CV NEWS FEED // The Hallmark Channel on Saturday released the television film “Christmas on Cherry Lane,” which features a same-sex couple.
“‘Christmas on Cherry Lane’ follows the stories of three couples played by a stellar cast of characters,” stated a glowing review published by the tabloid magazine Woman’s World Thursday.
The review went on to indicate that the LGBTQ-friendly flick is “filled with a star-studded cast, three heartwarming stories and good old fashioned Christmas cheer.”
One of the stories revolves around two men named Mike and Zian, whom the review says are “thrilled when given the opportunity to grow their family.” It is unclear whether the two men are in a “marriage.”
The film’s character Mike is portrayed by Jonathan Bennett. He has previously starred in several Hallmark films, including last year’s “The Holiday Sitter,” the first film on the channel to heavily feature an LGBTQ couple.
The actor praised his frequent employer for producing what he called “authentically queer” content.
“To be a part of this movement that is making sure that people watching these amazing Christmas movies feel like they’re represented on-screen … is so important,” he said.
Bennett is in a same-sex “marriage” in real life. He is best known for playing Aaron Samuels in the 2004 film “Mean Girls.”
Suzanne Bowdey of The Washington Stand wrote Tuesday that Hallmark’s new “management made it abundantly clear that the [channel] will continue to push the LGBT envelope—despite America’s towering wave of pushback.”
“Unlike other companies who’ve reckoned with the shifting consumer tides, Hallmark has no plans to change course,” Bowdey added. “And its refusal to read the room could cost it.”
Hallmark Executive Vice President of Programming Lisa Hamilton Daly stated:
We really want people to be able to see themselves in our movies, and we know that people seeing themselves means that there’s a wider range of people who really are excited when we tell their stories.
Hallmark’s former CEO Bill Abbott left the channel in 2020 after more than a decade at the helm. Bowdey noted that Abbott was “frustrated by the company’s decision to take Hallmark in a more progressive direction.”
In response, Abbott founded another channel, Great American Family, which has grown into Hallmark’s primary competitor.
Bowdey described Great American Family as a “booming entertainment alternative that’s been TV’s ‘fastest growing network’ in 2023.”
“With total viewers up 150%, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that Hallmark has its hands full keeping its share of the market,” she emphasized.
In a Wednesday interview with Movieguide, Abbott said that “faith and family” are “elements that are so important — and so much a part of the fabric of Christmas.”
“Christmas on Cherry Lane” first aired as part of Hallmark’s annual “Countdown to Christmas” programming lineup.
A lesbian-themed film titled “Friends & Family Christmas” is set to premiere on Hallmark this coming Saturday.
The channel is owned by a subsidiary of the ubiquitous greeting card company of the same name. Known for its abundance of low-budget made-for-television films, the network traditionally has a reputation for focusing on family-friendly content described by many as “feel-good.”
