Posted on 09/23/2020 7:48:07 AM PDT by EdnaMode
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas — and, at least for one night, Hanukkah — at Hallmark Channel.
The basic cable network has unveiled its slate of 40 (!) original holiday movies airing in 2020, including The Christmas House, starring Mean Girls‘ Jonathan Bennett as one-half of a gay couple looking to adopt their first child. The lineup also includes Love, Lights, Hanukkah!, a Hanukkah-themed flick featuring Star Trek: Discovery‘s Mia Kirshner and Boy Meets World‘s Ben Savage.
The three dozen-plus films feature a plethora of network vets, including Candace Cameron Bure (in her ninth Hallmark Christmas movie), Danica McKellar (in her sixth Hallmark movie overall), Catherine Bell, Alison Sweeney and Tamera Mowry-Housley, as well as Lacey Chabert and Holly Robinson Peete — both of whom appear in two original movies this year.
New to the Hallmark family in 2020 are Aaron Tveit (Grease Live), Janel Parrish (Pretty Little Liars), Jeremy Jordan (Supergirl), Marisol Nichols (Riverdale), Mallory Jansen (Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) and Rochelle Aytes (S.W.A.T.), among others.
“Our holiday table is bigger and more welcoming than ever,” Hallmark Channel’s EVP of programming Michelle Vicary said in a statement. “This year’s movies reflect our most diverse representation of talent, narratives, and families, including The Christmas House, featuring a storyline about a gay couple looking to adopt their first child, and starring Jonathan Bennett in an ensemble cast. Our movies are rooted in warmth and positivity, meaningful connections, family gatherings, and seasonal traditions — a winning formula we hope will bring our millions of viewers much-needed levity and holiday cheer at the end of a tough year.”
Added Crown Media President and CEO Wonya Lucas, “For more than a decade, Hallmark holiday movies have represented the gold standard that many aspire to replicate. What we bring to the table and what truly sets us apart is an immersive holiday experience that has become a pop culture phenomenon for millions of fans… We have created a destination that evokes the spirit and feeling of the season in a way that is uniquely Hallmark.”
Hallmark’s “Countdown to Christmas” slate begins rolling out on Friday, Oct. 23. Scroll down for a complete list of this year’s holiday movies, then hit the comments and tell us which of the following flicks pique your interest.
Clark Griswold?
I haven’t seen that one. I’ll add it. Loved the original version.
I’ll add it. Thanks!
I just looked in our DVD rack and I have ‘Love, Actually’ already on hand. :)
Might have to see if I could get that made in Hollywood ☺️.
In my house, you can add:
Most of the Rankin-Bass animated Christmas shows
Prep & Landing (Disney CGI show)
Three versions of ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’ (Original, Jim Carrey vers., 2018 CGI vers.)
Three versions of ‘A Christmas Carol’ (Scrooge, Muppett, and Jim Carrey CGI)
The Man Who Invented Christmas
My list doesn’t include ‘Elf’, ‘Love, Actually’, or ‘Die hard’. My wife does NOT consider them Christmas movies, and since she’s the final arbiter, there you go.
(Side note: ‘A Christmas Story’ is liked by everyone in my household...except me. Can’t stand it.)
“Next up
RBG’s Dying Kwanzaa Wish” LoL!!!!!!!!
What's your standing on "Scrooged", the Bill Murray version?
Mama was Iranian. She was born in England actually.
Black activist running Hallmark
Bye Hallmark
“A Christmas Carol” with George C. Scott is the best by far!
Other gems you should check out:
It Happened on 5th Avenue
The Great Rupert
The Christmas Box (a Hallmark movie, and last movie from Maureen O’Hara)
Holiday Affair
Shop Around the Corner
The Bishops Wife
To Wonya Lucas I say, “Ya wonya battle but ya lostya war.”
Oh yes, they told us they’d be getting more woke.
Well, we can stop watching altogether. OR ensure none of the woke shows get ratings.
My mother loves them. This year will be harder, just like football, without my dad, and means she’s MORE likely to watch.
101 uses for a dead television set...
Coming to a book store near you.
None is as important as THE Miracle on 34th Street. (When did people drop that and hardly even mention it anymore?)
Also have to see Christmas Carol TV movie with George Scott. He’s the best, bar none.
Great list!!
The Great Rupert is also known as/related to A Christmas Wish.
I watched it, by that title, on Amazon Prime, but can’t find it, under that title, now....only DVD.
Rupert saves the day!!
Yes, Bishops Wife!
And George Scott!
Ever see “in the Good Old Summertime”? It’s the Judy Garland version of Shop Around the Corner, but it ends up and is mostly IN THE WINTER complete with Xmas song!
Speaking of movies that qualify with just partial show of Xmas, few could beat “MEET ME IN ST, LOUIS” toward the end, again, complete with the original “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”.
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