By The Hallmark Channel wants to take you on a journey. Maybe it’s a dazzling getaway around the world, or back in time to another era. But the network promises its movies and TV shows will always leave you in a better place.
Whether set in idyllic small towns, merry Christmas destinations, or behind the scenes of famous places like The Plaza, Biltmore Estate, NFL stadiums, and Dollywood, the Hallmark Channel’s offerings are united in their escapism.
In these movies, old flames aren’t red flags but the right guy, finally at the right time. Family mysteries are deciphered with catharsis. Crimes are solved in cozy whodunits. Heartbreak is healed right as new love waltzes in.
That same magic was brought to The 92nd Street Y in New York on Aug. 4. for the network’s 25-year celebration, where Hallmark stars celebrated a quarter century of feel-good television with a sold-out, in-person crowd and virtual audience.
Twenty-two stars and executives gathered together for what they said felt like the ultimate family reunion, and TODAY.com was there to speak to them on the red carpet.
“You look around the room, and it’s just like all these beautiful people that you love working with,” said Marilu Henner, who has worked for the network since 2011 and starred in the “Aurora Teagarden Mysteries” series.
She was standing next to Andie MacDowell, who recently starred in “The Way Home” series, and whose first movie was a Hallmark Hall of Fame film that aired on CBS, “Riding the Bus with My Sister” in 2005.
“Andie and I were like, “Oh, she played my daughter. Oh, he played my daughter’s boyfriend,” Henner added.
Actor Victor Webster, a member of the Hallmark family since 2012, compared the evening to “hanging out with cousins at Christmas.”
“We really look forward to spending time with each other and we value each other,” he added, standing arm-and-arm with Hallmark alum Rachel Boston.
Boston, whose first movie was, “A Ring By Spring” in 2014, said the actors have “the same desire to uplift each other and look to the positive things, and just support each other through challenging times in our lives.”
The Hallmark Channel launched on Aug. 5, 2001. Since then, the network has expanded programming and in 2024 launched their streaming service Hallmark+.
Darren Abbott, President of Hallmark Media and Hallmark Chief Brand Officer told TODAY.com, “25 years ago, someone would have said Hallmark is a greeting card company. Today, we’re so much more than the products we make or the content that we create. We’re really a caring and connecting brand. It’s all about putting goodness and love back in the world.”
What Keeps the Actors Coming Back
“When you hear Hallmark, you just think about love,” said B.J. Britt, standing with “The Groomsmen” trilogy co-stars Heather Hemmens and Tyler Hynes.
What stands out to Erin Cahill, who joined the network in 2016, is the type of love that is captured in Hallmark films — friendship, familial, romantic and self-love.
The longevity in the projects is what keeps Wes Brown, whose first film was “Love Begins,” 2011 and Benjamin Ayres, who stars in “Hope Valley: 1874,” a Hallmark+ exclusive prequel series to “When Calls The Heart,” which is filming its 14th season, coming back for more.
Hallmark’s actors, who often star in multiple films and series, say the casts form lasting bonds.
“I think it’s much like the heartwarming communities that we get to portray in the movies. It’s become a real-life thing,” Lacey Chabert, who has made 45 movies and two series for the network, shared.
“It’s very rare in this industry to have such supportive people with you all the time,” added Scott Michael Foster, standing next to Chabert, his co-star in the exclusive Hallmark+ limited series “Paris Is Always a Good Idea.”
The stories’ meaningful plots lead to a familial environment, sometimes literally. Hallmark veteran Alison Sweeney’s daughter Megan Sweeney made her acting debut alongside her mom in the Hallmark Channel original movie “Romance at Hope Ranch.” Ashley Williams, wrote her latest movie, “Much About Love,” with her husband Neal Dodson.
Another reason for loyalty? Hallmark Media has provided pathways for actors to not only star in movies and series, but also work behind the scenes as writers, producers and directors.
Kimberley Sustad, who recently starred in “Absolutely Devoted to You,” wrote the “Three Wise Men and a Baby” trilogy, alongside Paul Campbell. The first movie made history as cable’s most-watched movie of 2022 with 3.6 million viewers. It ranked second to Paramount network’s “Yellowstone,” per Variety.
Having three male leads wasn’t the norm for Hallmark, and Sustad told TODAY.com the project wouldn’t have come to life without the support of the network. Sustad said she feels lucky “to write things that matter to people and that make people laugh and feel love and hope.”
The impact continues behind the scenes with the “Make Her Mark” women’s directing program. Founded by actor Ashley Williams in 2023, the initiative aims to increase representation of women behind the camera through on-the-job mentorship. Crystal Lowe was the first person to go through the program and is directing her eighth movie.
“It was just time to get more women behind the camera. It’s not just about employing women, it’s about setting them up for success,” Williams said.
The collaboration that Hallmark Media encourages also frequently allows stars to incorporate important personal topics into their projects. Holly Robinson Peete, whose eldest son has autism, was able to executive produce and star in the first autism themed Christmas movie, “Our Christmas Journey” in 2021.
“For someone like me, who’s been doing television since the ‘80s, it’s very rare to find a place that you feel invests in you as a talent, and you know you’re going to work with them forever,” said Robinson Peete.
Another one of Williams’ movies, “Falling Together,” was the first to feature the Walk to End Alzheimer’s in a movie. She added a personal touch by including photos to honor her mother Linda, who had dementia, and fellow Hallmark stars, “Kentucky Roses” Andrew Walker’s mother Joyce, who had Alzheimer’s disease, and Nikki DeLoach’s father David, who had dementia.
Hallmark movies continue to feature meaningful subjects such as Parkinson’s disease, Down syndrome, IVF, foster care, adoption, divorce and cancer.
The love stories are changing, too. The first ever gay Christmas movie was Hallmark’s “The Christmas House,” in 2020, starring Jonathan Bennett. His jacket and the script are now in the Smithsonian as part of the LGBTQ+ archives.
“The biggest part about being a part of Hallmark Channel is getting to tell stories, love stories that reflect a love like mine, Bennett shared with TODAY.com. “To become so ingrained in the fabric of Hallmark Channel and LGBTQ stories has been so amazing and uplifting.”
People will come up to Bennett and tell him how meaningful his work is, “I’ll have a gay couple come up and be like, “Thank you for making that. We feel so seen. I mean, it’s just the best job in the world. I get to tell love stories on the greatest network of love.”
What Keeps the Fans Coming Back
Fans filled 92NY wearing custom T-shirts of their favorite Hallmark heartthrobs, “happy birthday” headbands, heart-shaped sunglasses, Hallmark pins, and jewelry featured in Hallmark films and more.
When superfans and sisters Anne Burger and Kathy Koabel, and their friend Cindy Francis, who saw some of the stars four times in 10 days, were asked about their custom 25th birthday T-shirts and headbands, they said in harmony, “We have to match. It’s Hallmark’s birthday. It’s like family.”
The Hallmark Channel fandom is a key part of the phenomenon. Hallmark Channel was ranked the most-watched network among women by the fourth quarter of the year for the 12th year in a row, according to Forbes.
“I can go anywhere in the world and meet someone who comes up to me with shining eyes to tell us what these movies mean in their life,” Autumn Reeser, who made her debut in “Love at the Thanksgiving Day Parade” in 2012, told TODAY.com.
Niall Matter, who starred in “Christmas at Dollywood” with Dolly Parton, said that fans often share how Hallmark films provide comfort when it comes to dealing with loss, especially at Christmas time.
When asked why she keeps watching after 25 years, fan Gwen Mordecai said, “The movies are magical, especially if you love travel, but also transports you to the kind of family and love that everybody wants to have.”
Hallmark Media creates community and connection, as Mordecai attended the 92NY event with fellow fan and friend Kim Caprio, who she met at a Hallmark store in upstate New York.
Sisters Samara and Ellie Miller were first hooked on Hallmark after watching with their mother. “It’s more than just Christmas movies. We’re all year-round watchers,” Samara Miller said.
Leaning into the fandom, Hallmark has started interactive experiences with the stars, the Christmas Experience at their headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri and the Christmas Cruise in 2024.
Last year, 200,000 people attended the Christmas Experience and the cruise was so popular it inspired the series “Christmas at Sea.” This summer, the inaugural Hallmark Stars Live bus tour hosted by 11 year Hallmark Channel fixture Nikki DeLoach, kicked off in New Jersey and wrapped in Nebraska.
Fan Barbara Chartier called the Hallmark Stars Live show she attended in Rhode Island a “true pinch-me moment.”
“There aren’t any Hollywood stars that can hold a candle to the Hallmark stars. They think nothing of making their fans feel special,” she said.
“What you see is what you get. They live and breathe the Hallmark brand. You feel the authenticity,” stated Annie Howell, CCO of Hallmark Media.
In true Hallmark fashion, Chartier met a mother and daughter waiting in line. As fate would have it their seats were near each other. They have kept in touch, and she considers them to be lifelong friends.
For fans, Hallmark programming is a happy diversion from the stresses of daily life.
DeLoach told the crowd in Rhode Island, “Even in our darkest days, when we are in our valleys, we are reaching for the light.”
“It isn’t just a television show. It isn’t just a great performance. It is what people take away. They feel like they’ve changed a little bit because they spent time with the Hallmark brand,” said Michelle Vicary, Head of Programming at Hallmark Media.
Barbara Niven, who received her SAG card from a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie and has worked with Hallmark for 23 years, nearly its entire existence, says the network’s appeal is not surprising.
“In this world that needs positive energy, Hallmark creates that, and I think we remind people that there is good out there, and that people can be good and kind and loving.”
