What Is Great American Family and Which Hallmark Stars Are Making the Move? Everything to Know

Credit: GAC Media LLC

What Is Great American Family and Which Hallmark Stars Are Making the Move? Everything to Know

For years, when thinking of holiday movies on TV, Hallmark Channel has been the go-to — mostly because of the team behind it and the celebrities attached. However, Great American Media is giving the network a run for its money. Former CEO of Hallmark Media(Hallmark Channel's parent company) Bill Abbott acquired GAC, originally Great American Country, in June 2021. He rebranded to Great American Media one year later. Abbott stepped down from Hallmark Media in January 2020 following the company's handling of a commercial featuring a same-sex couple. At the time, a Zola.com ad showed two women exchanging vows and kissing on their wedding day. After conservative groups slammed the ad as not being "family-friendly," Hallmark pulled it — and caused an uproar. Eventually, Abbott changed his tune and placed the clip back on the network. The backlash came after years of criticism about Hallmark Channel’s lack of diversity and LGBTQ+ story lines. "I think that generalization isn’t fair, either, that we just have Christmas with white leads,” Abbott told The Hollywood Reporter in November 2020. "In terms of broadening out the demographic, it’s something we’re always thinking about, always considering and we’ll continue to make the movies where the best scripts are delivered to us and what we think have the most potential." [jwplayer UtKQCM9Y-zhNYySv2] The company was split into two brands — Great American Family and Great American Living, both of which launched in September 2021. Great American Family's first original series was season 2 of When Hope Calls, which included former Hallmark mainstay Lori Loughlin’s return to TV. Season 1 aired on Hallmark Channel in 2019. In October 2021, Great American Family announced "12 Movies of Christmas," the network's holiday celebration, which will feature an original Christmas movie each Saturday night. Following Thanksgiving weekend — which included three nights in a row of original holiday movies — new Christmas programming will air each Saturday and Sunday night throughout December as part of Great American Christmas, Great American Family’s franchise. When the lineup was announced, many fans realized that some of Hallmark's staple stars are included — and some are making the move permanently over to Great American Family. Scroll down for a full breakdown: [podcast_block]

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Long Story Short

Great American Family officially launched in September 2021 with the tagline "Stories Well Told." It will roll out original programming each holiday season.

Great American Family can be found on Altice USA (Ch. 184), AT&T U-verse (Ch. 529, 1529 HD), Comcast (Ch.147, 1620 HD), COX (Ch. 1156), Dish (Ch.165), DirecTV (Ch. 326) and Spectrum (Channel Finder). Streaming services Frndly TV, Fubo TV, Philo, Hulu and Sling TV also include Great American Family.

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Lori Loughlin's Part

Loughlin, who had leading roles in Hallmark's When Calls the Heart and Garage Sale Mysteries movies, starred in multiple holiday movies for the network. Hallmark Media cut ties with the Fuller House alum following her arrest and involvement in the college admissions scandal in 2019. In September 2021, Great American Family announced that she will return to TV, starring in season 2 of When Hope Calls, When Calls the Heart's spinoff. The series' male lead Daniel Lissing will also appear.

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Double Dippers

The network's upcoming slate includes dozens of Hallmark stars, including Cameron Mathison, Debbie Matenopoulos, Nick Bateman, Rukiya Bernard, Cindy Busby, Sara Canning, Dillon Casey, Torrance Coombs, Trevor Donovan, Brendan Fehr, Jennie Garth, Maggie Lawson, Jen Lilley, Sarah Lind, Daniel Lissing, Jessica Lowndes, Matthew MacCaull, Chad Michael Murray, Sam Page, Merritt Patterson, Christopher Russell, Becca Tobin, Jill Wagner and Dewshane Williams.

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Trevor Donovan

The actor, who has starred in 12 Hallmark movies, signed an overall deal in October 2021 to star and executive produce with Great American Media. He appeared in Great American Family's Jingle Bell Christmas in December.

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Danica McKellar

In October 2021, Great American Media announced an exclusive four-picture deal with the longtime Hallmark actress to star and executive produce original films for Great American Family and Great American Living. Her first project, The Winter Palace, premieres in January 2022 on Great American Family. Most recently, McKellar starred in Hallmark's You, Me and the Christmas Trees, which kicked off the channel's "Countdown to Christmas" lineup.

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Jen Lilley’s Move

Lilley signed a multi-picture deal with Great American Media, which will include four original movies over the next two years, the network announced in January 2022. The actress was seen that same month in her most recent Hallmark film, Where Your Heart Belongs, which also starred Christopher Russell.

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Jessica Lowndes Is Mixing It Up

Lowndes found success with Great American Media in February 2022 after starring in Harmony From The Heart alongside Jesse Metcalfe. She also wrote the original screenplay for the project and was an executive producer on the movie. Later that month, Lowndes inked a four-picture deal with the network to write, direct and executive produce original films for Great American Family.

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Program Pickup

In February 2022, Great American Media announced that The Kitten Bowl would be moving to Great American Family next year after its cancellation on Hallmark Channel. The special, which has been renamed Great American Rescue Bowl, will play in correlation with Super Bowl Sunday in February 2023.

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Candace Cameron Bure’s Shocking Switch

The Full House alum, who has been dubbed the “Queen of Christmas” and become a Hallmark Channel staple, surprised fans in April 2022 when she announced a shift to Great American Media. Cameron Bure will develop, produce and star in movies and television across Great American Family and Great American Living, taking on a “prominent executive role at the company to oversee and curate programming for the networks as a whole,” according to the press release.

The California native’s Candy Rock Entertainment will also produce “original content for Great American Media's channels” and “create year-round seasonal celebration content for the networks and play a key role in the company’s annual Great American Christmas franchise.”

According to TVLine, Cameron Bure’s deal is exclusive to rom-coms and holiday films, meaning that she could possibly continue on with her Hallmark Movies and Mysteries franchise, Aurora Teagarden Mysteries, the latest of which premiered in February 2022.

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Going Digital

In May 2022, Great American Media announced the creation of the Great American Community, a new app that will allow fans to connect with Great American Family’s talent and keep track of the network’s content. The app will launch in September 2022 to kick off the fall season of movies.

“Great American Community will serve as a stand-alone app delivering a completely new experience for consumers hungry for trusted, family-friendly content that is relevant to their lives,” Abbott said in a statement at the time. “We’re thrilled to be rolling out the app in time for the fall season and look forward to working closely with brand partners as we offer this groundbreaking opportunity to align with our talent and connect with GAC’s passionate fans.”

The virtual experience will include a short-form lifestyle hub with former Hallmark Channel’s Home & Family hosts Debbie Matenopoulus and Cameron Mathison as contributors.

Home and gardening expert Shirley Bovshow, lifestyle guru Kym Douglas, animal whisper Larissa Wohl and DIY experts Maria Provenzano and Amber Kemp-Gerstel will be part of the content creation team, per GAC Media. Fashion expert Lawrence Zarian, culinary guru Toya Boudy, baking expert Emily Hutchinson and cooking expert Jamie Tarence will also be featured.

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Christmas in July

The network announced in June 2022 that Jen Lilly will host the first-ever Great American Christmas in July beginning on July 2, 2022. Throughout the fourth of July holiday weekend, viewers can watch nonstop holiday films on Great American Family. Lilley will also give fans a preview of the Christmas movies coming for Great American Christmas in the fall and winter months.

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New Movie Schedule

Great American Family announced in July 2022 the network’s new Saturday Night movie slate, which will include fresh films every weekend from August 20, 2022, to October 21 of that year. The rom-com lineup will begin with Retreat to Paradise starring Melanie Stone, Casey Elliott and Brian Krause.

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New Name, Same Values

The company announced in July 2022 that GAC Family and GAC Living would now be renamed Great American Family and Great American Living. The networks will both be part of the master brand Great American Media, per a press release.

“As the company expands across different media verticals, renaming our linear networks Great American Family and Great American Living better reflects our vision for each brand and firmly aligns the company under our new Great American Media umbrella,” Abbott revealed. “Fans can expect more of the same quality, family-friendly programming they have come to love from our channels, and we look forward to rolling out the new names this summer in time for the return of our original movie premieres.”

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15 New Original Series

Great American Community — which is Great American Media’s direct-to-consumer app — released its original series lineup in August 2022. The 15 new series will premiere on the app beginning September 26, 2022.

Bits of Joy With Danica McKellar will give viewers a look at the actress’ favorite topics, including “Bible Bits, Healthy Bits and Math Bits” on Mondays and Thursdays, according to a press release. The Good Life With Cameron Mathison will focus on the General Hospital alum’s guide to a healthier lifestyle on Tuesdays and Sundays.

Farm and Family With Jill Wagner will take fans behind-the-scenes of Wagner’s life on her Nashville farm every Wednesday and Sunday. Everyday Adventures With Trevor Donovan will be an all-inclusive look at the 90210 alum’s life and daily adventures, airing Wednesdays and Sundays. 

The other series include: The Modern Mom With Debbie Matenopoulos, Giving & Caring With Larissa Wohl, Affordably Fabulous With Lauren Makk, Beauty and Blessings With Kym Douglas, Eden Living With Shirley Bovshow, Everyday Celebrations With Maria Provenzano, A Beautiful Life With Lawrence Zarian, All Things Cool With Lizzy Mathis, The Sweet Life With Emily Hutchinson, Southern Savvy With Jamie Tarence and The Mindful Life With Mahaila McKellar.

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Hallmark Media Reacts

“We’ve kept a lot of our talent under options, save for Christmas movies. We’re looking for new talent all the time,” Hallmark Media’s EVP of programming Lisa Hamilton Daly told reporters in August 2022 during the Television Critics Association press conference. “I think there’s a lot of talent out there that we’ve worked with in the past that GAC is now working with, but I think that we also are constantly trying to evolve the talent pool that we’re working with.”

She explained: “We have, I think, retained almost everybody that we’re really excited to have. So that’s where we are. … We have existing talent that’s been with us a long time, and we have a new talent that we’re bringing in as well. And they all feel part of this Hallmark Channel love and so that that will be consistent; that is consistent in the past; that’s consistent today.”