hair cut! They all have flowing locks cascading over their shoulders, regardless of bone structure or face shape. A nice bob would look so much better on many of them.

Hallmark frauen have just about got used to interracial romances and gay characters as sassy personal assistants. I don’t think they’re quite ready for the lob yet.

The most searched for thing on google in 2021 was

COCK

R190 on that list is Brennan Elliott. Every time my mother sees him on one of his Lacey Chabert show she rants about the cancellation of Cedar Cove.

Ratings so far

Hallmark Channel

You, Me & The Christmas Treet 2,222,000 viewers

Boyfriends of Christmas Past 2,027,000

The Santa Streakhout 2,108,000

Chritstmas in Harmony 1,546,000

Coyote Creek Christmas 2,354,000

Christmas Sail 2,099,000

Gingerbread Miracle 1,995,000

Next Stop, Christmas 2,785,000

A Christmas Treasure 1,726,000

Open by Christmas 2,464,000

My Christmas Family Tree 3,270,000

A Holiday in Harlem 1,342,000

Nantucket Noel 2,136,000

A Christmas Together with You 2,763,000

A Kiss before Christmas 2,901,000

The Nine Kittens of Christmas 2,680,000

Christmas CEO 2,140,000

An Uexepected Christmas 2,917,000

Making Spirits Brights 2,082,000

Christmas at Castle Hart 3,314,000

Christmas in Tahoe 2,066,000

The Christmast Contest 2,950,000

Eight Gifts of Hanukkah 1,625,000

A Very Merry Bridesmaid 2,789,000

Sister Swap: A Hometown Holiday 2,651,000

Here you can see the posters to match titles and movies.....the lowest rated ones are the ones with black couples and the Jewish one. Top rated is the one with Lacey Chabert. Generally, ratings are down compared to last season: 2020 average was 2,9 million viewers

A similar drop is noticeable in Lifetime Christmas movies. From 900,000 viewers average in 2020 to 600k so far this year

I bet those movies keep Canadian actors and crew members quite busy.

"An Unexpected Christmas" was pretty funny...in a good way (i.e., intentionally).

Anyone see last weekend's "Every Time a Bell Rings" with a mixed race family, a lesbian character and Hallmark stalwart the lovely Erin Cahill?

Christmas season ended on Hallmark

31 Christmas movies premiered on Hallmark Channel. Average viewers for the premiere: 2.343 million. Down from 2.906 million viewers in 2020 (23 movies). Rating 18-49 are also down from 0.32 to 0.24

9 movies premiered on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries getting 1.132 million viewers on average for their openings. Down from 1.324m in 2020 (17 movies). Rating 18-49 are also down from 0.1 to 0.08

Details of 2021 premieres

Hallmark main channel

You, Me & The Christmas Treet 2,222 million viewers

Boyfriends of Christmas Past 2,027

The Santa Streakhout 2,108

Chritstmas in Harmony 1,546

Coyote Creek Christmas 2,354

Christmas Sail 2,099

Gingerbread Miracle 1,995

Next Stop, Christmas 2,785

A Christmas Treasure 1,726

Open by Christmas 2,464

My Christmas Family Tree 3,27

A Holiday in Harlem 1,342

Nantucket Noel 2,136

A Christmas Together with You 2,763

A Kiss before Christmas 2,901

The Nine Kittens of Christmas 2,68

Christmas CEO 2,14

An Uexepected Christmas 2,917

Making Spirits Brights 2,082

Christmas at Castle Hart 3,314

Christmas in Tahoe 2,066

The Christmast Contest 2,95

Eight Gifts of Hanukkah 1,625

A Very Merry Bridesmaid 2,789

Sister Swap: A Hometown Holiday 2,651

A Dickens of a Holiday 2,122

A Royal Queens Christmas 3,229

Sister Swap: Christmas in the City 2,07

Sugar Plum Twist 1,637

The Christmas House 2: Deck Those Halls 2,214

Tis The Season to be Merry 2,418

Hallmark movies and mysteries

Christmas in my Heart 1,036

The Christmas Promise 1,03

Debbie Macomber's A Mrs Christmas Miracle 1,534

One December Night 0,965

Five More Minutes 1,316

Time for them to come home for Christmas 1,569

Our Christmas Journey 0,812

A Godwink Christmas: Miracle of Love 1,144

Christmas for Keeps 0,783

Top rated

Runner up

third place

Bottom place

Second to last

third to last

It looks like the lovely and fragrant Mr. Jonathan Bennett packed on 20 lbs between THE CHRISTMAS HOUSE (2020) and the mind-numbing sequel THE CHRISTMAS HOUSE 2: DECK THOSE HALLS (premiered 18 Dec, 2021).

There was a gay kiss, well, "peck", to set our hearts aflutter.

The top on on the small sister channel

Julian Morris should be doing gay porn rather than humiliating himself in a Hallmark Channel movie.

The porn should be as pretty as a Hallmark Channel movie, though: tasteful suburban McMansion bedroom, with soft, whte Christmas light glow, etc.

Wow! I didn't expect anyone to try to turn a lovely Hallmark Channel thread into a divisive racist hate thread! 🙄

OP, I wouldn't give it another thought. I don't think you're the target audience.

I tried to like it, but it is so repetitious that it seens like the same story, different background and actors. Again and again. I watch reruns, which are new to me and love old movies with Rita Hayworth etc and dancing with Fred Astaire. Somehow, being a single parent and raising 3 kids cut into leisure TV time.

Hallmark has become very unwatchable. Initially it was a hit due to all the hot men, but even that is not enough to keep watching the same repetitive story unfold time and time again. It has gotten so boring. Besides lots of tv movies nowadays have hot men. They have also lost that edge.

Mostly grannies and maybe a few elder gays are still watching it.

I have not watched a single Hallmark movie this holiday season.

Why do all the male actors seem gay? My gaydar pings A LOT watching holiday movies on Hallmark. Does anyone know about them... any gossip? Who is gay? Any openly gay or closeted?

R215 If your gaydar is pinging, why do you need confirmation?

It takes one to know one!

R108 I'm literally watching a Hallmark holiday movie right now. It has a beautiful black woman as one of the main characters, a Chinese dad too.

Oops, nevermind, it was on Lifetime, not Hallmark. Sorry.

January on Hallmark

Where your Heart belongs:When a NY marketing executive returns home to help with her best friend's wedding, she learns the hard way that the love and support of family and friends means more than she’d ever imagined. Starring Jen Lilley and Christopher Russell.

The Perfect Pairing: When a tough as nails food critic slips and loses her memory while touring a winter winery, she discovers her true heart's desires and new romance with a local Winemaker and his family but could lose it all when her true identity comes to light. Starring Nazneen Contractor and Brennan Elliot

The Wedding Veil: First installment of a new trilogy in which longtime college friends Avery, Emma and Tracy buy an antique lace wedding veil said to bring true love to whoever possesses it. Starring Lacey Chabert, Alison Sweeney, Autumn Reese

Don't forget I love you: On her birthday, Taylor opens a time capsule left to her by her late mother that contains a list of challenges forcing her out of her comfort zone and open to the possibility of love. Starring milie Ullerup, Clayton James.

Butlers in love: In a prestigious butler academy, passionate Emma and rebellious Henry train to become royal butlers where the competition is fierce and sparks fly. Starring Stacey Farber, Corey Cott, and Maxwell Caulfield

Probably everybody but me has always know that Meaghan Markle appeared in 2 Hallmark movies before she married her current husband (who's a real prince, just like in a Hallmark movie!). Now I can't wait to see them, if only from morbid curiosity.

Next month they have something called CURIOUS CATERER: DYING FOR CHOCOLATE

Hallmark Channel has greenlit A Holiday Spectacular, a new Christmas movie starring Academy Award-nominated Ann-Margret, Eve Plumb, Tony Award-nominee Derek Klena, Ginna Claire Mason, and featuring the Radio City Rockettes. The movie will air as part of the 2022 Countdown to Christmas programming.

A Holiday Spectacular was shot on location both in upstate New York and at Radio City Music Hall. The Rockettes were choreographed by their director and choreographer Julie Branam and will be featured throughout the film in various performance numbers and speaking roles.

The story is set in 1958 when a Philadelphia heiress named Maggie (Mason) puts her high-society wedding plans, to a man she doesn’t love, on hold in order to sneak up to New York City and make her secret dream come true: dancing live on stage in the Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall.

All my disdain for Hallmark films was dispelled this morning when I caught a glimpse of the male lead, partly unclothed in a Hallmark film called Journey of My Heart as I was dressing and flipping channels on TV. The actor's name is Darien Martin. He must have been discussed on DL before, because he is so beautiful and his body is incredible. Surely he and I are destined to make a life together, as soon as I can get that pesky restraining order lifted......

How come, whenever there's an interracial couple with a black guy and white woman, the guy isn't even remotely attractive? Everyone else in these movies is above average in the looks department EXCEPT for the plain/ugly black guy who's paired with the pretty white woman -- what are the odds? And why? They're never the central couple, just the heroine's best friends or neighbors or co-workers -- so we never get to know how they ended up together or what their personalities are -- they're just one of those couples you see around and wonder "how did a guy like that get a girl like that?".