The ghost of Christmas (movies) past
Before we get too far into how it’s going at the Hallmark Channel, here’s a quick recap of how it started. The network’s parent company—greeting card giant Hallmark Cards—got into the cable game in the late ‘90s, purchasing a stake in the faith-based Odyssey Network. A rebrand followed in 2001, and eight years later, Bill Abbott ascended to the CEO’s chair and set the channel on its course to be the first destination on the dial for made-for-TV holiday movies.
Daly credits Abbot—who left Hallmark in 2020 after the network came under fire for pulling an ad featuring a same-sex wedding—with “building the base” of the brand that she joined three years ago. “It was an amazing place to step into in terms of how much the audience loves the network and our talent,” she says. “I see myself as just carrying on that legacy.” (Abbot is currently the president and CEO of Great American Media, which has constructed its own holiday movie workshop on the Great American Family channel.)
The cornerstone of Hallmark’s strategy is Countdown to Christmas, a jam-packed collection of original movies that start airing well before those stockings are hung by the chimney with care. Hallmark’s 2024 countdown, for example, started on Oct. 18 and consists of a grand total of 32 films featuring all of the usual fan favorites, from Lacey Chabert and Nikki DeLoach to Wes Brown and Paul Campbell.
While Christmas is the centerpiece of this particular holiday smorgasbord, Hallmark’s creative team has made an effort to embrace other cultural traditions. This year’s lineup includes Christmas with the Singhs, which features a Desi family, and Hanukkah on the Rocks, starring Degrassi veteran Stacey Farber as a Jewish heroine.
The network is also exploring stories about characters in different “life stages” than the looking-for-love 20- and 30-something singles that tend to be front and center. Case in point: Holiday Mismatch reunites Sabrina the Teenage Witch co-stars Beth Broderick and Caroline Rhea as battling moms who become friends after their adult children fall in love.
“These things present themselves,” Daly said, adding that the Hallmark programming team doesn’t have a “quota” when it comes to pursuing more diverse productions. “We make so many movies, so you have to say, ‘What else can we do and how else can we do it?’”
(Earlier this year, Daly was named in an age discrimination lawsuit brought by former Hallmark casting director Penny Perry that alleged the network was looking to “replace” its “old talent” with younger actors. In a statement provided to ADWEEK, Hallmark denied the suit’s claims. “Hallmark continues to consistently cast and maintain positive, productive relationships with talented actors representing a broad spectrum of diversity, including actors who span many age groups and cross generations,” the statement noted.)
