Hallmark Movies: Small Town Royalty Magically Celebrating Rekindled Love! - General Discussion

[MerBearHou]

7 hours ago, DanaMB said:

 Just started How to Train Your Husband and may just delete it. The so-called heroine is a bitch. 

I am not surprised to see this post.  It is a horrible premise (I hate that title) and the couple have zero chemistry.  Why are so many Hallmark so-called heroines bitches?  I wouldn’t want to know them — let alone date them.  This drives me nuts.  

And I tend to like Julie Gonzalo in just about everything...

Edited May 18, 2020 by MerBearHou

[EyewatchTV211]

19 minutes ago, MerBearHou said:

I am not surprised to see this post.  It is a horrible premise (I hate that title) and the couple have zero chemistry.  Why are so many Hallmark so-called heroines bitches?  I wouldn’t want to know them — let alone date them.  This drives me nuts.  

I was happy that they actually filmed the movie in Boston, where I went to grad school. That was about it. Not only was the heroine a bitch, but she is also probably one of the worst therapists in existence. Many here have commented on the issues in portraying certain careers when they have actual expertise. I'm not a therapist, but I am a school psychologist with some overlapping training. No way does a trained therapist not have familiarity, at minimum, with behavior modification and operant conditioning. That's like intro to psych. And I even learned it in undergrad when I was studying special education, as part of my behavior management class. My professor joked about using shaping with her husband to get him to hang up his towel in the bathroom. On top of all of that, her books were clearly based on theories that she has pulled out of her butt. They would have been better off making the movie with a lead who had some completely unrelated career, and she stumbles into the similarities between training a dog and a human. 

I might keep this on my DVR to rewatch on mute just for the Boston scenery. It made me a bit nostalgic. But I definitely won't rewatch for the actual storyline.

Edited May 17, 2020 by VMepicgrl

[TVFan17]

How to Train Your Husband is a movie Hallmark acquired, and it fills a bit of a gap in the schedule because they didn't have any of their own content ready to air in May (I think they're more focused on building a movie event in June because their previous June movie events have been successful -- and May is sometimes a lower priority).  So it's not their own made-for-Hallmark movie. 

HTTYH is a couple of years old.  I have not watched it yet -- either on Hallmark or when it was available for streaming on Amazon or on Hallmark Movies Now in the past -- because I am usually less interested in watching the acquired movies right away than I am in watching the original Hallmark movies right away, but I'll try to watch it today.

There are more gap-filling, acquired, not-made-for-Hallmark movies airing on the Hallmark Movies and Mysteries Channel in June (Midway to Love and Timeless Love).

Edited May 17, 2020 by TVFan17

[ehall1052]

“How to train your husband” seems like it was a loosely remake of the 1962 Bobby Darin/Sandra Dee movie “If a man answers”.  Another mindless movie, but Sandra Dee was so adorable and she and Bobby Darin were so cute together.

[kirinan]

There were a couple of things I liked about this movie. Like @VMepicgrl, I enjoyed the scenery since Boston's one of our favorite towns to visit. I also liked that it wasn't the typical sickly-sweet Hallmark plotline; they talked about people having affairs, showed the (okay, married) main characters in bed, things weren't perfect, etc. Oh, and Henry the dog was adorable.

It's just too bad they didn't do a better job with what they had. Any movie that has me spending a good half to three-quarters of it hating Julie Gonzalo's character has real problems, because she is one of my absolute favorites. I almost stopped watching it after about half an hour, but stuck it out to the end. It left me with an icky feeling, though. A lot of manipulation, immaturity, selfishness, and deception that wasn't funny in any way. 

Is this what Hallmark thinks an adult-ish movie should be? Because if that's the case, I'm gonna go right back to what I've been doing the last 6-8 weeks; hardly watching the channel at all. Between the constant repeats of the same 4 or 5 movies during the day and evening, and the new disappointments like this one, I'm just not happy with Hallmark these days. They scored with Just My Type; why is it so hard to do it again?

I know they're going through a lot of upheaval, which of course is part of it. It just seems like it would be an easy fix to get some more of their better, older movies in the rotation (it doesn't have to be HOF movies, there are plenty of "regular" ones we all seem to love), and that way, when they have a "special showing" of a movie on Saturday nights to make up for the lack of new movies, it really would be special because it hasn't been seen for a while. But no, they send the good movies to Drama or the app, which a lot of people don't have available or don't want (or can't) spend the extra money for at this time of mass unemployment. 

Last night, I saw a commercial for next Saturday's Love On the Shore that was touted like a special event. You know how many times that movie has been on in the last few weeks? At least three, that I can recall (because I still check the onscreen guide every day to see what's on), and probably more. Last week, it was Love, Romance and Chocolate, which I love but seems to have been on a dozen times in the last eight weeks. So tell me what's special about that?

Sorry, I don't mean to be a complainy downer. I'm just so disappointed in Hallmark over the last few months.

I'll end on an up note: Henry really WAS a total cuddly sweetheart. He was the best part of the movie. Along with Boston. 

ETA: I just saw @TVFan17's post. I didn't realize this wasn't straight Hallmark, although I should have guessed, I suppose. 

Edited May 17, 2020 by kirinan

[Irlandesa]

I didin't watch.  I think I might have seen it or the beginning of it somewhere else and yeah, the premise is pretty awful.

[Koalagirl]

I didn’t know How to Train Your Husband was a Hallmark acquired movie until I read it here. No wonder it seemed so different - more like the movies I’ve seen on Up TV.  I hate watched it, stuck with it mostly because He ry the dog was so damn cute. 

[formerlyfreedom]

I didn't hate How To Train Your Husband as much as I expected to. Definitely agree that Julie Gonzalo's character was unlikable for a large part of the movie. She was better by the end. The husband actor reminded me of a cross between Andrew Walker and Sam Jaeger, and that is NOT a complaint. I liked that it was clearly a different formula then the usual Hallmark movie, TBH.

[Ashforth]

I watched Rescuing Madison n Saturday, it's relatively old, from 2014. I found it enjoyable, despite the inevitable tropes. The lead actress was cute. The firefighter romantic lead was bland. Loved seeing Sherilynn Fenn even in a tiny role.

At least it wasn't abominable like Love Blossoms, the stinker (ironically, since it was about a perfume company) that followed.

[mikeb]

On 5/17/2020 at 1:23 PM, TVFan17 said:

 

There are more gap-filling, acquired, not-made-for-Hallmark movies airing on the Hallmark Movies and Mysteries Channel in June (Midway to Love and Timeless Love).

I can't recall the last time a movie that wasn't either a mystery movie or a Christmas movie premiered on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries Channel.  I understand they either have run out of or about to run out of mystery movies to show, but wondering why they aren't saving these for main Hallmark channel, which is also running low on new movies - it seems a better fit.

[TVFan17]

On 5/20/2020 at 10:09 AM, mikeb said:

I can't recall the last time a movie that wasn't either a mystery movie or a Christmas movie premiered on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries Channel.  I understand they either have run out of or about to run out of mystery movies to show, but wondering why they aren't saving these for main Hallmark channel, which is also running low on new movies - it seems a better fit.

I was a bit baffled by it too, but I guess desperate times call for desperate measures!  lol  They are definitely running low on movies that are already in the can and ready to go on both channels, but clearly titles such as "Timeless Love" and "Midway to Love" sound like they'd fit better on Hallmark Channel and not on HMM.   Of course, there is always a chance that Hallmark will move them over to the main channel and off of HMM before they air.

I can only guess that Hallmark is doing it this way because they don't have anymore mysteries completely wrapped up and ready to air in June, but they DO have 3 new movies to air on the main Hallmark Channel in June.  So they need to put something new-ish -- even these 2 acquired movies -- on HMM in June, even if it does not completely make sense, theme-wise. 

July will probably be all about Christmas on at least 2 of their channels, if not all 3 channels, so that buys them some time to gather up some additional content for August.  The next new mystery (Picture Perfect Mysteries #3) is probably airing in August, according to what Ron Oliver said in an interview, but they need something new for the main channel as well.

Hallmark is undoubtedly in the process of trying to scrounge up some acquisitions to air in August in lieu of their usual Summer Nights event, as it looks unlikely that they will be able to get anything summery filmed in time to air by then.  They picked up the new Marcus Rosner-Morgan Kohan movie called Take Off to Love (AKA Love at First Flight) after it was filmed, it seems, so I think that one will air sometime soon.

Tomorrow night, Hallmark Channel is airing My Favorite Bachelor (FKA "A Man for Every Month"), which is a PixL movie, but it's flying under the radar in its 6 PM time slot on a Thursday.

It's looking as though Hallmark might not be able to film anything anywhere in Canada until at least July, if not later than that, as Canada seems to still have a lot of restrictions in place through June.  I'm not sure when domestic productions will be allowed to resume either.  

Edited May 21, 2020 by TVFan17

[chitowngirl]

Facebook Meme-“Looking forward to Hallmark’s offering  ‘A Very COVID Christmas’ When a big city lawyer and a country candle maker accidentally meet when they go to the wrong Zoom meeting”! 😆

[mikeb]

On 5/20/2020 at 4:37 PM, TVFan17 said:

It's looking as though Hallmark might not be able to film anything anywhere in Canada until at least July, if not later than that, as Canada seems to still have a lot of restrictions in place through June.  I'm not sure when domestic productions will be allowed to resume either.  

It will be interesting how quickly they will be able to ramp up once they do get permission to resume.  They might not be able to significantly expand the number of movies they normally have in production at the same time since I think they have a pool of crew members, including directors, that work on lots of their movies, one at a time.  If they start hiring new people to work on them, they risk not getting the Hallmark feel, which is either a good thing or bad thing depending on your perspective.

[TVFan17]

3 hours ago, mikeb said:

It will be interesting how quickly they will be able to ramp up once they do get permission to resume.  They might not be able to significantly expand the number of movies they normally have in production at the same time since I think they have a pool of crew members, including directors, that work on lots of their movies, one at a time.  If they start hiring new people to work on them, they risk not getting the Hallmark feel, which is either a good thing or bad thing depending on your perspective.

 

I don't think -- and I could be totally wrong -- that Hallmark will be able to dramatically increase the number of productions going on at one time beyond what they would normally be doing.  But...

That said.... sometimes Hallmark has a lot of productions going on at the same time -- not just in Canada, but in Utah, Georgia and other states.  There are times when they might have 10 movies (of various themes) filming at the same time.  Perhaps some are just wrapping up and some are just starting so they overlap, with many of them in Canada but also in some in other countries and states.  I think one time in the last 2 or 3 years I counted something crazy like 13 Hallmark movies at various points in their principal photography at the same time -- but spread out in different locations around the world, with the bulk of the filming in various parts of Canada.

A lot of Hallmark's directors, producers, production companies, writers, editors, hair & make-up people, various crew members and assorted actors work on Lifetime's movies too, as well as movies for UP, Netflix, ION, etc.  They all film in the same places in Canada, but some of them film in Utah, Kentucky, Georgia, Connecticut and other states Hallmark films in as well.  Even Romania can be a hotbed of filming activity for different networks.   So there was already a need to expand the pool of people working on these productions, because sometimes the people Hallmark works with might be tied up on projects for other networks.  Or sometimes Lifetime might want a director to work on a movie but that person has a Hallmark movie booked at the same time.  I would imagine that happens a lot.

 

 

Realistically, though, I don't know about what any other network will do, but I think Hallmark will mainly try to stick with roughly the same kind of filming schedule they would normally have in the late summer and fall -- IF they are free to film -- with maybe just a couple of extra shoots thrown in here and there.  September, October and November are consistently very busy months for them in terms of how many productions (especially Christmas movies, but also mysteries and Winterfest movies too) they have going on.  As long as they are able to film by then, I think they will be busy as usual with many things going on.   They still won't be able to premiere as many Christmas movies this year as they normally would because they have lost too much time, I think -- but they might be able to get the same number of movies filmed in Sept-Oct-Nov that they would normally film in that time frame. 

 

Hallmark is very loyal to their regular actors, of course, and they will probably go right to their familiar faces to quickly put them in movies.  But that's also going to be a challenge, because some of those actors probably have series and other projects that have also been put on hold, and they will have to get back to those as well.  For example, Luke Macfarlane said that he was about to film a feature film romantic comedy -- not a TV movie -- right before everything shut down.  So when things open up again, will he go right into starting that feature film, or will Hallmark be able to snap him up for one of their own Christmas movies?  There could be a lack of availability of certain actors for Hallmark if those actors are required to return to their other jobs first.

 

I don't know if there will be enough time for Hallmark to start filming multiple Fall Harvest movies if they are not free to begin productions before August or so.  They'd be lucky to get two Fall movies done at this point, and even that is pushing it.  So they might just go straight to their Christmas movie productions, because that's how it will work timing-wise.  They will probably try to get some mysteries filmed for January too, I would guess.

I would not be shocked if Hallmark goes to Utah and Georgia to knock out a few productions before Canada fully opens up. 

Edited May 22, 2020 by TVFan17

[Kohola3]

On 5/22/2020 at 9:48 AM, mikeb said:

If they start hiring new people to work on them, they risk not getting the Hallmark feel, which is either a good thing or bad thing depending on your perspective.

I'm voting for it being a very good thing.  The endless repetition is nauseating.

And for the love of all that is holy get a new hairdresser.  All of those women look like clones. 

[EyewatchTV211]

Last week, I saw My Favorite Bachelor. This movie was originally a PixL movie, but I guess Hallmark picked it up. I wasn't expecting much, but I was pleasantly surprised and actually enjoyed it. Maybe because I could relate to the lead female and her dating issues. And I liked watching her and the male lead, Scott, get to know each other and how their feelings grew. 

[mikeb]

I just discovered on Verizon FIOS, even though the on-screen program guide says there is no On-Demand programs available for Hallmark or HMM channel, if I search the list of Networks on the On-Demand menu, Hallmark does appear and there is a total of 42 programs available.  It looks like a mix of all genres, including some old Hallmark Hall of Fame movies.  The only mystery is an old Morning Show Mystery, which I don't recall seeing on HMM channel in awhile.

[TVFan17]

Net at It's a Wonderful Movie just discovered that Country at Heart -- the movie with Jessy Schram and Niall Matter, which was supposed to premiere during Fall Harvest last year, but was pulled and was then rescheduled to air this month as part of the "A Little Romance" event -- is no longer scheduled to air this month!!  It was pulled from the schedule again.

Sigh. 

So, the only new movies on the Hallmark Channel this month are:

Sat., June 13th -- Love in the Forecast AKA When it Rains It Pours (w/ Cindy Busby and Christopher Russell)

Sat., June 20th -- Love Under the Olive Tree (w/ Tori Anderson and Benjamin Hollingsworth; produced by Antonio Cupo -- also postponed from its originally planned premiere during Fall Harvest 2019)

 

Over on the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Channel are the two non-mystery movies that are not Hallmark originals (they acquired them for filler content, it seems):

Sun., June 14th -- Timeless Love (w/ Rachel Skarsten and Brant Daugherty)

Fri., June 26th -- Midway to Love (w/ Rachel Hendrix and Daniel Stine)

 

Edited June 4, 2020 by TVFan17

[MerBearHou]

1 hour ago, TVFan17 said:

just discovered that Country at Heart -- the movie with Jessy Schram and Niall Matter, which was supposed to premiere during Fall Harvest last year, but was pulled and was then rescheduled to air this month as part of the "A Little Romance" event -- is no longer scheduled to air this month!!  It was pulled from the schedule again.

So bizarre!  They've been promoting that movie a ton recently.  Why in the world??

[mikeb]

3 minutes ago, MerBearHou said:

So bizarre!  They've been promoting that movie a ton recently.  Why in the world??

Yes - I even read an interview published last week that Jessy Schram did to promote it and thought I have seen commercials for it earlier this week.   Only thing I can think of is they are hoarding new movies for later this summer or fall.

[TVFan17]

29 minutes ago, mikeb said:

Yes - I even read an interview published last week that Jessy Schram did to promote it and thought I have seen commercials for it earlier this week.   Only thing I can think of is they are hoarding new movies for later this summer or fall.

Yes, that's got to be it.   Either that, or Hallmark is letting the W Network in Canada air it first, before it premieres on the Hallmark Channel later.  It's no less frustrating and maddening that this one particular movie keeps getting bumped from its schedule, though (and at the last minute too!!  But...

 

I am thinking that, as the new COVID-19-inspired filming guidelines have now been set forth for various states in the U.S., and no one from Hallmark is filming in Canada this month, Hallmark is probably assessing the situation and trying to figure out exactly what they can manage to get on the air for the remainder of this year.

So, Hallmark is probably realizing that trying to get several Summer Nights movies filmed is not going to be possible, leaving them to air something that's acquired, which might possibly be Love on Harbor Island AKA Take Off to Love AKA Love at First Flight (w/ Morgan Kohan and Marchus Rosner).   Then they could put Country at Heart back into Fall Harvest, because they probably won't have time to film several Fall Harvest movies either so that is at least one guaranteed movie for the theme.

Christmas is the real question -- while they won't be able to premiere as many Christmas movies as they did last year or the year before (even with acquisitions), will they actually be able to get a chunk of them filmed in Sept-Oct, as they usually do?  Or will they not even be able to pull off the usual cluster of Christmas shoots then?

 

If we at least saw that Home & Family was going back to shooting in a studio every day, then we'd know that Hallmark was starting to rev up the ol' engine and get moving again, which would eventually lead to movie shoots and series such as Chesapeake Shores and When Calls the Heart beginning production (albeit, in Canada).  So far, though, I don't think there is any word as to when or if Home & Family might return to shooting on a set again (unless I missed it).   That show is Hallmark's most constant, regular bit of content and it's shot in L.A., so they don't even have to worry about expenses related to travel.  If H&F can be restored, then I think the other movies and series will fall in line shortly thereafter.

Edited June 4, 2020 by TVFan17

[mikeb]

Here is one sign they are starting to get ready to resume filming.  Alicia Witt posted on her instagram that she needs to stop her weekly online concerts that she has had for last 3 months because she is starting pre-production on her new Christmas movie.

[In2You]

8 hours ago, mikeb said:

Here is one sign they are starting to get ready to resume filming.  Alicia Witt posted on her instagram that she needs to stop her weekly online concerts that she has had for last 3 months because she is starting pre-production on her new Christmas movie.

I can't watch her movies. I can't stand her bad acting.

[TVFan17]

On 6/6/2020 at 5:09 AM, mikeb said:

Here is one sign they are starting to get ready to resume filming.  Alicia Witt posted on her instagram that she needs to stop her weekly online concerts that she has had for last 3 months because she is starting pre-production on her new Christmas movie.

Yes, and she does not always film in Canada, so she could end up filming in a few different places (although Canada is about ready to get back to filming too, just as California and other states are,, but the Canadian border is not open yet).  Alicia usually doesn't even film her movies until the fall, but... hey, why wait?  Might as well jump into that production before another wave of COVID-19 comes along and shuts things down again.

And as far as I know -- unless plans have changed (and they change often at Hallmark!) -- this is, at long last, the movie that Alicia has had in development with Hallmark since before January 2017.  It is or was partially based on her own idea, and she had a hand in writing it (along with other people, I'm sure), and it will feature her own music (whereas her last Christmas movie featured songs written by someone else).  Again, this is assuming that it hasn't been delayed again, as it has been for the last couple of years.

I love Alicia and think she is delightful -- full of positive energy and quirky charm!  I couldn't be happier that she will be leading the charge of the Hallmark ladies to get the Christmas snowball rolling!

Edited June 7, 2020 by TVFan17

[Kohola3]

7 hours ago, TVFan17 said:

  It is or was partially based on her own idea, and she had a hand in writing it (along with other people,

Please, please let it be something original and not follow the Hallmark sappy, redundant script.  I can't take one more unoriginal movie from them.

I just wish she hadn't had the face lift.  She looks like her face is made of plastic.

[Ashforth]

31 minutes ago, Kohola3 said:

I just wish she hadn't had the face lift.  She looks like her face is made of plastic.

Yes. Plus she's rocking the "young face on an old neck" look that is so jarring and sad.

[Veronica]

I would imagine most if not all were written and cast. I wonder if they filmed any in the winter before everything shut down. I know the movie with Chenowith and Wolf was filmed in early 2019, and remember reading Holiday for Heroes was filmed in the winter - the actors   talked about how cold it was when they shot the bonfire scene. So it is possible they have a couple that were already filmed. 

Someone on twitter joked they couldn’t wait for the Hallmark movie, “A Covid Christmas” about a big city lawyer and a small town candle maker to fall in love when they end up in the wrong Zoom meeting. 😂🤣 They should have rushed a script and they could have already started filming that one. 

[TVFan17]

9 hours ago, Veronica said:

I would imagine most if not all were written and cast. I wonder if they filmed any in the winter before everything shut down. I know the movie with Chenowith and Wolf was filmed in early 2019, and remember reading Holiday for Heroes was filmed in the winter - the actors   talked about how cold it was when they shot the bonfire scene. So it is possible they have a couple that were already filmed. 

Someone on twitter joked they couldn’t wait for the Hallmark movie, “A Covid Christmas” about a big city lawyer and a small town candle maker to fall in love when they end up in the wrong Zoom meeting. 😂🤣 They should have rushed a script and they could have already started filming that one. 

 

Hallmark does a lot of their casting kind of late in the game, especially when they are using their tried and true, longtime actors who already know the drill.  It's not too common for them to cast way in advance.  Sometimes their actors don't get called to do movies until just 2 or 3 weeks before they go to camera.  It's probably different if they bring in new people -- especially bigger names.  In the case of larger, more famous names, they probably have to get that set up way in advance.  They can call someone like Andrew Walker just a couple of weeks before a movie goes to principal photography, and he is used to it.

But if Hallmark is planning on knocking out a slew of Christmas movie shoots in September and October, I guarantee that not all of the movies are cast yet. 

Both the Kristin Chenoweth movie and "Holiday for Heroes" were filmed in January & February 2019.  Filming Christmas movies that early in the year is something that Hallmark does once in a while, and I think they will have to do it more often if they want to make a lot of movies in future years.  They always make a lot of progress on Christmas movie shoots in Sept-Oct-early Nov.

 

As for the scripts being written, I think that where the movies are in the writing process differs from project to project.  Some projects are at different stages of the writing process for a couple of years or more.  Some scripts are already finished and ready to go.  Some are tweaked and re-tweaked, even during production.  Some are changed at the last minute to different themes -- for example, a non-Christmas movie could be changed to a Christmas movie on short notice, and vice versa.  Some of the writers have talked about how sometimes they are called to do rewrites and make major changes on rather short notice.

If the movie that Alicia Witt is going to do is the same one that she helped create, then she has been working on it and co-writing it for over 3 years.  But there are other Christmas movies that get thrown together in a much speedier turnaround time.

 

I've mentioned it here before, but no officially announced 2020 Hallmark Christmas movies were filmed other than Christmas in Vienna (w/ Sarah Drew and Brennan Elliott) prior to the shutdown.  That movie was filmed in Vienna during the holiday season last year, and then finished up in Romania early this year.  That's the only one that is confirmed to be a 2020 Hallmark Christmas movie that has actually been filmed.  They still have their 2019 movie -- A New Year's Resolution -- that never aired, and I would imagine that they could show that one this year too.  So that makes two official Hallmark holiday movies that can air this year, at this point.  Nothing else that is officially theirs has been filmed.

 

There are plenty of other Christmas movies that were filmed quite a while back, but they are either for other networks or they have not yet been claimed by any network.  I'm sure Hallmark will end up acquiring at least 3 of them by the holiday season, but, for the time being, they've only got the two I mentioned above.

 

Sadly, it's not just COVID-19 that slowed everything down for Hallmark.  They had already slowed way, way down in their production after they faced all of the backlash from pulling the Zola ad late last year, which then led to their longtime leader and CEO stepping down..... which then led to Hallmark flat-out canceling their planned party at the Winter TCA in January, as well as not signing on for their annual appearance at the March Upfronts in New York.  The Zola controversy led to their whole schedule of events and productions slowing down or being canceled.  They were finally starting to pick up a little speed again and get certain projects scheduled to film, when along came the pandemic to shut down the world!  So they have lost a lot of time in producing new content over the last 6 months.

 

 

And now, apparently, Hallmark has a new sci-fi drama series in the works -- yes, you read that right.  A sci-fi drama/soap opera sort of series... for Hallmark.  lol  I have no clue what it will be called or who will be in it, or how strong the sci-fi vibe will be, but Hallmark is venturing into sci-fi territory -- with a bigger budget as well -- and I wonder who at the company suggested that idea because it's so unlike Hallmark.  It should be interesting to see how it pans out, IF it pans out or when it pans out!

[redpencil]

17 hours ago, TVFan17 said:

And now, apparently, Hallmark has a new sci-fi drama series in the works -- yes, you read that right.  A sci-fi drama/soap opera sort of series... for Hallmark.  lol  I have no clue what it will be called or who will be in it, or how strong the sci-fi vibe will be, but Hallmark is venturing into sci-fi territory -- with a bigger budget as well -- and I wonder who at the company suggested that idea because it's so unlike Hallmark.  It should be interesting to see how it pans out, IF it pans out or when it pans out!

This is fascinating. I love SciFi, and I watch a lot of Hallmark. Wonder if I will like the two merged. I will surely give it a shot!

[TVFan17]

13 minutes ago, redpencil said:

This is fascinating. I love SciFi, and I watch a lot of Hallmark. Wonder if I will like the two merged. I will surely give it a shot!

I was really surprised to see the article about it (I didn't read it when it was first posted in May, and I didn't become aware of what the article was about until the last day or two) --

While they do make regular dramas for their channel, a sci-fi soap drama seems so unlike what they'd usually do.   I wonder if it will actually air on the main Hallmark Channel or if they will move it to the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Channel or to their streaming app. It's probably a long, long way off from filming, but I am really curious to know more about this project.

[dubstepford wife]

On 6/8/2020 at 4:40 AM, TVFan17 said:

And now, apparently, Hallmark has a new sci-fi drama series in the works -- yes, you read that right.  A sci-fi drama/soap opera sort of series... for Hallmark.  lol  I have no clue what it will be called or who will be in it, or how strong the sci-fi vibe will be, but Hallmark is venturing into sci-fi territory -- with a bigger budget as well -- and I wonder who at the company suggested that idea because it's so unlike Hallmark.  It should be interesting to see how it pans out, IF it pans out or when it pans out!

If this happens I am HERE for it.  I'm a huge lover of sci-fi, and in fact lot of sci-fi series have soapy elements to them, including Star Trek (especially Next Gen and DS9), Stargate SG-1/Atlantis, Farscape, and my beloved, gone-far-too-soon Firefly (which was essentially a Western).  Then again though, the soap stuff usually takes a backseat to, ya know, like, aliens.  I can't wait to hear Hallmark's version of technobabble. 

I'm kind of predicting this will be like WCtH, since if it takes place in a "colony" that probably means somewhat primitive conditions.  They can just pretend it's a historical drama but no one can complain about period accuracy, because it's technically taking place in the future.  They might even film it on the WCtH set, since that series might be done (it should have been done two years ago) by the time this is ready to film.  

[Kohola3]

On 6/8/2020 at 4:40 AM, TVFan17 said:

Some are changed at the last minute to different themes -- for example, a non-Christmas movie could be changed to a Christmas movie on short notice, and vice versa.

That shouldn't take long, there are only a handful of themes that they repeat endlessly.  They just need to change out the fake backgrounds.

[Veronica]

Who else got the email about the Christmas movie set in Chicago and about a  two people planning a scavenger hunt/dates based on the Twelve Days of Christmas? 

Edited June 13, 2020 by Veronica

[dubstepford wife]

2 hours ago, Veronica said:

Who else got the email about the Christmas movie set in Chicago and about a  two people planning a scavenger hunt/dates based on the Twelve Days of Christmas? 

Wasn't this the plot of a Kevin McGarry movie last year?  The oh-so-creatively-named "Christmas Scavenger Hunt" or something like that?

At least it's in Chicago though.  Yay for showing big cities some love!  Baby steps, people.

[kirinan]

4 hours ago, Veronica said:

Who else got the email about the Christmas movie set in Chicago and about a  two people planning a scavenger hunt/dates based on the Twelve Days of Christmas? 

I did. Those surveys are pretty useless. Same questions every time, same fill-in-the-blanks plot description for an upcoming movie, etc. Honestly, I'd rather be asked, "Gee, you've gone from watching Hallmark more than 20 hours a week to watching it less than two hours a month. Can you tell us why?"

Still, I keep saying "Yes, send me more surveys" in hopes that we'll see something different. And like @dubstepford wife, I was happy to see the big-city setting this time around.

[TVFan17]

I was happy to get the Christmas survey yesterday, because the last 2 times Hallmark sent out a survey I either missed seeing it right away and it was closed when I tried to answer it, or something went awry with my Internet or PC at the moment I was taking the survey, and I could not re-access it later.

What I can't quite determine is if the movie they were asking about is one of the independent Christmas movies filmed earlier this year (not assigned to any network), which they could have just acquired, or if it's a movie they are going to film soon.  If it was one of the ones already filmed early this year, I'd at least know who was starring in it. 

If the movie is an acquisition, then I also wonder if it is something Hallmark plans to save until the holiday season, or if they are going to try to air it in July.  They usually do a preview of their new holiday season movies in July, but they might not have more than 2 or 3 of them ready to preview.

 

I am surprised that they did not send out a survey to ask people if they wanted a sci-fi drama/soap on the channel!  lol

Edited June 14, 2020 by TVFan17

[MerBearHou]

I was looking forward to a new Hallmark movie tonight, but I just bailed on “Love in the Forecast”.  Cindy Busby is overacting, overdoing the perky, and overenunciating so badly that I feel like she’s in a high school play.  Zero chemistry beyond “friend zone” between Christopher Russell and her.  And once again, the Hallmark wig department has failed badly in the mom’s gray wig.  I mean, it is a joke.  Disappointed!!

[Bronx Babe]

Am not at all surprised by this latest sci-fi development.  If some of you might remember, I've frequently brought up the fact that more than a few of their movies unsettlingly and out of the blue bring up the subject of aliens and space robots.  Plus, I often "joke" that the scripts are written by beings not of this earth, lol.   I believe it!

(oh, and now for something completely different -- I heard the male lead in Sun, Sand and Romance mention the word "toilet")

[Irlandesa]

I was going to record the movie but forgot it was on. Sounds like I needn't bother trying to record a repeat?

I will say that one negative for Hallmark now that they don't have movies on with regularity, I do tend to forget when the new ones come out.

[kirinan]

12 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I was going to record the movie but forgot it was on. Sounds like I needn't bother trying to record a repeat?

I will say that one negative for Hallmark now that they don't have movies on with regularity, I do tend to forget when the new ones come out.

I watched the whole movie. It was okay. Cindy Busby isn't one of my favorite Hallmark actresses, because she and her characters always seem to be trying too hard. And Christopher Russell is cute, but not an actor who commands the screen. It mostly kept my attention, though (although I did I mindlessly play solitaire on my iPad as I watched, which means I wasn't totally into it. Movies I really like, no multitasking goes on or gets set aside because I want to concentrate). 

Edited June 14, 2020 by kirinan

[Kohola3]

After all of the backlash around the Zola commercial I wonder if Hallmark will have to take a hard look at their egregious lack of actors of color in their movies.  More and more focus will be on the appearance of racism, I imagine.  When you pump out movie after movie with one token POC per 50 actors, it's going to start standing out like a sore thumb.

[Luckylyn]

I really liked Timeless Love.  I think it was made elsewhere and purchased by Hallmark?  The premise was something different and the leads had chemistry.  The characters acknowledged that her story was hard to believe in a realistic way.  Overall I enjoyed it.  My expectations were low and I was pleasantly surprised.

[TVFan17]

Yes, Timeless Love was definitely acquired by Hallmark -- it was not their own original movie.

 

I was just listening to the latest Nikki DeLoach interview on the Deck the Hallmark podcast.  She said that she has a few projects in development with Hallmark, and all of them got pushed to next year.  (No surprise there, I suppose.)  One of the movies was a Fall Harvest installment, and it was all ready to go, but, alas, it had to be moved to 2021.  I posted about her other delayed project over in the Hallmark Mystery thread.

 

[Dr.OO7]

Hallmark's Christmas In July will be starting June 29

[Guest]

On 6/14/2020 at 1:07 PM, Kohola3 said:

After all of the backlash around the Zola commercial I wonder if Hallmark will have to take a hard look at their egregious lack of actors of color in their movies.  More and more focus will be on the appearance of racism, I imagine.  When you pump out movie after movie with one token POC per 50 actors, it's going to start standing out like a sore thumb.

I imagine that was the plan when the parent company stepped in and fired the CEO. Even before covid there were signs that things were going to change and now the pressure is going to be on once production starts back up again. They posted a BLM support post recently and it went over about as well as you would expect. 

They’ve finally changed their standard response to diversity complaints on social media. If they’re smart the new CEO announcement will come with widespread changes. 

[dubstepford wife]

7 hours ago, Dani said:

They posted a BLM support post recently and it went over about as well as you would expect. 

Oh boy, I remember that.  I was really pleasantly surprised when they did that.  And that's the problem they face: so many of their supporters are extremely conservative Karen types who would never say they're racist but are absolutely fine with only seeing white faces on TV.  They have a choice to make, do they diversify at the risk of losing them, or stay how they are and alienate everyone else?

Personally it seems like an easy choice to me.  You'll gain so many more fans by actually welcoming new races and creeds into your programming.  Karens are thankfully kind of a dying breed.  But, we'll see if they actually follow through on that.  Losing Bill Abbott I absolutely think will be a good thing in the long run.  Things are chaotic right now but they are for everyone, and he had a very narrow minded vision for the company.

[TVFan17]

I guess this is one of the things the casts and crews will have to be dealing with when preparing to shoot series or movies.   Very long books of new guidelines, and certificates.

This young actor is on When Calls the Heart, so he is ready to go --

 

[MissyPoo]

On 6/17/2020 at 8:57 PM, Dani said:

They’ve finally changed their standard response to diversity complaints on social media. If they’re smart the new CEO announcement will come with widespread changes. 

Oh wow, they have? I'm curious to see what they're saying now because I stopped following them sometime ago when my tolerance for corn ran out.

[Koalagirl]

I watched Love Under the Olive Tree last night and it completely failed to hold my interest.  This has been happening almost all of the time lately. 

[kirinan]

2 hours ago, Koalagirl said:

I watched Love Under the Olive Tree last night and it completely failed to hold my interest.  This has been happening almost all of the time lately. 

I fell asleep about 20-25 minutes in, and don't think I'll bother to DVR it. I like the lead actress, but it just didn't keep my attention, either. On the plus side, I had a great evening nap!