A bunch of stars from the Hallmark Channel family stepped out for the network’s first-ever Television Critics Association Press Tour panel.
The network hosted three different panels on Tuesday morning (February 6) at at The Langham Huntington in Pasadena, Calif.
One panel was held for Loveuary’s Sense & Sensibility movie, another panel was for the series The Way Home, and the third panel was for four upcoming Hallmark Mystery movies.
Hallmark Media’s EVP of programming Lisa Hamilton Daly is also spilling some interesting scoop about the network’s future. We learned about an exciting Christmas movie that was announced and the potential of more When Calls the Heart spinoffs.
Head inside for all the scoop and to see everyone who attended…
Here are some highlights from her interview with Variety:
On possibly including love scenes in Hallmark movies: “In a Christmas movies? No. I think our series occupy a little different space. Our movies are very much leading up to that final kiss. It’s all built up to that. Our series have a different pattern to them. Some of those kisses go a little longer, they get a little spicier, but we are never going to be anything but pretty much PG. I consider us to be pretty living room friendly. You know your kids are never going to walk in and you’d have to turn it off.”
On cast exclusivity deals: “We have actually backed off exclusivity a little bit. When I got here, we were sort of on a talent exclusivity spree, and I think we’ve backed away from that, partly because we like our talent to be a lot of other places too. We like people to be able to find them in other places and be excited to come back and see them here. And we’re also constantly looking to expand our talent pool, so getting people for a one-off movie is really exciting for us. We definitely have some of those core Hallmark favorites. They know that they have a place here and that they’re gonna get a Christmas movie, and then maybe another movie and we definitely lean into that, but we’ve sort of backed away from exclusivity.”
On upcoming Christmas movies: “We know what most of our movies are going to be for Christmas 2024, and we’re starting to shoot them. We have international destinations that everyone is excited about again, plus comedies.”
Check out all of the attendees below…
Deborah Ayorinde from “Sense & Sensibility”
Alison Sweeney from “One Bad Apple: A Hannah Swensen Mystery”
Victor Webster from “One Bad Apple: A Hannah Swensen Mystery”
Lyndie Greenwood from “CrimeTime: Freefall”
Luke Macfarlane from “CrimeTime: Freefall”
Ali Skovbye from “Gilded Newport Mysteries: Murder at the Breakers”
Danny Griffin from “Gilded Newport Mysteries: Murder at the Breake
Aimee Garcia from “The Cases of Mystery Lane: Death Is Listening”
Paul Campbell from “The Cases of Mystery Lane: Death Is Listening”
Andie MacDowell from “The Way Home”
Sadie Laflamme-Snow from “The Way Home”
Chyler Leigh from “The Way Home”
Evan Williams from “The Way Home”
Kara Saun from “Sense & Sensibility”
Vanessa Riley from “Sense & Sensibility”
Kim Kimble from “Sense & Sensibility”
Tia A. Smith from “Sense & Sensibility”