This is a bramble Jam podcast.

Welcome to Girls Gone Hallmark, a Hallmark review podcast.

I'm Megan and I'm a longtime Hallmark fan.

I'm Wendy.

I'm a former Hallmark hater.

We are back with part two of our Countdown to Christmas preview episodes, where we are diving into the movies and series coming to Hallmark Channel this holiday season.

This episode will be all of the movies airing in December, as well as both the reality and scripted series coming to Hallmark this season.

If you're a new to Girls Gone Homewark, we invite you to take a listen to our allow us to reintroduce ourselves episode that aired on September nineteenth.

If you're looking in your feed, it gives you a little bit of an insight into who we are, how Girls Gone Hallmark came to be.

It's a good time.

Give it a listen.

Are you ready to jump right back in?

I am a talking countdown to Christmas.

On Saturday, December sixth, we have She's Making a List, starring Lazy Shaver and Andrew Walker.

A nattier nice list inspector questions her holiday rules when she falls for the father of her latest case.

So look, the idea here is like san Anazels need a little help, so they outsourced a little consultant.

I think that's clever.

I think it's clever too.

I like the Andrew and Lazy together.

I'm into it.

Interested to see how this pairing works out.

Lacey doesn't really miss she's pretty strong.

Yeah, like you don't watch her movies and go oh that was not great.

Now she's got a good picker.

She's got a good picker.

I don't know who the director or the writer is in this movie.

I hate not knowing, just because it makes me wonder is it gonna be sticky or is there going to be room for comedy here?

Knowing the writer would tell me which way they were that was going to go.

I do love the idea that Lacey, who is so sweet, Not that I know her personally or anything like that, but I like that she's maybe playing against type here where she's like this by the book rigid huh, And we have Andrew as a single dad widowed.

I mean, I know that classic call mark, But for me, I'm hoping this falls in line with sugar plump Santa tell me heavy on the Christmas magic.

Oh so magical realism.

Yeah, yeah, that.

I like that.

I like that a lot.

The Santa Class we get that moment with the Santa.

Claum exactly exactly, so I have I have high hopes.

I don't love the title of this movie, and I know it's a change.

It had an original title.

I can't remember what it is right now.

But you don't love the title.

She's making a list and checking it twice.

No, not really, Okay, you like it because you like to make listens.

I just think it's cute and I think it speaks to what the movie's about.

It does.

It's Sunday, December seventh.

Single on the twenty fifth stars Lindsay Vonseca and Daniel Lissing.

A single woman unexpectedly paired with her happily unattached neighbor finds themselves together at Christmas time.

This was inspired by the song Single on the twenty fifth by an artist called Lauren Spencer Smith.

Are you familiar or not?

Song me?

Neither?

First of all, Lindsay von Seca love her Daniel Listing was not familiar with him until last year's Santa Tell Me, And then, of course we did our first impression.

Watch of one calls the Heart.

I really like him.

Total Wow, he's Owie excited that he's back.

This was directed by Jonathan Wright, who who did this year's The Perfect Setting.

He's also done True Justice, Family Ties.

He's done a lot of Hamewark movies.

I like the premise.

I like the premise.

Here's here's what I worry about.

I foresee big fights over miscommunications, and I don't love that.

Yeah.

Do you see him being like a little curmudgeonly?

I'm not that's not the vibe you're getting.

No, I think she's the one who might be a little curmudgeonly.

So part of the extended synopsis reads their special connection falls apart when Nell finds out Cooper only offered to help because he felt sorry Nell had to spend the holidays alone.

Yeah, I would hate that too.

Don't hang out with me because you feel sorry for me, and then she's gonna stomp off, even though he's of course started to develop real feelings for her in the process.

Do you see what I mean?

Absolutely?

Here?

That's that's gonna be the whole entire what's the word I'm looking for?

Tension of the movie.

I don't you know what I mean.

I do, so you don't have high hopes.

I don't know the casting alone is enough to make it a potential hit for me.

I agree.

I like that, I like the premise.

I like the premise, but I I am I'm not looking forward to having someone get their feelings all hurt.

Because here's my issue with this movie.

It's called single.

On the twenty fifth, the synopsis says, Cooper must show real growth of character while Nell finds her own strength and being single during the holidays, and we're going to end the movie with the Hallmark kiss and she's going to be in a relationship.

Let's lean into it's okay to be single during the holidays, Yeah, which would be great, Like can we just finally have that moment where they're like, yeah, man, we're buddies.

Yeah, it's cool being alone totally and.

Then maybe fast forward one year and now they're together.

It was cool being alone for just a minute, but couldn't do it for that long still fell in love.

Being single sucks.

I don't think being single sucks.

I do either.

That's my point is that sometimes we could lean into it.

It doesn't Happiness doesn't always mean ending up in a relationship at the end of two hour movie.

Agrees, I maybe surprise us.

I hope, I hope they do someday to surprise.

Yeah, they're not gonna Okay Sunday, No, not Saturday.

December thirteenth, A Sweet Holiday Romance and sweet is s u?

I t e.

Everyone starts.

Jesse Shram and Dominic Sherwood, a struggling writer ghosting Knaight memoir finds holiday romance at a New York hotel with a not so aristocratic guest.

How excited are you to see Dominic Sherwood back after hanted wedding last year.

Loved him last year, loved him in that movie.

And I love Jesse Shram.

I like Jesse Shram too.

I feel I think I feel a little bit bad because of our recent review.

You didn't knock on her.

No, I love her.

And there was just problems with that Harris romance or whatever it was.

Was that what calm Harvest moon?

Yeah?

Back to Sweet Holiday Romance.

I'm excited.

The extended description which you have in your hands references Jesse's character as living in a New York hotel like her favorite childhood book.

What is the actual child Looise.

That's the I couldn't.

I was racking my brain last night.

I was like, what is it?

What is it?

It's Eloise, right, Eloise at the Plaza kind of love it.

I think that's real cute.

Yeah, I could see her.

Jesse Shram could absolutely play the grown up Eloise.

However, this is abound with miscommunications.

Essentially, two people who are lying to each other about who they are, yes well, and lying to each other and assuming things about they both assume.

So Sabrina meets Ian Turner, a handsome British visitor.

When Ian assumes Sabrina is another wealthy guest at the hotel, she doesn't correct him, a decision she doesn't regret after learning that Ian is a member of the British aristocracy, or so she thinks.

The truth is that Ian is not a wealthy lord, but the personal secretary of Lord Spencer Braxton.

So look, both of them are pretending to be these wealthy people.

Neither of them are, but they both believe the other to be.

So the levels on which we could have miscommunication upon miscommunication are many, too many, maybe potentially, but I think this could be fun too.

Sunday, December fourteenth Oi to the World stars Brooke de'orce.

And Jake Epstein.

A church and temple share space for Christmas and Hankkah, bringing together old rivals to create one joyful holiday choir.

I hate this title so much.

I hate the title so much as well.

I also don't love that our one Hanukah movie has to be a Honkkah Christmas crosser situation.

Yeah, let it shine.

You know, we've had some great Honka movies in the past, Honakah Onraie, round and round, great representative movies.

Look.

I like Brook Deresa, I mean, she's one of my faves, But I don't know.

You know, look, the holiday choir, it could be great.

It could also be really not great.

I worry this is gonna be riddled with hygiens, you know, people trying to sabotage the other, riddled with stereotypes about each religion.

And yeah, prove me wrong, please please please.

Saturday, December twentieth, A Make or Break Holiday stars Hunter King and Evan Roderick.

Hello Baby, Tyler Hines.

A couple on the Rocks fakes harmony for their families over Christmas and rediscovers the love they almost lost.

Here's what I like about this.

Aside from the stars, we get an established couple dealing with some growing paints.

I like that.

M hmmm, we're not you know, sometimes we don't need a new romance.

Right, Let's talk about the reality of being in a relationship.

And they're struggling.

I like a struggling at the holidays.

Yeah, I like struggling at the holidays.

I think it's realistic.

I mean, look, I agree, I like a happy ending.

I like the comfort of these But you know, we have twenty seven movies.

We could have one couple that's in a minor crisis.

Yeah.

I My first impression of this is wolf heavy on the family drama.

Yeah, you know, I imagine because we have we have our couple here, they're having a hard time getting along.

The extended families cause problems.

Yeah.

What I think is going to happen is that the extended families are going to be so unlikable that you end up rooting for the couple.

Yeah, And the couple is going to come together in spite of right now, they're going to work together against their awful families.

We kind of saw it last year, same sort of storyline with Christmas with the sings Yep, Holidays has it a little bit sprinkled in throughout.

I think one of the Christmas on Cherry Lane movies from the Trilogy of Movies also has a similar storyline.

We'll see.

I have high hopes for this.

I think it could be a good time.

I don't like that.

I don't like the title of this movie either.

Mmm.

Like, if we don't make it through this, we're done.

Yeah, a make or break holiday.

I didn't know.

Yeah, holiday at odds.

Oh yeah, that's good.

Thanks.

I like that one.

Finally, on Sunday, December twenty first, The Christmas Baby starring Ali Liebert, Catherine Barrell, and Barbara Niven.

A surprise baby on their doorstep changes everything for a couple balancing careers, love and the holiday spirit.

Look, we already have.

One leg up over a countdown to Christmas twenty twenty four, and that we have a same sex lead couple in our countdown.

Yes, I like it.

I'm happy about it.

I'm also annoyed that it's buried at the end of the season, forties before Christmas, when everybody has burned out on watching Christmas movies at this point.

Also, mark my words, I believe this is the movie that the winner of Finding Mister Christmas will appear in.

That's right, that is your prediction.

I think that's a great prediction.

We'll talk more.

When we talk Finding Mister Chris, Finding Mister Christmas.

But mark my words, I have a quick question.

Yeah, is December twenty first kind of late for the Countdown and the Christmas to end.

I feel like it's usually like one week prior to that.

No, it definitely ended there last year because I remember we had to get a screener of that Trading Up for Christmas movie in.

Order to be able to complete because we wanted to be done.

We wanted to be done.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, Okay, that's right.

That's where it's getting mixed up at.

We're going to take a quick break and we're going to come right back with more first impressions of the Countdown a Christmas lineup.

Let's talk series.

Okay, we have bost scripted and reality series coming to Homemark starting on Friday, October seventeenth.

The official kickoff of Countdown to Christmas is Mistletoe Murders Season one.

The way they're going to drop these is they're going to drop two episodes each week for three weeks.

If you are.

Unfamiliar with the format of Missletoe murders, each two episode block is one individual mystery within the season.

I think it's great to be dropping them this way.

I agree, will drop encore presentations of our reviews of those that we did over the summer.

When will season two kick off?

So season two kicks off immediately after.

So season one runs Friday, October seventeenth for three Fridays, and then season two will kick off Friday, November seventh, and they will do this same thing, two episodes a week for three weeks.

I'm thrilled that they're doing.

That makes a lot of sense.

Stars Sarah Drew and Peter Mooney.

Ken Cooperris is the writer.

So if you are unfamiliar with Missiles, it was based on a scripted podcast series that was then turned into a show.

We're huge fans.

One of the best things Hallmark has done.

It's so good, it's beyond good.

Yeah, absolutely worth your time.

If you are missing Hallmark mysteries, because I know this year has been very light on them, You're gonna get six weeks of mysteries and.

It's like elevated mystery.

Great, So well done, great supporting cast in this series.

I can't wait for season two.

I think I'm most excited about this out of anything for countdown to Christmas, I am most excited for the return of Missletoe Murders.

We got an email from the writer of the show, Ken Coopris, who was like, I think, based on some of your wishes from season one, you're gonna be really excited about what we have coming in season two.

The synopsis for season two says the biggest mystery maybe Emily herself, when secrets from her past and the shadowy group known as Kaimera resurface, leading to revelations and a shocking finale that promises to change everything.

I cannot wait.

Season one was so great.

It ended on a great cliffhanger.

Dive into the series.

If you haven't seen.

It, yeah, I feel like because it's making its Homework Channel debut, you can't just start with season two.

You're going to need to watch season one backstory.

Gosh, it's so good.

It is so good.

If you watch The Way Home, that's that's the bar here.

The level is the production value.

Sarah Drew is incredible.

Oh, she's so good.

It's such a great show.

I can't overstate it.

I cannot wait, and I don't know because we haven't talked about, like scheduling wise, how where this is going to come in our schedule For me, I'm hoping this is a Monday drop for us, Okay, or at least like as soon as possible.

I would love that.

I'm great with Mondays.

I think I'm so excited for I'm so so excited for it.

On the reality side of things, Finding Mister Christmas will drop on Mondays October twenty seven.

Starting October twenty seventh.

Hey, look, I have some questions for you.

Are they not airing season one?

They have not made an announcement for season one.

I could have sworn that when they made an announcement earlier this year teasing what was coming for Countdown to Christmas and they said, you know, we have Mistletoe Murders and Finding Mister Christmas both coming to Hallmark Linear.

I thought that announcement also said season one of both series will air.

I wonder if it got too clunky time wise to air it.

I don't know.

I also wonder if part of them feels like the gig is up when we already know the Winner the movie has aired.

I feel like it's.

Certainly worth watching even though the winner's out there.

I wish we were getting season one, but season two can absolutely.

Stand alone without season one totally.

I absolutely agree.

There's lots of things I want to talk about.

First.

I see on Reddit, I see in the Facebook groups there are so many people who absolutely do not want reality TV on Hallmark.

You're missing out.

This is so good.

This is so good.

It feels good, but it's not too sticky sweet, like in terms of like Celebrations with Lacy Shabert, which is like, does good work too, But this is just fun to watch.

I think it really leans into Hallmark understanding who they are and what they do, and almost poking a little bit of fun at themselves in the process.

I found this highly watchable, highly.

Watchable, and there's a competitive aspect to it, but it's all in good fun.

It's not nasty and mean.

Last season someone got a little bit of a villain at it.

Yeah, it's just fun.

It's so good, and then you find yourself week to week rooting for somebody you want.

You will find yourself rooting for somebody to get that part yep to win the big prize at the end.

It's it's really that good.

It's fun with all the cameos, guest spots, guest judges that come in.

I think it's great.

Now Here, here's my prediction.

I think that if you're not familiar with the show, it is a holiday talent competition where the hopefuls compete for a Hallmark leading role.

That's their words.

And last year's winner, Ezra Morland, led a movie Happy Howlidays.

Happy Howlidays.

Yeah, I mean it wasn't like it didn't top my list.

Is like one of the greatest movies.

And I think I think, and they haven't said this, but I think they're going to like dial back the prize in this I think they're going to get a major role in a Hallmark movie.

I don't think they're going to get the leading role in a Hallmark movie.

Interesting, And my prediction is that the winner of Finding Mister Christmas season two will appear in The Christmas Baby, which airs on December twenty first timing wise, I think that's the most likely.

Also, Ali Liebert was a guest judge in last year's I don't know if she is a judge again in season two.

I can't remember, but I think she has a good working relationship with Jonathan Bennett, who is a producer on the show, so on and so forth.

In a movie where you have two female leads, I think that screams for like a brother.

Sure, so a best friend, a best friend.

Yeah, I think those are my predictions.

I think that's a good guess.

And even if it's wrong, I don't care.

I'm still watching Finding Mister Christmas season two because it's so much fun.

He's got to be in a Christmas movie.

Yeah, Oh yeah, Yeah, he's got to be in a Christmas movie, and it has to be this year.

Otherwise the payoff is too far in the future for anyone to care.

So I hope you're right.

I really hope you're right.

Also on Reality, we are getting Baked with Love Holiday.

This is a series premiere.

These will air also on Monday starting October seventh.

They will follow Finding Mister Christmas.

They will air each week through Monday December fifteenth.

This is hosted by Tomorrow Mawray Housley.

We have guest judges Chef Anna ha from Master Chef and New York Times cooking producer Von Vreeland these are names I'm not familiar with, and Wendy loves a cooking competition show, so I'm stays you don't Yeah, you don't know any of these people.

No, I don't, not at all.

Are you gonna watch this?

Okay?

Well here's what I like.

Ten talented pairs of home baker's face off in a warm hearted family recipe bakeoff.

They will infuse their heritage, personal stories, and family recipes, serve their dishes to a panel of expert judges.

I'm excited to see.

Are we getting a rotating panel of judges every week?

But the Christmas Baking Champions will win fifty thousand dollars and a chance to have one of their bakes featured inn at count on a Christmas movie, which is kind of funny to me.

I mean, that's a real price.

It's not just like that's a real price.

Is they had an opportunity to just be like, let's make a Hallmark baking show.

I like that.

It's a competition.

It's not just like, let's feature your family recipe every week and tell me your story.

There's something at stake.

Yeah, I like a cooking competition, so I'm going to give it a try.

I don't imagine we're going to be covering that here on Girls on Hallmark.

I mean, what can we say?

But we didn't have a plan to cover Finding Mister Christmas.

And then we watched it and Wendy texted me last year and she was like, we absolutely have to cover Finding Mister Christmas.

Yeah, that's just different than like baking.

We shall see.

Perhaps it will be so compelling.

You know, I have some ideas swirling in my head right now.

Okay, this for me is not appointment TV.

This is great background noise.

Are we talking like adult bakers in pairs?

Is that what the situation is?

I don't want to see like get care kids cooking too, Like I'm not interested, Sorry, get those kids off my scream.

Well it's unclear, but it is pair.

I love a Master Chef, but I'm not watching Master Chef Junior.

Do you know what I mean?

So I'm an asshole.

Guys, I'm sorry, and I'm a bit free zone.

We're gonna get a kid free zone shirt made.

I I'm okay, I'm excited.

I'm currently watching The Great British Bake Off right now.

Yeah, and I enjoy that quite a bit.

That's my point.

I think I think this is gonna be a hit for some people.

This will get watched, This will get watched.

Smart to have it after finding Mister Christmas because I think finding Mister Christmas will be a big draw.

Yes, Yes, next in reality starting starting Monday, Desummer's twenty second.

I'm like, we're right here before Christmas.

Is ready set Glow.

This is a Hallmark Channel premiere.

This originally aired on Hallmark Plus last year, same kind of concept dropped right before Christmas, only three episodes, and I believe they dropped all on the same day.

Yeah last year, I don't.

I'm gonna assume they're gonna drop all three on this same day too, because there's not enough days before Christmas.

For those who don't know, readyset Glow is hosted by Wes Brown.

This is a reality series which shares some truly impressive holiday light displays, very similar to like ABC has a show The.

Great Christmas Light Fight.

Yeah, I think it's wrong that we're showing this right before Christmas, Like get people hyped, inspire people to decorate their homes.

You want to put this a little closer to Thanksgiving.

For me, it's very weird because on Hallmark's official schedule they show Monday twelve, twenty two Readyset Glow series premiere, but they don't show beyond that.

They don't show what else is when those are comings, I gonna.

Drop all three.

I mean it'll be like six, seven and eight pm.

Hallmark's real great with it.

Pivot because if you were not aware, we're recording this on Monday, September twenty second, tonight on Monday nights on Homework channel that you're currently airing Celebrations with Lacy Shaver.

Last week they aired the first two episodes and then they have decided this week they're going to air the remaining four or six six.

I believe that this is bizarre.

So I don't know what's happening over there.

I don't know.

I don't know either, So I imagine like they're like, well, you know, we'll just throw a Ready Set Glow on here Monday December twenty second, and they'll decide when the time comes if they're going to drop all three of them then, or what they're gonna do wrapping up our series.

We have another scripted series twelve dates till Christmas.

This does premiere on Friday, December fifth, and it airs the following two Fridays, on the twelfth and the nineteenth.

We are meant to assume they're dropping two episodes per night, kind of giving you a two hour movie you block there.

This stars May Whitman, Julian Morris, Toby Sandman, Nathaniel Parker, Jane Seymour.

And this is about a woman named Kate.

She is a textile designer in a quaint English village who is signed up for a holiday matchmaking program by her best friend, just as her globe trotting mother played by the lovely Jane Seymour, unexpectedly returns, turning her love life and family dynamics upside down.

I gotta admit I tried to read the book and was.

So bored I never finished it.

Oh no, no, May Whitman has a good picker.

May Whitman's great if you're not familiar with May Whitman has been around like since that child.

Yes, I know, one fine day.

Oh, yes, you're right, isn't she in that?

Yes, that's a great movie with George This Little Girl, Yeah, George Clooney and Michelle Pfeiffer.

Yeah, but she was I think she's probably best known for Parenthood.

Yeah, I think you're right.

She went on to do an NBC series called Good Girls, which was really good.

Really Oh yes, yeah, I loved it, loved it.

I loved that as well.

I like her a lot.

Yeah, I do have high hopes for this series in spite of the fact that I couldn't get into the book.

I hope it translates better on screen.

Yeah, I wonder who.

We don't know who the screenwriter is.

Screenwriter is for this, not at the moment, or the showrunner or anybody.

Right, No, but we will be watching this for sure.

We will be watching this.

I'm looking forward to it.

I saw the trailer.

I liked it too, so I think it could be fun.

Look, I know people are upset.

They look at this list and they're like, I wanted forty movies.

You still have Friday, Saturday, Sunday programming.

You actually have Friday, Saturday, Sunday Monday programming in most cases.

And I'm encouraging people to have an open mind about some of these series, which might push you a little outside of your comfort zone.

I think they're gonna bring you those holiday vibes that you're looking for.

In Hallmark without simply being a night after night repeat of movies of Hallmark formula movies.

It gives us a chance to keep things fresh.

Yeah, so I really hope people give these a chance.

Yeah me too.

I get real.

Defensive and people are like, I hate reality, Like it's not the Real Housewives of Vancouver.

Here all right, people, thank you for listening to this episode of Girls Gone Hallmark, a bramble jam podcast.

Tune into Girls Gone Hallmark all season long, because you heard it here first.

We're covering it all even bake off.

Maybe it seems like Wendy's got some ideas a churn in.

If you love this podcast, friends, we love your five star ratings and reviews.

Please leave them in the podcast player you are currently listening in, and we'll be back next time with more Hallmark reviews.

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