Great American Family and Hallmark have been sharing scores of updates on social media over the last two weeks, and you might be feeling a little overwhelmed from the news overload! New movies, series, and programs are headed our way. Some you won't want to miss while others are worth skipping. This post gives you the breakdown.
Great American Family News
The Great American Family inaugural Christmas Festival kicks off November 20, 2024, and runs through January 5! Along with celebrity appearances and live concerts, your family can enjoy ice skating, crafting, meeting Santa, singing Carol-oke, an ugly sweater contest, movie screenings, food, a tree lighting, and more! It all takes place at the UBS Arena in New York. Visit GAF's website to sign up for early ticket access and more information.
A Little Women's Christmas began filming in Franklin, Tennessee. This modern retelling of the Louisa May Alcott classic was written by Dione Sheehan and features an ensemble cast: Trevor Donovan, Jesse Hutch, Jen Lilley, Laura Osnes, Jillian Murray, and Julia Reilly, with a special appearance by Gladys Knight.
The original series, County Rescue, is returning for Season 2! The program explores the personal and professional challenges faced by EMTs and paramedics. The new season will premiere in January 2025 on both Great American Family and Great American Pure Flix. The cast includes Julia Reilly, Riley Hough, Percy Bell, Kristin Wollett, Brett Varvel, Stacey Patino, Tim Perez-Ross, Keller Fornes, Angel Luis, and Curtia Torbert.
Great American Family has acquired the 2021 movie, The Beauty of Love, starring Jonathan Stoddard and Katerina Eichenberger. It will air for the first time on the network on July 27 at 8pm Eastern. Here's what it's about: Emma has built a successful lifestyle website that she puts her heart and soul into, called “Classically Emma”. But when her numbers start trending down, she thinks she might’ve found her fix in a partnership with an ambitious millennial named Jill who has her own dreams. Will Jill’s protective brother Jesse become a roadblock on Emma’s path to lasting success? Or will he be the unexpected obstacle that leads her down an even better road?
GAF has also announced the premiere date of a new movie featuring Alexa and Carlos PenaVega. Mr. Manhattan, which previously aired on Pure Flix, will debut on GAF on August 3.
Here's the synopsis that's listed on IMDb: Mason Bradley's life turns upside down when he unexpectedly becomes the sole guardian of his late brother's kids after prioritizing his law career and ending his engagement.
Hallmark News
Hallmark will roll out 40 new Christmas movies in 2024 between Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Mystery.
The streaming service, Hallmark Movies Now, will be rebranded in September to Hallmark+. Currently, HMN costs $5.99 per month, but with all the new content and perks featured on Hallmark+, the cost will rise to $7.99 per month. Here are the programs that have been announced so far for the new streaming service:
Holidazed
Holidazed will be a limited series that will follow six families with different backgrounds and cultures that reside on the cul-de-sac as they navigate the holiday season.
ROMCOM REVIEW'S THOUGHTS: It's clear that this series will check a lot of DEI boxes for the woke brand, and any company fixated on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is a company that is Divisive, Exclusionary, and Indoctrinating its viewers. DEI movies and series that refuse to accurately represent societal demographics reveals a network that is less interested in entertaining than it is promoting a political ideology. Although details haven't been released about each episode, the trailer hints that the Asian family could possibly include a gay storyline, which isn't diverse as much as it perverse.
Finding Mr. Christmas
Jonathan Bennett, apparently Hallmark's gay DEI hire, will host a reality show where ten aspiring actors will compete through a series of romcom-esque challenges in hopes of being named "Mr. Christmas." The winner will land a leading role in a 2024 Countdown to Christmas movie on Hallmark Channel.
Melissa Peterman will be the main judge, and a special guest judge will appear with her in each episode.
ROMCOM REVIEW'S THOUGHTS: Conceptually, the premise for this unscripted program is fresh and fun--if you like reality shows (which I don't). Bennett is known for being a high-energy host, but his flaming mannerisms are a turn-off.
The Groomsmen
Following the success of The Wedding Veil trilogy, Hallmark is flipping the script to showcase the male perspective in the franchise. According to Hallmark, the films will follow “the lives and romantic relationships of three best friends of different backgrounds, cultures and sexual orientations — Pete (Britt), a kind-hearted pediatrician with a penchant for planning; Danny (Bennett), an ex-jock with a heart of gold; and Jackson (Hynes), the stylish and charming social media agent — as they each find love and wedding bliss in picturesque locations Greece, Italy and Bulgaria.”
ROMCOM REVIEW'S THOUGHTS: Here we go again with yet another project built around DEI, and Hallmark has roped in one of its most popular stars, Tyler Hynes, to pedal the crap they are selling. Just as Hynes starred in the bomb Shifting Gears to promote "girl power" (as if women are always the victims of misogyny), Hallmark is using him again as bait.
Celebrations with Lacey Chabert
The most beloved Hallmark personality whose face has become synonymous with the brand, Lacey Chabert, will be hosting a program that will honor real-life heroes, which will include parties to celebrate them and the impact they have made on their respective communities.
ROMCOM REVIEW'S THOUGHTS: Who does Hallmark consider "unsung heroes?" That remains to be seen. You would expect them to be veterans, first responders, and true champions. Let's hope they are. Based on Hallmark's recent woke track record, however, I wouldn't be surprised if the "unsung heroes" are those applauded for using paper straws instead of plastic or people who have traded their gas-powered cars for bicycles.
Ready, Set Glow with Wes Brown
It makes sense that the star of Haul Out the Holly, a movie about a neighborhood that takes decorating very seriously, would headline an unscripted reality show about families across the country who go over the top to light things up at Christmas.
Small Town Setup with Ashley Williams
Ashley Williams will host a reality dating show that will help small-town folks fall in love Hallmark style.
I'm puzzled how this will unfold. Being from a small town myself, I can assure you that everyone already knows each other, and if couples haven't already gravitated to one another, there aren't viable matches to be made.
Williams is another woke Hallmark celebrity who created the Make Her Mark women's directing program--an on-the-job mentorship initiative designed to "advance Hallmark's commitment to inclusive storytelling by supporting and increasing representation of women behind the camera." More feminist mumbo-jumbo that promotes the myth that women still don't have equal opportunity in the 21st century.
Home Is Where the Heart Is with Luke MacFarlane
This show features another gay Hallmark actor who will be showcasing his woodworking skills in a design series about home renovation.
Love on the Danube Movie Franchise
Hallmark+ will also release another trilogy about "three journeys to love" in "one unforgettable destination." The three couples include Wes Brown and Nazneen Contractor, Dan Jeannotte and Jessica Sipos, and Brendan Penny and Sarah Powers.
The Chicken Sisters Series
This novel by KJ Dell'Antonia is being transformed into a Hallmark+ scripted series. According to Hallmark's website, here's what it's about:
The Chicken Sisters is a family drama dipped in southern charm and served up with a saucy side of romance. The setting is the fictional town of Merinac, where a generations-old rift between dueling fried chicken restaurants – Mimi’s and Frannie’s – has left the founders’ families fractured and the locals taking sides. When popular cooking competition show Kitchen Clash comes to town, this could be the recipe for ending this feud once and for all. But things are fixing to heat up both inside and outside of the kitchen as the reality show spotlight causes sparks to fly as secrets are spilled and feathers get ruffled.
The series will star Schuyler Fisk, Genevieve Angelson, Lea Thompson and Wendie Malick. It will be narrated by Margo Martindale.
Why Is Hallmark Showing the New Programs on Hallmark+ Instead of Hallmark Channel?
In addition to the new programs, Hallmark+ will feature an extensive library of Hallmark movies, ad-free viewing, monthly $5 Hallmark Gold Crown Store coupons, free unlimited eCards, shopping rewards, and surprise gifts.
Hallmark+ promises to bring all this content together in one convenient platform. Isn't that what our cable subscription to Hallmark Channel is supposed to accomplish?
Lisa Hamilton Daly, EVP at Hallmark Media, says the outlook for linear cable is "grim," noting that there's no telling how long it will last. With so many viewers migrating to streaming, Hallmark must go to where their audience is. Or, is Hallmark simply mimicking Great American Family's business plan? Hallmark Drama recently rebranded to Hallmark Family and unveiled a new logo that looks strikingly similar to that of GAF's. Now, Hallmark is scrambling to achieve the same success in streaming that GAF is with Great American Pure Flix. The biggest difference is that Hallmark is woke at its core and GAF is not.
Faithful Hallmark fans are incensed that they will miss out on all the new content that will show exclusively on the new Hallmark+ streaming platform. Many have taken to social media to vent and say they are already paying exorbitant prices for cable and aren't adding streaming to their already strained monthly budgets. Each streaming platform offers limited programming, so that means consumers must subscribe to multiple streaming services to have access to everything they want to see. It becomes overwhelming and costly.
Based on the initial rollout of Hallmark+, it sounds like those without the streaming service will only be missing more woke ideology. The majority of the new content will feature DEI hires, gay hosts and characters, a fixation on skin color, feminism, and other Marxist ideals that do not accurately represent American culture and values. Hallmark is luring viewers with Hynes and Chabert before doing a bait-and-switch.
While some blue-haired, tattooed, and heavily-pierced keyboard warriors will undoubtedly praise Hallmark for sharing stories that encapsulate "the real world" (as they call it), many will staunchly refuse to be brainwashed and remind Hallmark if they want to go woke, they can go broke. Hallmark's rabid insistence on exploring sinful homosexual relationships in movies is sad. It's celebrating what God says He hates, and the consequences are damning and eternal.
Great American Family Is the Better Channel!
Many viewers pine for the "old Hallmark," as they refer to it. That romcom utopia existed under the leadership of Bill Abbott. Abbott built the network into a magical and inspiring empire, but without him at the helm, Hallmark has been leading the charge to the bottom of the entertainment industry in our devolving society. Hallmark promotes division by subscribing to subversive and dystopian DEI practices that negatively impact faith and culture.
The good news is that Abbott is STILL working his mojo as the President and CEO of Great American Family! If you want to watch movies and series that celebrate all the things Hallmark used to--faith, family, and country--then Great American Family is your destination for wholesome and family-friendly programming.
Great American Family is NOT Hallmark 2.0. It's a shining light on a hill with fresh and uplifting content and familiar and fantastically gifted acting talent. Great American Family brings people together based on our shared experiences and values.
How can you watch Great American Family? Check out all the options below:
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IMO, anyone who says that Hallmark isn't the least bit affected by GAF is really just fooling themselves at this point. Even if I WAS into reality shows (which I'm 100% not), there's no way I'd even consider shelling out that much money to pay for a streaming service when most of the movies I want to see are on DVD or still air from time to time! And IMO, if they want their worst new shows and movies behind an expansive paywall, I say 'Go ahead!', it'll be hilarious to see just how many people they get to pay for that costly service just to watch them!
It's real sad to see a nice guy like Tyler being used…