GAF movies (formerly GAC) - General Discussion

[chitowngirl]

Stories Well Told. GAC Family celebrates American culture, lifestyle and heritage with holiday-themed, family-friendly original movies and series.

[chitowngirl]

What is GAC Family and which Hallmark stars are making the move?

[mikeb]

Per that article, it sounds like even though lots of Hallmark veterans are appearing in GAC Christmas movies, so far only Danica McKellar and possibly Trevor Donovan will be exclusive to GAC.  I hope Jill Wagner does not become exclusive to GAC, as Mystery 101 is one of my HMM mystery series favorites.

I don't have access to GAC on Verizon FIOS so won't get a chance to compare quality of the GAC movies to Hallmark movies.

Edited October 27, 2021 by mikeb

[KLovestoShop]

When I called Verizon, they said they will not carry GAC, but when I went channel surfing, I found GAC Living.  If they can carry one GAC channel, why not GAC Family?  

[Guest]

4 hours ago, KLovestoShop said:

When I called Verizon, they said they will not carry GAC, but when I went channel surfing, I found GAC Living.  If they can carry one GAC channel, why not GAC Family?  

Pre-existing contracts. A few months ago the two channels (then Ride TV and Great American Country) had two different owners. When GAC Media acquired the channels they didn’t make a deal with Verizon. GAC Living will probably be pulled once the previous contract expires. 

Edited October 30, 2021 by Guest

[Suzysite]

I thought Much Ado About Christmas was really well done.  I liked the story, the actors were good, and set decorations were gorgeous. Nice job, GAC Family.

[MerBearHou]

On 10/30/2021 at 9:19 PM, Suzysite said:

I thought Much Ado About Christmas was really well done.  I liked the story, the actors were good, and set decorations were gorgeous. Nice job, GAC Family.

Agreed.  This was the first thing I have ever watched on this channel (only heard of it in the last week).  I liked everything about Much Ado About Christmas.   It was refreshing to see talented new faces, stunning scenery, gorgeous accents, and a very enjoyable story.

Edited November 1, 2021 by MerBearHou

[Luckylyn]

GAC movies are available on Peacock 

 

[GeorgiaRai]

Once I realized I do, in fact, have the GAC channel, I added it to my favorites & ended up watching Much Ado About Christmas.  I liked it!  It was a bit of a twist on the usual "I have to hide my true identity", and done well.   

I re-watched Hallmark's Snow Bride a couple days ago, so seeing Susie Abromeit go from mean Claire to sweet Haley in one weekend was impressive!

[mikeb]

Another way to get GAC Family is via another streaming app called frndlytv - it is $6/month for SD and $8/month for HD and includes over 20 channels including all 3 Hallmark channels.   There is a 7 day free trial if just want to sample some GAC Christmas movies.

Edited November 1, 2021 by mikeb

[KaveDweller]

I seem to get GAC TV. Is that the same as GAC Family?

I didn't notice any Christmas movies on it, but maybe I was looking at the wrong time.

[GeorgiaRai]

I caught an older movie last night that I'd never seen or even heard of before - Christmas Angel. I really liked it!  It was more than just a romance - it felt similar to The Christmas Secret or A Christmas Wish (more Hallmark-movies-&-mysteries-ish than regular Hallmark channel). 

I'm glad I decided to watch, and will again if it re-airs.

[kirinan]

On 11/1/2021 at 7:44 PM, KaveDweller said:

I seem to get GAC TV. Is that the same as GAC Family?

I didn't notice any Christmas movies on it, but maybe I was looking at the wrong time.

On our cable system they're the same. GAC TV still shows up with that name in the onscreen guide, but it's got listings for Christmas movies among episodes of Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, and other old sitcoms.

[Guest]

On 11/1/2021 at 4:44 PM, KaveDweller said:

I seem to get GAC TV. Is that the same as GAC Family?

I didn't notice any Christmas movies on it, but maybe I was looking at the wrong time.

Check during prime time. That’s when they air the Christmas movies. Otherwise it’s 3-4 hour blocks of sitcoms. 

[KaveDweller]

10 hours ago, kirinan said:

On our cable system they're the same. GAC TV still shows up with that name in the onscreen guide, but it's got listings for Christmas movies among episodes of Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, and other old sitcoms.

Thanks! I did see them airing I Dream of Jeannie, so I guess I'll get even more Christmas movies to try and watch. Fun times!

[luvthepros]

Just watched Much Ado About Christmas. I have Christmas decorations over load and my head is ready to explode! Over the top and more decorations I have ever seen in a Hallmark movie.

Why did everyone have a British accent except for the lead female character who is the daughter of a British woman? Was she born and raised in the US and then just arrived in England? I found that little detail somewhat jarring.

 

Edited November 12, 2021 by luvthepros

[StaceyNotStacie]

I finally watched Angel Falls Christmas. It wasn’t bad, but the chemistry between the actors was better in the Autumn movie. The only thing that really bugged me was Chad Michael Murray’s turtleneck. It seemed like he wore the same outfit for the entire movie and the turtleneck just got on my nerves. 

[GeorgiaRai]

I know the whole twins switching places thing isn't original, but I really liked The Great Christmas Switch. I'm not familiar with the lead actress (Sarah Lind) but she brought some fun & quirkiness to the role that made it feel different from the usual stuff.  I'd watch again.

I'm a Chad Michael Murray fan but didn't get much out of Angel Falls Christmas, for some reason.  I mean, I can see him as an angel, but this one fell flat for me.  

[Artsda]

I watched a Kind-hearted Christmas and found it sweet. Feel good movie on doing others outcome from the good Samaritan starting the trend.  

I'm guessing Jennie Garths had a lot of money. 

[Kaoteek]

On 11/29/2021 at 12:54 AM, GeorgiaRai said:

I know the whole twins switching places thing isn't original, but I really liked The Great Christmas Switch. I'm not familiar with the lead actress (Sarah Lind) but she brought some fun & quirkiness to the role that made it feel different from the usual stuff.

It was definitely on the cheaper side, compared to other movies, but it was likeable enough to be enjoyable.

Royally Wrapped for Christmas, on the other hand, was yet another cheap, generic spin on the american woman (Jen Lilley) going to an imaginary european kingdom, and falling for the local Prince (Brendan Fehr, with a very dodgy accent), while upending tradition... and stuff. Hard pass.

[bankerchick]

2 hours ago, Kaoteek said:

Royally Wrapped for Christmas, on the other hand, was yet another cheap, generic spin on the american woman (Jen Lilley) going to an imaginary european kingdom, and falling for the local Prince (Brendan Fehr, with a very dodgy accent), while upending tradition... and stuff. Hard pass.

I was hard pass at 'Jenn Lilley.'

[GeorgiaRai]

1 hour ago, bankerchick said:

I was hard pass at 'Jenn Lilley.'

Ditto.  Always a  no for me!

[Kaoteek]

Eh, I don't mind Jen Lilley, to be honest, even though she tends to overact in the more comedic scenes.

As for a Kindhearted Christmas, even though it reminded me a lot of past movies (including Secret Santa from 2003, already with Jennie Garth), I ended up liking it more than expected : Garth is likeable, Mathison nailed the Morning show presenter vibe, the supporting cast was entertaining, and overall, it was decently written (aside from the big reveal moment, where Mathison's angry tantrum felt a tad forced).

[StaceyNotStacie]

I haven’t watched many of the GAC holiday movies (they’re way down the line of the cable channels and I always forget that they’re there), but I caught A Christmas Star last night. I didn’t dislike it, but the idea that the town would shut off their Christmas lights in the middle of their big festival seemed a bit much. Also, they must not have promoted that meteor shower that much because I would have expected more people out there with telescopes and binoculars waiting for the meteor shower. 

[ECM1231]

I've not been able to watch any of their movies since finding out about this channel, but was able to record A Kindhearted Christmas, which I watched tonight. I enjoyed it so much as it starred 2 seasoned pros.... Jennie Garth and Cameron Mathison. I'm a huge fan of Cameron, who I only really know from his Hallmark movies. Never saw him in his soap opera days. It wasn't too tropey, other than a small misunderstanding at the very near end, which of course was settled and they had a nice, long kiss in the final scene.

[Chippings]

Posted this note on the Hallmark site earlier, but now am in the right place

The first movie I'm seeing since finding the GAC channel on my cable is Royally Wrapped for Christmas.  It has Jen Lilley, which is not exciting, and Brendan Fehr, whom I liked a lot in A Christmas Kiss.  He's playing a very standard buttoned-up prince (actually the most subdued "prince" I've ever seen), and employing the generic European Royal English accent.  

It's a situation not unlike what I've seen Warren Christie in -- he can do a character with good energy and be very winning, but there's not much that can be done with a limpid one, and so disappointing to watch.

This is one pallid story, really a snooze.  Nice palace, though.  But, there must be some dicey political situation in that country, because it's the only "royal palace" I've seen lately with guards actually standing there all day inside the place.  

[ECM1231]

Jen Lilley has signed a multi-picture deal with GAC Media and will star in 4 movies over the next two years.

 

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/jen-lilley-inks-multi-picture-174211095.html

Edited January 10, 2022 by ECM1231

[Joe Bacigaloop]

I had a very hard time finding this channel on Altice cable since it is on Channel 184.

It seems that is buried for some reason. Perhaps with its higher profile with the new signings it will move up the dial.

I did find out that it has reruns of two of my old favorites. Bewitched and I Dream of Jeanie. That beats out the Golden Girls and Frazier on Hallmark in my book any day.

 

[windsprints]

1 hour ago, Joe Bacigaloop said:

It seems that is buried for some reason. Perhaps with its higher profile with the new signings it will move up the dial.

 

I have Altice (Optimum) and GAC Family is 184, Hallmark Drama is 189, Hallmark is 191 & Hallmark Mysteries is 193. I don't see how that is buried, they're all grouped pretty much together.

[Joe Bacigaloop]

I stand corrected. You are right. I never actually put the numbers in. I just use the voice command. That didn’t work for GAC so I had to look it up. I quess that is why I was confused.

[SusanwatchingTV]

I’ve been checking this channel to see if there are new movies every week, but I haven’t seen any in quite a while. I hope hiring more of these actresses from Hallmark they can get it going.   

[windsprints]

39 minutes ago, SusanwatchingTV said:

I’ve been checking this channel to see if there are new movies every week, but I haven’t seen any in quite a while. I hope hiring more of these actresses from Hallmark they can get it going.   

As of now I think they only have movies at Christmas.

[Chippings]

Ditto to SusanwatchingTV and windsprints.  I check the channel every once in a while, and it's purely old family TV series 24/7.  If they've been putting all these actors under contract since they set themselves up, where the heck are the movies??  I can't imagine they're making much money showing 40 and 50 year old sit-coms endlessly.  And indeed, if they do get a movie put together, how will we know about it? This is one weird start-up business.  I'll keep checking, and anybody who hears of an actual movie, do let us know!

 

[windsprints]

I never knew GAC existed prior to last Christmas. I just googled and it became it's current form in September 2021. From wiki, it sounds like they  will be moving more into original movies going forward:

Quote

 

On June 7, 2021, Discovery, which had agreed to a merger with WarnerMedia, announced that it would divest Great American Country to GAC Media, an investment group led by private equity investor Tom Hicks and former Crown Media Holdings CEO Bill Abbott. GAC Media would also acquire the equestrian network Ride TV.[7]

In August 2021, GAC Media announced that it would relaunch Great American Country and Ride TV as GAC Family and GAC Living on September 27, with the GAC initials re-backronymed to stand for "Great American Channels";[8] GAC Family was repositioned as a family-oriented general entertainment service with similarities to Hallmark Channel, which Abbot had previously overseen as Crown Media CEO.[9] The previous country lifestyle format was assumed by Ride TV, which concurrently rebranded as the sister channel GAC Living.[9]

As with Hallmark Channel, the relaunched network planned to emphasize original made-for-TV movies as part of its programming slate: it signed deals (some of which multi-film) with a number of actors associated with Hallmark Channel productions,[10] 

 

 

[GeorgiaRai]

I like having a "Christmas in July" alternative for times when Hallmark is airing a Christmas movie I'm not interested in (or tired of). 

Much Ado About Nothing, Christmas Angel, Great Christmas Switch, Mrs. Miracle, Kindhearted Christmas, Christmas Crush - I've enjoyed re-watching all of them this month.  

[Chippings]

It seems nobody has been on this page since July, but there do seem to be some new movies on GAC.  Tonight was "The Winter Palace", with Danica McKellar, looks new, even if the plot is largely recycled.  Haven't seen it all, or even most, so I will withhold comment.  Anybody ?

[ECM1231]

9 hours ago, Chippings said:

It seems nobody has been on this page since July, but there do seem to be some new movies on GAC.  Tonight was "The Winter Palace", with Danica McKellar, looks new, even if the plot is largely recycled.  Haven't seen it all, or even most, so I will withhold comment.  Anybody ?

I missed this one. Last night I watched "A Taste of Tuscany", which was pleasant enough. I wasn't familiar with the two leads.

[luvthepros]

I'm watching last year's CCB movie, A Christmas Present. Waaaaaaay too much religious stuff with talk of God for me. I don't believe so I find this type of programming is not for me. Could it be over the top with religious talk because CCB is executive producer?

Won't be watching this GAF channel any more if all the movies are indoctrinated with religious material. It's like watching Christian programming. Right down to the station identification and their catch phrase is "Faith and Family" programming. Are all GAF movies likethis one?

Edited July 11, 2023 by luvthepros

[coffeebean]

No one is watching this channel? No discussion about the Danica McKellar movie, Swing Into Romance? I liked the movie. Danica did really good with the dancing. I enjoyed seeing Gleb Savchenko in an acting role in this movie. He is a great pro dancer and made Danica look great in the dancing segments.

[Woopwoopkitty]

I would but I don’t get this channel 

[CAM]

I am, but skipped that one.  Did watch Christmas movies 1 (Destined 2) & 2 (Twas the Text Before Christmas).

Enjoyed movie 2 it was fun with decent chemistry all around.  I tend to enjoy most of the movies that Merritt Patterson has done over the years.

Movie 1 could have done with out...it tried to hard to recreate the vibe of the first Destined movie which didn't work.  The first one ending with the flash forward, it made the sequel unnecessary.

[Jaded]

I'd love it if this was true. I get the feeling it's a bunch of lip service though. Maybe her "opinions" and the availability are affecting ratings though. The first article mentions the second one.

Great American Family CEO says Candace Cameron Bure doesn't speak for network on LGBTQ views

Great American Family’s TV Rise: CEO Bill Abbott on Candace Cameron Bure Backlash and Why His Network Is ‘For All People’

[Makai]

5 hours ago, Jaded said:

I'd love it if this was true. I get the feeling it's a bunch of lip service though. Maybe her "opinions" and the availability are affecting ratings though. The first article mentions the second one.

Great American Family CEO says Candace Cameron Bure doesn't speak for network on LGBTQ views

Great American Family’s TV Rise: CEO Bill Abbott on Candace Cameron Bure Backlash and Why His Network Is ‘For All People’

Yeah, he’s just angry she said the quiet part out loud. There are of articles about how everyone on the industry knew there was no point in even trying to put diversity in Hallmark movies when he was in charge. He would have entire scenes reshot because background actors could have appeared to be interracial couples. He’s fine with representation as long as it’s not noticeable or acknowledged. 

[GeorgiaRai]

I watch Christmas movies on this channel, @coffeebean but usually catch them after they've played a few times, so I'm not up on new releases. 

It might just be my (bad) luck, but a lot of times when I tune in, they're playing something with Jill Wagner, so I just nope right on out of there.  That aside, there are several GAC Christmas movies I like a lot and watch repeatedly. 

[coffeebean]

39 minutes ago, GeorgiaRai said:

I watch Christmas movies on this channel, @coffeebean but usually catch them after they've played a few times, so I'm not up on new releases. 

It might just be my (bad) luck, but a lot of times when I tune in, they're playing something with Jill Wagner, so I just nope right on out of there.  That aside, there are several GAC Christmas movies I like a lot and watch repeatedly. 

Jill Wagner is one of my favorite Hallmark actresses. Just wondering why you will not watch a movie with her. She has an ease to her acting, she is beautiful to look at and has a lovely voice. She has great chemistry with her lead actors (Victor Webster comes to mind). I'm hoping she will still continue to make movies for Hallmark.

[coffeebean]

Well, it looks like Jill Wagner did leave Hallmark. Here is an article that lists all the actors that have left Hallmark for the GAF channel. The only actors will really miss are Jill Wagner, Merrit Patterson and Sam Page. Christoper Russel too.

[GeorgiaRai]

I knew she left Hallmark - these was quite a bit of press about her negotiations with GAC at the time - so it's not surprising GAC is featuring her a lot.  I don't find her relatable or endearing, but it's just personal preference; not a knock on her looks or talent. 

[GeorgiaRai]

Neither of Hallmark's premieres this weekend (Christmas Island & A Heidelberg Christmas) appealed to me so I watched GAC's A Christmas Blessing instead, and found it quite enjoyable.  I still like Lori Loughlin and think she & James Tupper are a good pairing; they co-starred in Fall Into Winter, as well, earlier this year.

I attempted to watch A Christmas Keepsake (a/k/a A Christmas Time Capsule?) but found it excrutiatingly dull.  It just kept plodding along and felt very monotone.  Before the halfway point, I switched channels & watched true crime instead.

[Clawdette]

As I was flipping channels I spotted Jill Wagner in a Christmas movie.  It was Bringing Christmas Home with Paul Greene.  I didn't watch it but lingered long enough to notice the work Jill has had done on her face.   I always thought she possessed a natural beauty but it has disappeared underneath an almost plastic/molded face.  What a shame.