This year, the Hallmark Channel will broadcast 24 all-new, made-for-tv holiday romance movies as part of its “Countdown to Christmas” programming. That’s up three from last year. None of those films, however, will feature any same-sex couples. In fact, to date, Hallmark has never produced a single movie featuring a gay lead.
But that may soon be changing.
Bill Abbott, CEO of the Hallmark Channel, recently told The Hollywood Reporter that the company is “open” to making movies featuring LGBTQ leads and storylines, it just hasn’t received the right script… yet.
When asked specifically whether Hallmark has considered incorporating stories about same-sex couples at Christmastime, Abbott replied, “We’re open to really any type of movie of any type of relationship in any space.”
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“We are always encouraging people to bring us stories across the board,” he added. “It’s certainly something that we do discuss consistently with our team and with our talent and with the agencies.”
Abbott went on to say the company receives a lot of really bad scripts and stories, which is part of the problem.
“It’s not always that simple a process where you put the word out and you get back three great scripts and three great stories,” he explains. “We put the word out that we’re doing an original series and we get 50 bad stories.”
Naturally, many conservatives don’t like the sound of this. Even if Hallmark hasn’t made any LGBTQ movies yet, it’s clearly eminent, and that’s not good. After all, the channel is supposed to represent the status quo of America, which, until recently, meant only telling stories about straight, white, cisgender people. If they start adding LGBTQ perspectives into the mix, what does that say about our Judeo-Christian values?!
Please, no. People turn to Hallmark for clean simple stories that are family friendly. Bag on Hallmark, but the truth is that they make clean stories… And you know you love their Christmas movies too. https://t.co/TBL5wLfVcx
— Trending with Timmerie (@Timmerie) December 4, 2019
Making gay Hallmark movies will be the jump the shark moment for Hallmark. Wil they be able to withstand the pressure from the left? Bet you’ll see a gay Hallmark movie next year and my wife’s 24/7 Hallmark binge will be over. Never forget , Leftist ruin everything
— Captain Badass (@spookyoverlord) December 4, 2019
Hallmark Channel Bows to LGBTQ Activists, Now 'Open' to Gay Christmas Movies https://t.co/6wtInbHgF1 via @PoliticsIsDirty
— Bette Anderson (@wufandmew) December 4, 2019
You’d hafto strap me to a chair & tape my eyelids open to get me to watch a Hallmark movie, especially now they’re coming out with gay Hallmark movies! I’m the football girl, cook & bottlewasher in this house. ?
— SoonerRedHead?? (@1SoonerRedhead) December 4, 2019
Almost every other show is offering that! There should be family shows where that is not a topic. Nor do we need to be politically correct, on one freakin’ channel. LGBTQ Group Calls on Hallmark Channel to Broadcast a "Gay Christmas" | Todd Starnes https://t.co/dGrv8EeypM
— ??Gramma2-4 (@freedomringsUSA) December 4, 2019
This is almost as bad as when Starbucks released those all red “anti-Christmas” holiday cups.
Related: Our Favorite Starbucks Red Cup Anti-Christmas Memes (So Far!)
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Chrisk
Oh noes. One freaking show out of 98% uninteresting generic story lines usually catering to the christian loonies and the reason I generally ignore it.
Cam
I think Hallmark is B.S-ing. Saying they haven’t found the right script?? All their stories are the same………
A busy career woman, too busy being busy ends up going to her small hometown for “Choose reason – sick relative, inherited an old house/business and will go there to sell it, forced to visit family for the holiday, a wedding” She is dating another busy city guy, but when she gets to her hometown she meets the hometown guy she remembers from high school and at first is mean to him. With his small town goodness and patience, she comes around, dumps the city guy, decides to stay in small town.
This describes 95% of Hallmark Christmas movies. Big cities bad, small towns good, women who work and achieve are unhappy. The only black people are an acquaintance who says something sassy to her, and LGBT people don’t exist.
Donston
Of course, Conservatives want “queer” to come off as tawdry, dark and anti-family as possible. You don’t have to show respect to folks or see them as equal if most of the movies that focus on them continue to treat them as tragic “others”. But hell, a lot of “queers” in Hollywood seem to have that same line of thinking. A basic, silly, wannabe romantic “gay movie” on Hallmark would probably leave both sides indifferent or annoyed. However, any “gay movie” that doesn’t involve self-discovery, secret affairs, adultery, lots of clubbing, drug use, AIDS and/or depression would be a welcome change of pace. I do agree with Cam here. Almost all their movies seem like they have the same outline and were written in two days and filmed in a week. So, if they really wanted to make a “gay” Hallmark movie it would be fairly simple to do so.
Cam
“”A basic, silly, wannabe romantic “gay movie” on Hallmark would probably leave both sides indifferent or annoyed. However, any “gay movie” that doesn’t involve self-discovery, secret affairs, adultery, lots of clubbing, drug use, AIDS and/or depression would be a welcome change of pace.””
Definitely, or the favorite tool of pseudo inclusion, the sassy gay friend her perks up the lovelorn woman whose the main character, with one liners or a frilly drink that he whipped up.
dustychiffon
Wait? I thought making movies with really crappy scripts was their specialty? I love when “conservatives” openly display their hatred and homophobia as soon as more people are welcomed into the nativity stable. What warm Christmas values.
JessPH
They’re waiting for the “right script”? Who are they kidding? Hallmark movies are so bad that they don’t have right scripts even for movies with straight couples
Luvstoread
Three of the main leads in the Hallmark movies this year are gay. The guy pictured with Santa is one of the three. I think what brought up this discussion was the gay couple in a recent Christmas LIfetime movie and their kiss.