I haven’t seen so much brouhaha at Hallmark since Candace Cameron Bure, Danica McKeller and more stars left for GAF a few years ago. The cabler has been trying to get new streaming service Hallmark+ off the ground, and in doing so they’ve managed to make some decisions that have isolated their core fanbase, myself included.
The latest scheme had to do with shifting popular time travel series The Way Home. They’ve backtracked, but I’m still concerned about one big change that’s coming.
Hallmark Shifting The Way Home And Then Backtracking
If you haven’t been up on The Way Home, over the last several days, Hallmark announced The Way Home Season 3 would be headed elsewhere on the 2025 TV schedule. Instead of airing on parent network Hallmark, it was expected to go straight to Hallmark+, like new series The Chicken Sisters and a few other originals the channel has started to shift to streaming only.
The thing is, I already pay for YouTube TV to watch The Way Home. Given I mostly subscribe to a cable alternative for Hallmark content (and my partner for sports) and given YouTube TV is even jacking up the price lately, the thought of signing on for another streaming service is not really bringing me holiday cheer right now. In fact, I’d resigned myself to just not watching the new season.
But the power of the masses is sometimes there, and over the weekend Hallmark backtracked on the plan to only make The Way Home Season 3 available on Hallmark+. This, in theory, is great news for fans who have been watching the show starring Andi McDowell, Chyler Leigh and Sadie Laflamme-Snow since the beginning! But this also brings me to the change I’m still concerned about.
One Big Change About The Way Home Season 3 I Am Concerned About As A Fan
So here’s the gist: Most of Hallmark’s original content airs on the weekends, with new original movies typically airing on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. When it comes to original TV programming, including The Way Home and When Calls The Heart, those shows typically air on Sunday nights – a night where most families are at home and not out and about living their busy lives.
For Season 3, while Hallmark has backtracked on shoving the time travel series to its streaming service, the window they’ve decided The Way Home should air in happens to be Friday night. Here’s the Twitter (X) message from the brand:
ANNOUNCEMENT: Due to overwhelming demand, the entire season 3 of #TheWayHome will premiere on Hallmark Channel starting Friday, January 3 at 9/8c and then you can stream it next day on @HallmarkPlus!
I’m not remotely even overselling when I note the series is appointment TV, and I know given I’ve turned some family members onto this show, it’s appointment TV to them too, in the way House of the Dragon, Survivor, Top Chef and The Amazing Race also still are for me. Throwing it on Friday night kind of feels like the network is burning the series off rather than letting it shine. Or, given it is going to Hallmark+ the next day, maybe they are hoping that convenience will be enough for some to subscribe?
That said, I don’t have the metrics that Hallmark has. Perhaps the average audience for The Way Home is similar to something like Blue Bloods or Fire Country – both shows that managed to attract an audience on Fridays despite it being considered a “death slot” for years.
I personally believe The Way Home is the strongest original content Hallmark has put together, probably ever. Part of this is because the script was initially crafted with the intention of a streaming TV budget, and I can totally see it. Hallmark’s SVP Lisa Hamilton Daly brought The Way Home with her when she exited Netflix and the rest is history. It’s easy to see why this one has earned quick renewals. It’s simply a good show, not just a good Hallmark show.
I can’t imagine the network is trying to just burn the show off given it has a reputation for shows running for years and years past what you would think would be their expiration date. (I still love it, but that is a shot at When Calls The Heart.) But still, this entire saga has been so confounding to me, as have the changes coming when The Way Home hits the TV schedule next year.
