Countdown to Christmas Turns 10! Sneak Peek at Hallmark’s 2019 Lineup
Hallmark Channel’s annual holiday programming extravaganza is now a decade old and bigger than ever. Last year, more than 80 million people tuned in.
Here’s a preview of 2019’s Countdown, which starts Friday, October 25.
Number of new movies:
24 (with an additional 16 premiering during Hallmark Movies & Mysteries’ “Miracles of Christmas”)
Fresh faces:
Kristin Chenoweth and Scott Wolf make their Hallmark Channel debut in November’s A Christmas Love Story. She plays a youth choir director; he’s the single dad of a talented student. “When you put them in the same scene, it’s sparkly!” says Hallmark exec Michelle Vicary.
Returning faves:
The gang’s all here: Candace Cameron Bure (Christmas Town), Jill Wagner (Christmas Wishes & Mistletoe Kisses), Jodie Sweetin and Andrew Walker (Merry & Bright), Lacey Chabert (Christmas in Rome). “Lacey and [costar] Sam Page spent three weeks shooting in Rome,” says Vicary. “The movie is gonna be stunning.”
Merry merch:
Last year, diehards began selling their own socks and wine glasses bearing slogans like “All I wanna do is stay home and watch Hallmark Christmas movies!” Alas, it was copyright infringement. “We actually had to ask them to cease and desist,” Vicary says. The parent company is cooking up authorized replacements.
Countdown to Christmas, Begins Friday, October 25, Hallmark Channel