Great American Family's Christmas lineup for 2023 will include a record 20 new original movies this holiday season, beginning Oct. 21 and running through the end of December.
The network's "Great American Christmas" will include such names as Candace Cameron Bure, Danica McKellar, Jill Wagner, Chad Michael Murray and Trevor Donovan, the network said Monday. The lineup of 20 is two more than last year's schedule of 18 Christmas movies.
"This season, we've really upped the quality," Bill Abbott, the CEO of parent company Great American Media, told Christian Headlines.
Great American Family launched in 2021 as a rival of Hallmark. Great American Family has been the nation's fastest-growing cable television network for the last 10 months, according to Nielsen data.
Great American Christmas will feature 20 "high-quality original holiday movies and around the clock, 24/7 holiday films from the network's library," according to a news release.
Below are the 20 original films, with the network's plot descriptions. Great American Family said dates for the lineup will be "announced soon."
- 12 Games of Christmas, starring Johnny Ramey and Felisha Cooper. "A group of old friends and neighbors are transported into a Christmas-themed board game during a Christmas party."
- A Christmas Blessing, starring Lori Loughlin, James Tupper and Jesse Hutch. "A TV chef (Loughlin) is divinely inspired to take over her late aunt's charity with help from a new friend (Hutch) and handsome business associate next door (Tupper)."
- A Christmas Commission, starring Sarah Fisher and Simon Arblaster. "Two rival realtors (Fisher and Arblaster) are forced to work together to sell one special house before Christmas."
- A Christmas for the Ages, starring Natasha Bure, Anna Ferguson, Kate Craven and Cheryl Ladd. "Prompted by their youngest granddaughter (Bure), four generations celebrate family and what Christmas was like in the 40s, 60s, 90s, and present day."
- A Dash of Christmas, starring Broadway's Laura Osnes and Christopher Russell. "A marketing exec (Osnes) must learn a recipe to get her dream job and ends up entered in a holiday bakeoff with a dream baker (Russell)."
- A Model Christmas, starring Ash Tsai and Joey Heyworth. "While on a charity press tour, a model (Tsai) ends up stranded by the weather at the family home of the driver (Heyworth) she hired to assist her for the week."
- A Paris Christmas Waltz, starring Jen Lilley and Matthew Morrison. "A novice dancer (Lilley) pairs with a professional (Morrison) to enter a renowned dance competition…in Paris! The next story in The Christmas Waltz universe, the highest-rated Christmas rom com of 2020, from Michael Damian and Janeen Damian."
- A Royal Christmas Holiday, starring Brittany Underwood and Jonathan Stoddard. "In search of her big break, a reporter (Underwood) arranges a Christmas interview with a European Prince (Stoddard) visiting the states. Will the reporter's big story become her love story?"
- A Royal Christmas Romance, starring Danica McKellar and Damon Runyan. "When a European Duke (Runyon) arrives in the US, he realizes that his bags have been lost in transit. He has no choice but to be styled, and ultimately inspired, by Bella (McKellar) the owner of a local boutique."
- A Time Capsule Christmas, starring Jillian Murray and Daniel Lissing. "A father (Lissing) bonds with his daughter and stumbles upon an unexpected romance (Murray) while tracking down the original owner of a Christmas time capsule."
- Bringing Christmas Home, starring Jill Wagner and Paul Greene. "A professor of military history (Wagner) teams with an antique store owner (Greene) to track down the original owner of a historic WWII uniform and the love letters left in its pockets."
- Christmas on Windmill Way, starring Christa Taylor Brown and Chad Michael Murray. "To save her family's legacy windmill, a woman (Taylor Brown) must remind her ex-boyfriend (Michael Murray) of the best of their hometown."
- Destined 2: Christmas Once More, starring Shae Robbins and Casey Elliott. "In this sequel, Theo (Elliott) continues to miss connecting with his girlfriend, Kim (Robbins) as he attempts to propose at Christmas."
- Mistletoe Moments, starring Susie Abromeit and Liam McIntyre. "With her career on the line, a decorator (Abromeit) must work with an unexpected partner (McIntyre) to showcase a house for an upcoming Christmas gala."
- My Christmas Hero, starring Candace Cameron Bure and Gabriel Hogan. "An army reserve doctor (Bure) tracks down her family's military history with the help of a new romance (Hogan).
- Our Christmas Wedding, starring Holly Deveaux and Drew Seeley. "In the sequel, roles reverse as Nicole's boss plans newly engaged Nicole (Deveaux) and Michael's (Seeley) wedding in two weeks at Christmas."
- Peppermint & Postcards, starring Ella Cannon and Christopher Russell. "When a Christmas letter concerning her love life goes viral, one mom discovers that romance might be right at her door."
- Santa, Maybe, starring Aubrey Reynolds. "Can theater director Lila (Reynolds) rise to the challenge of putting on the perfect Christmas ballet, while also discovering her office Secret Santa in the process?"
- The Christmas Regift, starring Erin Agostino and Marshall Williams. "A city manager (Williams) recruits the help of a childhood friend (Agostino) in setting right his town's Christmas Charity event, while she sets to work setting him up with her close friend."
- 'Twas the Text Before Christmas, starring Merritt Patterson and Trevor Donovan. "An unexpected text message sent to the wrong number (Patterson) sets into motion a Christmas tradition with a new family (Donovan) over three separate years."
Related:
5 Questions for Bill Abbott of Great American Family
Photo courtesy: ©Great American Family, used with permission.
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
