Just when you thought Hallmark couldn’t top its Countdown to Christmas lineup, the channel’s first-ever “Loveuary” dropped. With that, the network delivered a new romantic movie every Saturday over the past month. Now that we’re heading into March and Valentine's Day is over, some may already be looking forward to the yuletide fare that might be released. Well, you're definitely not too early to have your sights set on that. Though we haven’t even headed towards the spring season, a new 2024 Christmas movie just wrapped, and wow!
Hallmark produced some memorable 2023 Christmas movies that were a joy to see like Lacey Chabert’s A Merry Scottish Christmas, Christmas in Notting Hill and Christmas on Cherry Lane to name a few. Those still yearning for that cheery feeling should make note of the fact that When Calls the Heart’s Erik Krakow announced on Instagram that her new movie, Santa Tell Me, has wrapped up. Take a look at this heartwarming post through which she announced the good news:
Aww, Erik Krakow looks so happy, and I'd wager she's excited for fans to check out what she's been working on. While the plot of Santa Tell Me is under wraps right now, the one important fact we know about the movie is enough to make us enthusiastic about it. The Internet practically broke when it was announced Krakow would reunite with her former WCTH co-star, Daniel Lissing, for the production. The pairing of the two stars is definitely an appealing aspect of this project.
If you remember from Season 5 of When Calls the Heart, Elizabeth and Jack finally got married only for Hearties fans to be left crushed when Jack was killed off. Daniel Lissing decided to move on from playing the role after his contract expired, as he wanted to embark on other ventures. It's great that he's returning to his Hallmark roots and reuniting with his old co-star, who's been quite busy herself as of late.
As for what we can expect from Hallmark Christmas movies going forward, the channel’s EVP of Programming Lisa Hamilton Daly told The Wrap that the goal is for diversity to be more prevalent within upcoming movies. Daly said she wanted more people to see themselves in these holiday flicks which will amp up their excitement about seeing them. We’ve seen such creative approaches play out over last year with the Chanukah-themed movie Round and Round and the LGBTQ+-themed film Friends & Family Christmas.
The company also plans on telling less predictable storylines that are still centered on love, but it doesn’t always have to be romantic love for the core of the movie. With times changing and audiences wanting to see new stories being told in a less predictable format, the American cable TV network looks to be making the right move.
With filming wrapped up on Erin Krakow’s Santa Tell Me, I'm now truly excited for what's to come. Let's hope the film manages to effectively bring some holiday cheer into our lives. Once a release date is announced, you’ll find it in 2024 TV premiere dates among other movies as part of the Countdown to Christmas lineup. Until then, you can watch Krakow and Daniel Lissing’s on-screen chemistry on When Calls the Heart, as it's available to stream with a Peacock subscription.
