ABSTRACT

This multinational, multidisciplinary collection of essays focuses on Hallmark Channel movies and Hallmark’s position in the changing North American media landscape.

This book covers the ‘Countdown to Christmas’ offerings, year-round productions, made-for-TV mysteries and romances, Hallmark’s use of specific filming locations, and its relationship to viewer desires. Chapters examine Hallmark’s position in a changing sociopolitical context and the tensions the company must navigate in creating more “progressive” content; they discuss issues of gender, race, sexuality, and place, as well as analyzing the extensive ranges and reactions of social media participants and interrogating the nature of Hallmark’s popularity.

Suitable for scholars and students of film and tv and popular culture studies, this is a multifaceted look at both Hallmark and its viewers at a particular moment of Hallmark’s market dominance.

chapter 1|6 pages

Introduction

chapter 2|13 pages

Aunt Becky Brings Back the ‘80s

Lori Loughlin and ‘80s Nostalgia in Hallmark Christmas Movies

chapter 3|10 pages

Back to the Family

Time Travel, Nostalgic Casting, and the New Social Conservatism of Hallmark Christmas Movies

chapter 4|12 pages

A Christmas to Remember

Nostalgic Constructions of the “Ideal” Christmas in Hallmark's Holiday Line-Up

chapter 5|10 pages

Back to the Future of Post-Feminist Film

Hallmark, Netflix, and the “New” Woman's Holiday Film

chapter 6|11 pages

Holding Hands and Singing “Silent Night”

Applying Heteronormativity to Queerness in Hallmark's Christmas Movies

chapter 7|10 pages

“It's the Extras That Have to Be Thrown In at Hallmark Nowadays”

The Conservative Backlash to Hallmark's Efforts at Queer Inclusivity

chapter 8|10 pages

“Better Off Dead”

The Prevalence of Widowhood in Hallmark Lone-Parenting Narratives

chapter 9|12 pages

Countdown from Cliché

Advancing Jewish Stereotypes in Hallmark Hanukkah Movies

chapter 10|10 pages

A Very Merry Hanukkah

Secular Tensions and Christian Hegemony in Hallmark's “Countdown to Christmas”

chapter 11|14 pages

Gaslighting Love

A Feminist Walking Tour Through a Hallmark Hotspot

chapter 12|10 pages

Living, Loving, and Dying in Hallmark, U.S.A.

An Examination of Place and Space

chapter 13|12 pages

Hallmark's Investigative Women

chapter 14|12 pages

“Love Them, Ironically or Unironically”

Hallmark Movies Discussed on Reddit

chapter 15|11 pages

“It's a Fun Escape from Reality”

Why Viewers Watch Hallmark Romance Movies

chapter 16|11 pages

“Am I Done Getting Any Enjoyment Out of These Movies?”

Escapism and the Hallmark Holiday Movie Formula