A Bachelor-style reality competition joins the Christmas magic
It's about to be even easier to watch Christmas movies every day of the year.
Hallmark joins the streaming party with Hallmark+, an ad-free subscription service that officially launches in September. It will replace the current streaming service, Hallmark Movies Now, and feature a wider breadth of original programming produced exclusively for the platform, including movies, shows, and even a foray into unscripted (read: reality) television. Led by Hallmark's top stars Lacey Chabert, Jonathan Bennett and Tyler Hynes, Hallmark+ will have plenty of new options for audiences to queue up on streaming alongside all the originals coming to the family of networks.
And Hallmark+ won't be solely a streaming service. At the Television Critics Association summer press tour in July, Hallmark chief brand officer Darren Abbott described it as a "lifestyle bundle," with additional membership perks from Hallmark's retail business, such as free e-greeting cards, coupons, shopping benefits, and surprise gifts.
As Hallmark+ gears up for its September launch, here's everything we know so far about the new-ish streaming service.
What is Hallmark+?
Hallmark+ is both a rebrand and an expansion of Hallmark Movies Now, which has existed in its current form since 2017. Currently, Hallmark Movies Now serves as a subscription-based library for Hallmark originals and extended cuts. In 2019, it launched When Hope Calls, a Hallmark Movies Now spin-off of When Calls the Heart that was quietly canceled after one season. With a healthy slate of new programs and movies produced solely for the incoming Hallmark+, as well as the incorporation of Hallmark's retail arm (we love corporate synergy!), the company is taking a big swing in the "+" streaming wars with the new update.
Go big or go home. Five unscripted shows are set to debut on Hallmark+, the first significant move into the reality space for the perennial king of holiday romance. The upcoming unscripted offerings — which includes a reality competition to find the next Christmas movie hunk — are a natural progression in Hallmark's path toward diversifying content beyond its bread and butter. On the scripted side, The Chicken Sisters, adapted from the best-selling novel by KJ Dell'Antonia, will be the new TV series launching with the service, with a multigenerational holiday limited series coming just in time for festive season. And inspired by the success of The Wedding Veil franchise, a male-focused wedding movie trilogy is slotted for a fall premiere.
Hallmark+ launch date
Hallmark+ will launch mid-September. An official date has not been announced, but expect more information to come soon.
How much will it cost?
Hallmark+ will cost $8 a month or $80 a year. That's a price increase from the current subscription cost of Hallmark Movies Now, which is priced at $6 a month or $60 a year.
What does this mean for Hallmark's current Peaco*ck deal?
Don't worry, the Peaco*ck streaming deal that Hallmark has had in place since 2022 isn't going anywhere with the arrival of Hallmark+. Hallmark executives said at the Television Critics Association press tour that the Peaco*ck deal has brought in a younger audience, signaling that it remains a partnership with immense value, and has helped inform their creative decisions.
Movies and original series from Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Mystery, and Hallmark Family will continue to be available to stream the next day on Peaco*ck, an added bonus during peak Christmas programming. Subscribers with Peaco*ck Premium or Premium Plus tiers can continue to watch Hallmark's family of networks live as they air on the East Coast.
Which movies will premiere on Hallmark+?
More movie projects will likely be unveiled in the coming weeks and months, but for now, Hallmark+ is betting on two of its most popular actors, Jonathan Bennett and Tyler Hynes, to entice viewers over to streaming.
The Groomsmen
Stars: Jonathan Bennett, Tyler Hynes, B.J. Britt
Premieres: Fall 2024, with a potential weekly release for each movie
Format: Movie trilogy
Logline: The Groomsmen trilogy, executive produced by Bennett and Hynes, takes viewers on the journey of a lifetime as three best friends come together to celebrate their wedding days in the breathtaking destinations of Greece, Italy, and Bulgaria. As they navigate complex relationships with friends, love interests, and family members, this movie trilogy is filled with heart, humor, and charm. Pete (Britt), a kind-hearted pediatrician with a penchant for planning; Danny (Bennett), a baseball coach with a heart of gold; and Jackson (Hynes), a stylish and charming social media agent, lean on each other and draw strength from the bonds they share from the special brotherhood built over the years. All three movies were filmed at the same time, so Hallmark can roll them out as it sees fit. [Teaser]
Which shows will premiere on Hallmark+?
Seven new shows — two scripted and five under the reality umbrella — will be making their way to Hallmark+ once the service is up and running. Episodes will be released weekly, executives revealed during the Television Critics Association press tour.
The Chicken Sisters
Stars: Schuyler Fisk, Genevieve Angelson, Lea Thompson, Wendie Malick, James Kot, Rukiya Bernard, Ektor Rivera, Jake Foy, Margo Martindale (narrator)
Premieres: Mid-September 2024
Format: Scripted series, 10 episodes
Logline: Adapted from KJ Dell'Antonia's best-selling novel, 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.
Holidazed
Stars: Dennis Haysbert, Erin Cahill, Holland Roden, Ian Harding, John C. McGinley, Lindy Booth, Loretta Devine, Lucille Soong, Nazneen Contractor, Noemi Gonzalez, Osric Chau, Rachelle Lefevre, Ser'Darius Blain, Virginia Madsen
Premieres: Holidays 2024
Format: Limited series, 8 episodes
Logline: Holidazedfollows six families from different backgrounds, cultures and generations, all living on the same cul-de-sac, as they gather for the holiday season. During a time when emotions are amplified, each family comes together to celebrate their unique, rich traditions and navigate family eccentricities that ultimately help them discover what they do have in common: Love in all its different forms.
Finding Mr. Christmas
Stars: Jonathan Bennett (host), Melissa Peterman (judge)
Premieres: Fall 2024
Format: Unscripted series, 8 episodes
Logline: Ten aspiring actors compete in a variety of entertaining challenges, with a Hallmark twist, to be crowned Hallmark's next leading man and take home the title of "Mr. Christmas." Special guest judges join Bennett and Peterman throughout the series and put these "hunky" men to the test to determine who has the most talent, heart, authenticity, and charisma to be the next Hallmark superstar. At the finale, the winner will receive a special leading role in one of this year's "Countdown to Christmas" movies on Hallmark Channel.
Celebrations With Lacey Chabert
Stars: Lacey Chabert (host)
Premieres: Mid-September 2024
Format: Unscripted series
Logline: In this heartfelt new series, Chabert surprises deserving real-life heroes who are making a positive impact in their communities by throwing them the celebration of a lifetime.
Ready, Set, Glow!
Stars: Wes Brown (host)
Premieres: Holidays 2024
Format: Unscripted limited series, 3 episodes
Logline: Brown will travel to some of the most beautiful holiday light displays of individual family homes, groups of neighbors who decorate the full block, or a town's festive holiday installation. This merry and heartwarming series will enchant viewers as they hear these hometown holiday enthusiasts' moving backstories and why they spread holiday cheer in their communities.
Small Town Setup
Stars: Ashley Williams (host)
Premieres: 2025
Format: Unscripted series
Logline: In each episode of the unscripted romantic comedy docu-style dating series, we meet different hometown parents with a big problem — their successful adult child is living far away in a big city — and is still single. The couple gathers their neighbors and asks for help to find a match for them to go out with. Now, the entire community is on the hunt to find the best three daters for the "city single" to go on dates with, in the hopes that they will fall in love, move back home and live happily ever after.
Home Is Where the Heart Is
Stars: Luke Macfarlane (host)
Premieres: 2025
Format: Unscripted series
Logline: Luke Macfarlane, a Hallmark fan favorite and talented woodworker, hosts the home renovation series. In each episode, one family invites him inside a once-glorious house that has either been inherited or holds special meaning to them but is long overdue for some TLC. Macfarlane works with a talented team to seamlessly blend the past and the present, creating a beautiful, reimagined space that feels refreshed and welcoming, but maintains the heart, love, and charm that has been present inside its walls for decades.
Hallmark+ debuts this September.
