Christmas movie juggernaut Hallmark got into the reality TV game last year, and now, it's making plans to really dive into the genre. After airing Celebrations with Lacey Chabert and the competition show Finding Mr. Christmas, the network plans to invest more in reality television, and I have to say, I have mixed feelings about this.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Hallmark plans to unveil a new slate of reality television shows that will hopefully debut as part of the 2025 TV schedule. Included in the lineup are second seasons for Celebrations with Lacey Chabert and Finding Mr. Chrismtas, in addition to a new baking competition show and a murder mystery competition series, which will be perfect for Hallmark’s Mystery channel. The even better news is that these new projects will debut on Hallmark first before being available to stream the following day.
It seems like the Hallmark executives are being careful when it comes to exploring this genre, branding the new shows as “Reality TV with Heart.”
Now, as someone who watched every 2024 Hallmark Christmas movie, I have conflicting emotions about the channel entering its reality TV era.
Hallmark Reality TV Could Bring Some Wholesomeness To The Genre
On one hand, I’m excited to see a lineup of reality television shows that are free from explosive and toxic moments. As much as I love Bravo’s The Real Housewives franchises and even TLC’s 90 Day Fiancé and all its spin-offs, it’ll be refreshing to watch entertaining shows that have a little less swearing and a whole lot less fighting.
After all, Finding Mr. Christmas already proved you can produce a competition series without contestants needing to backstab or lie their way to the top and still be entertaining. And with the new season debuting on the Hallmark channel first, even more people are going to get a chance to see the wholesome show (and others like it) in action.
But I’m Worried About What It’ll Mean For Hallmark's Scripted Projects
As excited as I am to see Hallmark explore a new genre, I can’t help but feel a bit worried about how that will affect their scripted projects. After all, if the cable channel focuses a lot of its attention and resources on these new unscripted projects, Hallmark staples, like their original Christmas movies, might suffer the consequences.
Choosing now to add a new genre into the mix is a bit of a risky move, especially with Hallmark’s Christmas movie facing steep competition from streamers like Netflix (who managed to nab Lacey Chabert for an original holiday movie last year) and Great American Family (which is being held down by former Hallmark actress Candace Cameron Bure). Not to mention that a wholesome reality TV show is still a fairly new concept and is going to take some getting used to for avid reality TV fans.
I think it’s justifiable to be apprehensive about this move, given the state of the television industry right now, but I’m going to try and remain as optimistic as possible. After all, plenty of cable channels and companies are able to juggle their scripted and unscripted shows without losing quality, so I’m sure Hallmark is going to do the same.
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