A lot of cablers have gotten into the business of making original TV shows and movies. Among them is the Hallmark Channel, which has built a loyal fanbase around Christmas movies and a couple of shows, including Chesapeake Shores and the popular When Calls The Heart. In fact, at TCA the channel revealed that both original series will be getting spinoffs.
Over the weekend, Hallmark revealed that a sequel to When Calls The Heart is in development for Hallmark’s streaming service Hallmark Movies Now. The spinoff will be called When Hope Calls and will feature two characters that were introduced during the When Calls The Heart holiday movie this year.
The two characters are sister Lillian and Grace, played by Morgan Kohan and Jocelyn Hudon. When Hope Calls will follow the sisters as they open an orphanage in a small village in the North.
The news makes sense. When Calls The Heart has been a big win for Hallmark, but as that show ages, the storyline has taken some dramatic turns, namely with the loss of Daniel Lissing as Jack Thornton. A sixth season of the drama has been commissioned, but it’s wise of the channel to branch out and try new things in the universe.
The Chesapeake Shores spinoff will ultimately be a little different. That one will actually be a spinoff movie that will air on the Hallmark Channel. So, you won’t need a separate subscription to catch that one. The first movie will follow Abby, Bree and Jess O’Brien, who will travel to Rome for a picturesque wedding only to find that everything has gone awry.
Per a release from Hallmark, this could just be the first of more movies, as the network mentions Chesapeake Shores “will expand into the movie genre with more stories.” As in plural. We’ll be sure to keep you updated if more movies in the franchise are announced.
In the meantime, Good Witch is also coming back for Season 5 – and a wedding was also teased on that series -- so the channel has a lot of interesting programs to look forward to.
And if you are into the glut of Hallmark movies that have been produced over the last several years, there will be more coming in 2019 as well. The channel announced that 103 original movies will also be produced for the various Hallmark properties, which include the Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Murders and Mysteries and the aforementioned streaming service.
Basically, if you like the warm, frothy feeling these movies and TV shows give you, there will be a lot to look forward to in 2019. The news comes after Hallmark already ramped up its Christmas movie production in 2018. Right now, the company shows no signs of slowing down.
To see what is still heading to the schedule at midseason, take a look at our 2019 premiere guide.
