Heavy/Hallmark Hallmark regulars (from L to R) Nikki DeLoach, Tyler Hynes, Kristoffer Polaha, Tamera Mowry Housley, Lacey Chabert
Change is in the air, Hallmarkies! Hallmark Channel‘s executive VP of programming, Lisa Hamilton Daly, says she’s on a mission in 2024 to elevate the look and feel of Hallmark’s beloved movies and mysteries, with changes to everything from its storylines to its stars.
Since its inception in 2001, Hallmark Channel has succeeded at creating and mastering the TV romance movie genre, per TV Insider, and, since 2004, has also delivered G-rated mysteries on its sister network, now called Hallmark Mystery. What started as a handful of original projects each year has ballooned into multiple movie premieres every month, which requires careful planning and, according to Hamilton Daly, lots of unique, diverse stories.
To accomplish that, the former Netflix exec — who joined Hallmark in 2021 to oversee programming, per Deadline — is moving forward with her vision of infusing “more sophisticated” production, telling “new kinds of stories” and “expanding the talent pool” across Hallmark’s networks, she told Hallmark Mysteries & More podcast host Eric Rutin on March 12, 2024.
Though Hallmark Channel was the most-watched cable entertainment network of 2023, according to Nielsen ratings, Hamilton Daly has made clear in recent interviews that continuing to dominate the ratings requires a continual evolution of Hallmark’s offerings. Without steering too far away from the cozy, comforting love stories the network is known for, she thinks that subtle but important changes — including introducing new talent and doing away with exclusive contracts for its regular stars — will keep Hallmark a ratings winner.
“That’s what I’m proud of, that we are leveling ourselves up,” she said on the podcast.
Here’s what you need to know:
Lisa Hamilton Daly Says Part of ‘Leveling Up’ Hallmark Content is Expanding Its ‘Talent Pool’
In 2019, Forbes reported that the yearly number of films Hallmark produced had more than quadrupled since 2009, back when its original programming consisted of just nine original Christmas movies. In 2023, Hallmark Media aired over 44 originals during the holidays alone.
In her interview with Hallmark Mysteries & More, Hamilton Daly said that with so much content, it’s imperative to produce movies that make viewers want to keep coming back for more. So her team has been actively working on improving every aspect of each project, from cinematography to casting to screenwriting. The results of that work, she said, can already be seen in recent releases like “A Biltmore Christmas,” “Round and Round,” and “An American in Austen.”
“Our stuff is starting to look a little more sophisticated,” she said. “We’re partnering with amazing writers and cinematographers and, you know, actors and directors. I think we’ve just expanded the pool of talent that we’re working with.”
“I think our scripts are getting better,” Hamilton Daly added. “And when your script gets better, the director that you attract gets better. When the director that you attract gets better, the actor that you attract gets better. So it’s, like, incremental.”
To provide fans with a unique movie-watching experience each time they tune in, Hamilton Daly said the goal is “finding new kinds of stories to tell and diversifying the stories you’re telling, as well as the types of actors you’re using — just more diversity on every single level, and more quality filmmaking and art.”
In recent years, stars like Lacey Chabert, Andrew Walker, Nikki DeLoach and Tamera Mowry-Housley have signed exclusive contracts with Hallmark Media, appearing in multiple movies and mysteries throughout the year. But in February, Hamilton Daly told Variety that Hallmark has “backed away” from offering exclusivity contracts.
“When I got here, we were sort of on a talent exclusivity spree, and I think we’ve backed away from that, partly because we like our talent to be a lot of other places too,” she said. “We like people to be able to find them in other places and be excited to come back and see them here. And we’re also constantly looking to expand our talent pool, so getting people for a one-off movie is really exciting for us.”
During its “Countdown to Christmas” lineup in 2023, Hallmark attracted multiple well-known actors for first-time appearances, including “Star Trek” favorite Jonathan Frakes in “A Biltmore Christmas,” “Suits” alum Rick Hoffman in “Round and Round,” and “Cosby Show” actress Phylicia Rashad in “Heaven Down Here.”
It also welcomed a bevy of brand new heartthrobs to star in its 2023 Christmas movies, including “Grey’s Anatomy” star Chris Carmack, “Virgin River” star Mark Ghanimé, and “Ted Lasso” alum David Elsendoorn.
As for “core Hallmark favorites,” she said, “They know that they have a place here and that they’re gonna get a Christmas movie, and then maybe another movie and we definitely lean into that, but we’ve sort of backed away from exclusivity.”
In June 2023, Hamilton Daly also told Decider that she’d had a meeting about an “A-List actress” interested in filming a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie. It’s unknown where those talks stand.
Hallmark Exec Says Unique Storytelling is Another Way to Stand Out From the Crowd
GettyLisa Hamilton Daly, EVP of Programming, Hallmark Media, speaks onstage during the TCA Winter Press Tour in February 2024.
While many cable networks have slashed staffs and original programming as streaming and social media have cut into profits, Vulture recently marveled at how Hallmark has “maintained the size of its roster of scripted content” on its main network and its sister channel, recently rebranded as Hallmark Mystery, for the nearly 70 million cable subscribers it reaches.
But just because Hallmark is doing well doesn’t mean it can rest on its laurels. Hamilton Daly said there’s a constant need to keep fans engaged.
“Everything we do is becoming more unique in its own way,” Hamilton Daily said on the Hallmark Mysteries & More podcast about how she’s been planning out 2024 projects.
She continued, “You know, if we have a movie about faith, it’s getting more deeper into that faith. If we have a movie, say, about the LGBTQ community, I really want us to have something that feels more realistic that’s built around it, you know, (and) that the community feels like (it’s) something you’d really find. So it’s really diving into those places and finding stuff that just feels more unique, more special, more different, and really true to the story that they’re telling. So that’s what I’m excited about.”
But unique doesn’t always have to mean new. Hamilton Daly said on Hallmark Mysteries & More that there’s room for past franchises and one-time mysteries to return with more installments, but that actors’ schedules have been tough to negotiate in many cases, including with the “Signed, Sealed & Delivered” cast and other mysteries that only got one shot at drawing in viewers.
In fact, Hamilton Daly said that research has shown that the first episode of a new mystery franchise typically has “softer” ratings and needed multiple installments to take off with viewers.
“It took about two or three to really…achieve lift off,” she said. “We’ve seen some weakness in some of our first episodes and I’m like, ‘No, let’s stay with it because we’ve seen that, you know, it can get better.”
“We’ve tried a lot of stuff over the last two years with our mysteries,” she continued, and teased, “We have some some fun surprises for people coming up so, you know, I’m not going to say more.”