Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Ho! Ho! Holiday Viewing! @sleepykittypaw.bsky.social · 11h

Christmas movies start airing on TF1 on October 13, starting with the French premiere of 2024 Hallmark title THE CHRISTMAS QUEST, known there as LE TRÉSOR DE NOËL.

Holiday programming, including many more new-to-Europe Hallmark titles, will continue nightly on TF1 & TF1+

tf1pro.com/actualites/a...

CHRISTMAS IS COMING ! LES FILMS DE NOEL SONT DE RETOUR SUR TF1 ET TF1+

C'est le meilleur moment de l'année sur TF1 et TF1+ : les films de Noël sont de retour ! Dès le lundi 13 octobre à 14h25 sur TF1. Retrouvez les plus belles histoires inédites, les plus beaux cast, du ...

tf1pro.com

2 3

Ho! Ho! Holiday Viewing! @sleepykittypaw.bsky.social · 12h

Announced in 2024, New York City Christmas tree doc THE MERCHANTS OF JOY will premiere November 14th at DOC NYC, as a centerpiece in the main slate lineup.

In-person and virtual tickets available here: www.docnyc.net/film/the-mer...

2024 movie announcement: deadline.com/2024/02/nyc-...

THE MERCHANTS OF JOY - DOC NYC

WORLD PREMIERE For the five families that control NYC’s Christmas tree trade, the most wonderful time of the year starts months before the first fir tree

www.docnyc.net

1 1 3

Ho! Ho! Holiday Viewing! @sleepykittypaw.bsky.social · 12h

It is Great American Family who listed wrong movie. In original Christmas schedule release, still live (www.prnewswire.com/news-release...), they listed LOVE AT KRINGLE LAKE with actors and description from 2021's A CHRISTMAS PITCH, and title comes from plot of 2021 movie.

bsky.app/profile/slee...

Ho! Ho! Holiday Viewing! @sleepykittypaw.bsky.social · 14h

This will be Mark Wahlberg's second Christmas-set action movie of the season, following the Amazon release of Shane Black's latest, PLAY DIRTY, on October 1.

bsky.app/profile/slee...

Ho! Ho! Holiday Viewing! @sleepykittypaw.bsky.social · Aug 26

So that Mark Wahlberg-LaKeith Stanfield action heist movie, PLAY DIRTY, that Amazon just announced is coming to Prime Video on October 1? Yeah, it's a Shane Black joint, so you know that what means…CHRISTMAS!

🎥 Trailer: www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUEb...

Play Dirty | Official Trailer | Prime Video

YouTube video by Amazon Prime Video UK & IE

www.youtube.com

2

Ho! Ho! Holiday Viewing! @sleepykittypaw.bsky.social · 14h

People has the first official look at Apple TV+'s THE FAMILY PLAN 2. The holiday-set action sequel starring Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Monaghan and Kit Harrington arrives on the streamer November 21.

🔗 Story: people.com/mark-wahlber...

1 3

Ho! Ho! Holiday Viewing! @sleepykittypaw.bsky.social · 14h

Think it's slightly odd that we haven't heard anything about Amazon's big holiday action-comedy THE MAN WITH THE BAG for quite a while. 🧐

Especially when Amazon just announced November 12 release date for a different Alan Ritchson action-comedy, PLAYDATE.

1 1 6

Ho! Ho! Holiday Viewing! @sleepykittypaw.bsky.social · 15h

THE THISTLE IN THE KISS is a feature expansion of Craig Andrew Robertson's 2020 short, INTO THE BLEAK

Ho! Ho! Holiday Viewing! @sleepykittypaw.bsky.social · 15h

Writer-director Craig Andrew Robertson's THE THISTLE IN THE KISS will be released digitally and on DVD, November 25.

Robertson, who also stars alongside Sarah Coyne, is hiding secrets from his sister, who has some of her own, which slowly come out while stranded by side of the road at the holidays.

1 1

Ho! Ho! Holiday Viewing! @sleepykittypaw.bsky.social · 16h

Hallmark's key art this season definitely back to looking more generic than recent years, with an uncanny valley overlay that is honestly off-putting.

11/30 THE CHRISTMAS CUP (Rhiannon Fish & Ben Rosenbaum)

12/21 THE CHRISTMAS BABY (Kat Barrell & Ali Liebert)

7

Ho! Ho! Holiday Viewing! @sleepykittypaw.bsky.social · 16h

Official Hallmark key art for A CHRISTMAS ANGEL MATCH, starring Meghan Ory and Benjamin Ayres, debuting October 19 on Hallmark Channel.

4

Ho! Ho! Holiday Viewing! @sleepykittypaw.bsky.social · 16h

Forgot to note with Food Network's holiday announcement that Hallmark's Monday reality, including similar BAKED WITH LOVE: HOLIDAY, will be up against HOLIDAY BAKING CHAMPIONSHIP (11/3). Beginning Nov 17, BAKED is directly opposite GINGERBREAD LAND: THE BIGGEST LITTLE HOLIDAY COMPETITION at 9 PM.

2

Ho! Ho! Holiday Viewing! @sleepykittypaw.bsky.social · 16h

The really funny thing will be to see if they keep the ridiculous name, LOVE AT KRINGLE LAKE, now that they realize they were re-naming it based on the wrong plot synopsis. (Spoiler alert…They won't.)

Just hallmark's (pun intended) of a quality organization all around.

2

Ho! Ho! Holiday Viewing! @sleepykittypaw.bsky.social · 16h

Both movies are small budget indies, probably in $1M-ish range, and with THE CHRISTMAS PITCH already streaming on every FAST service for years now, wouldn't have been a pricey thing to license.

2021 movie also has diverse cast…Not exactly Great American Family's thing

screenmag.com/hamilton-sta...

Full Cast and Crew Announced for Chicago Feature Now Filming

Santa is coming to town and he’s playing matchmaker. The Christmas Pitch, produced by Illinois production and distribution company, Questar Entertainment,

screenmag.com

1

Ho! Ho! Holiday Viewing! @sleepykittypaw.bsky.social · 17h

Given Keystone Cops-level of chaos that network operates under, would not be even slightly shocked to learn Great American Family accidentally acquired 2021 THE CHRISTMAS PITCH, watched movie, found something "objectionable," so went out and bought Emily Alatalo & Jonathan Stoddard A CHRISTMAS PITCH

1 1

Ho! Ho! Holiday Viewing! @sleepykittypaw.bsky.social · 17h

So, despite Great American Family's *own* press release listing Alexa Maria Huerta & Joseph Morale as stars, and title change to LOVE AT KRINGLE LAKE, name of town in 2021's CHRISTMAS PITCH, this story swears GAF acquired other CHRISTMAS PITCH.

Clown show 🤡

www.owensborotimes.com/features/202...

2 2

Ho! Ho! Holiday Viewing! @sleepykittypaw.bsky.social · 1d

On Sunday, the linear debut of THE JANE MYSTERIES: TOO MUCH TO LOSE (available on Hallmark+ since last year), netted 655k live + same day viewers.

Hadn't noticed this, but Hallmark did once again update their Fall Into Love schedule to move Sunday debuts back to 8 PM ET.

bsky.app/profile/slee...

1 3

Ho! Ho! Holiday Viewing! @sleepykittypaw.bsky.social · 1d

A new TMNT holiday short, TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: CHROME ALONE 2, is set to debut in front of the upcoming THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SEARCH FOR SQUAREPANTS, in theaters on December 19.

🎥 Trailer: youtu.be/HZ3ZIHw9Vws?...

3

Ho! Ho! Holiday Viewing! @sleepykittypaw.bsky.social · 1d

Great American Family airing new, or new-ish (streamed first on PureFlix) movies for first time in 2025 and, so far, no one cares. Neither last week's Danica McKellar-led GROUNDED IN LOVE, which had pathetic 109k live viewers, or Candace Cameron Bure's A CASE FOR THE YARNMAKER, registered in ratings

Shocked Dj Tanner Fuller GIF

ALT: Shocked Dj Tanner Fuller GIF

media.tenor.com

2 1 5

Ho! Ho! Holiday Viewing! @sleepykittypaw.bsky.social · 1d

To be fair, AUTUMN AT APPLE HILL 2nd-best non-holiday movie on Hallmark in all of 2024, but it's not way you want ratings trending in Q4.

Hallmark does have 2 movies in 2025—AN UNEXPECTED VALENTINE & THE RELUCTANT ROYAL (both 1.8M)—ahead of any non-Christmas 2024 titles so rating potential remains

1 3

Ho! Ho! Holiday Viewing! @sleepykittypaw.bsky.social · 1d

With one weekend to go before Christmas movies kick in, Hallmark's last non-holiday title, HOME TURF, earned 1.074M live + same day viewers. Up just slightly from last week's numbers, but still down 58% year over year, when AUTUMN AT APPLE HILL had 1.7M, which is…extremely not good.

1 2 5

Ho! Ho! Holiday Viewing! @sleepykittypaw.bsky.social · 1d

New Zealand children's author Dawn McMillian has new, holiday addition to her charming series of children's books, SANTA NEEDS A NEW BUM, or SANTA NEEDS A NEW BUTT for those of us outside Commonwealth

Silly, sweet, rhyming fun and perfectly captures preschool and early elementary age sense of humor

1 5

Ho! Ho! Holiday Viewing! @sleepykittypaw.bsky.social · 1d

Yes, HOME FOR CHRISTMAS season three announced and filmed last year and coming to Netflix in November-December, though no specific debut date yet announced.

bsky.app/profile/slee...

Ho! Ho! Holiday Viewing! @sleepykittypaw.bsky.social · Sep 26

Ohhh, the super charming HOME FOR CHRISTMAS is getting a season 3 on Netflix in 2025. The Norwegian find-a-boyfriend-by-Christmas series debuted in 2019 and has been remade in both Italy (I HATE CHRISTMAS) and South Africa (YOH! CHRISTMAS)

deadline.com/2024/09/netf...

Netflix Readies Return Of ‘Home For Christmas’ After Nearly Four Years & Lines Up More Nordic Originals In ‘Synden’ & ‘Sult’

Netflix drama 'Home For Christmas' is returning to a third season three years after the last.

deadline.com

1 1 1

Ho! Ho! Holiday Viewing! @sleepykittypaw.bsky.social · 1d

Food Network's new holiday programming for 2025 ⤵️

Food Network (streams next day on HBOMax and Discovery+)
November 2: HARRY POTTER: WIZARDS OF BAKING (season 2 hosted by James & Oliver Phelps)
November 2: WORLD’S SWEETEST CANDY SHOPS (a.k.a. CHRISTMAS AT THE BIGGEST SWEET STORE IN THE WORLD; 2024 UK special featuring It’Sugar, Cadbury World & Gottebiten; first time available in the US)
November 3: HOLIDAY BAKING CHAMPIONSHIP (season 12 hosted by Jesse Palmer)
November 5: TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS: ALL-STAR CHRISTMAS (competition series hosted by Guy Fieri)
November 9: SWEET EMPIRE (competition series hosted by Wells Adams)
November 11: BEAT BOBBY FLAY: HOLIDAY THROWDOWN (season 4 of celebrity chef Christmas challenge)
November 17: GINGERBREAD LAND: THE BIGGEST LITTLE HOLIDAY COMPETITION (competition series hosted by Oliver Hudson, featuring Gale Gand, Michael Ford, Brad Goreski, Christina Tosi, D’arcy Carden & Joanna Gaines)

2

Ho! Ho! Holiday Viewing! @sleepykittypaw.bsky.social · 1d

MAN VS BABY is Netflix's third holiday scripted series for 2025, all international. It joins previously announced SICILIA EXPRESS and season 3 of charming Norwegian series HOME FOR CHRISTMAS (HJEM TIL JUL).

bsky.app/profile/slee...

Ho! Ho! Holiday Viewing! @sleepykittypaw.bsky.social · 13d

New Italian Christmas series coming to Netflix on December 5. SICILIA EXPRESS, starring and created by well known comedy duo Salvo Ficarra and Valentino Picone, is the story of Sicilian nurses working in Milan, who discover a magic portal a few days before christmas that changes everything.

1 3

Ho! Ho! Holiday Viewing! @sleepykittypaw.bsky.social · 1d

Rowan Atkinson's upcoming Netflix series MAN VS BABY is holiday set and will release all four episodes on December 11

A follow up to 2022's MAN VS BEE, BABY sees Atkinson taking care of a baby for Christmas through a set of humorously bizarre circumstances

www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/f...

First Festive Look at Rowan Atkinson in ‘Man vs Baby’ as Netflix Sets December Air Date

The follow-up to 2022's 'Man vs Bee' will hit the streamer Dec. 11.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

1 2 7