The 2024 Christmas movie schedule is in full swing, with every network from Hallmark to Netflix to Great American Family putting out their own holiday rom-coms amid the wider 2024 TV schedule. Some actors have popped up in unexpected places — Hallmark queen Lacey Chabert on Netflix, for instance, and GAF’s Jen Lilley on the Hulu movie schedule — and there’s been a lot of reflection from the actors on the networks they’ve chosen to work with and why. Candace Cameron Bure is looking at her own career choices, including her infamous 2022 Hallmark exit, and she opened up about why she loves working at GAF.
Several Hallmark actors jumped ship to Great American Family a couple of years ago, but none of the exits made quite as big a splash as Candace Cameron Bure’s. She recently talked to US Weekly about why she chose to leave Hallmark, and it doesn’t sound like it was the easiest decision to make. The Full House alum said:
Hallmark has been so loved for so many years, and I loved working there. So it’s like, how can you leave? And it’s just like, well, things grow and things change and there are new chapters, and I love that I’m getting to build a new network and one that truly carries a message that’s more meaningful for me personally.
Candace Cameron Bure’s faith seemingly played a big role in the decision, as well as the opportunity to advance her career as GAF’s chief creative officer. She’s “more than an actress,” after all, and the new position was a chance to grow at a network that reflected her own priorities of putting faith and family first. Turns out that’s still what she enjoys most about her job with Great American Family, as she said:
I love that we are bringing stories of faith. We have ones that aren’t about faith and more in the traditional rom-com space, but our viewers really want messages that are more meaningful. We know the reason we celebrate Christmas is because of the birth of Christ. I’ve made tons of [movies] that don’t ever mention the real meaning of Christmas. So just the fact that we mention God or there’s a scripture or there’s a biblical message that might be a proverb, someone might hear it and go, ‘Oh, that’s really good advice.’ They might not realize it comes from the Bible, but we love putting that in the movies.
Candace Cameron Bure isn’t the only one reflecting on her career choices this holiday. Former Hallmark star Danica McKellar said she’s grateful for Great American Media CEO Bill Abbott bringing her on and allowing her to have more of a say creatively in her movies and also to weave some of her faith into them.
A Cinderella Christmas Ball — Danica McKellar’s offering on the TV schedule — premieres at 8 p.m. ET Friday, November 29, while Candace Cameron Bure’s A Christmas Less Traveled premiered on November 16, and next she’s set to star with fellow Hallmark veteran Cameron Mathison in Home Sweet Christmas at 8 p.m. ET Sunday, December 1, on Great American Family.
