http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/12/23/upshot/hallmark-lifetime-christmas.html

Just How Formulaic Are Hallmark and Lifetime Holiday Movies? We (Over)analyzed 424 of Them.

By Alicia Parlapiano
Produced and researched by Aatish Bhatia, Larry Buchanan, Claire Cain Miller, Courtney Cox, Margot Sanger-Katz, Francesca Paris and Eve Washington.

Dec. 22, 2023

Alicia Parlapiano is grateful for her colleagues who, in the true spirit of the season, banded together to finish this article before Christmas.

The Hallmark and Lifetime networks are known for their prolific output of made-for-television holiday movies each year. Even in the age of streaming, they bring in impressive cable television ratings, perhaps aided by how easy they are to leave on while, say, baking several batches of gingerbread for a tree lighting ceremony.

They also have something of a reputation for following a very specific story line: A recently dumped, high-powered female executive from the city finds new love, purpose and appreciation for Christmas in a small town with the help of a handsome local fellow.

But how much does that formula hold up across the hundreds of holiday movies released since 2017 by Hallmark and Lifetime? Based on data from IMDb, internet recaps and our own viewing, our answer is quite a bit! With some caveats. Here’s what we found.

1Are they all about Christmas?

Yes, 99 percent of them. The networks began featuring Hanukkah starting in 2019, but often the holiday appears in conjunction with Christmas. In one Hallmark movie, the characters celebrate Kwanzaa, and Christmas.

Of the 424 movies we analyzed, 73 percent have “Christmas” right in the title.

Hallmark 2017

Christmas Encore

Hallmark 2021

A Christmas Together With You

Hallmark 2020

The Christmas Doctor

Hallmark 2017

Christmas in the Air

Lifetime 2020

Christmas on Ice

Hallmark 2019

Christmas at Dollywood

Hallmark 2018

A Shoe Addict’s Christmas

Hallmark 2022

When I Think of Christmas

Hallmark 2022

Time for Him to Come Home for Christmas

This might be starting to change. Just 53 percent of Hallmark’s 40 holiday titles for this year include the word Christmas. “I think people should know that they are holiday movies, but you run out of adjectives and adverbs to use with Christmas at some point,” said Lisa Hamilton Daly, the network’s programming executive.

Ms. Daly also said the network was trying to mix up its poster art, which has been mocked for its repetitive depiction of a man and a woman in a green or red sweater.

But Christmas still provides much of the backdrop for the movies. Samantha DiPippo, a senior vice president in charge of Hallmark’s holiday movie development, said the goal was to make the sets look organic and aspirational.

“We try not to put bows on things where bows should not be, because that’s not how someone would decorate their house,” she said. “I want to watch one of these movies and go, ‘Oh man, I should do that to my tree.’”

2Are all of the leads women with high-powered jobs?

Actually, no! Though it’s true that most of the protagonists are women, just 22 percent of female leads start the movie in a big-city corporate job, like lawyer, developer, architect or brand strategist. Nearly as many work at a local shop, or are employed as writers or reporters.

All of the women’s jobs:

87 Corporate jobs

19 Advertising, marketing or P.R. workers14 Lawyers10 Real estate workers9 Tech workers7 Architects5 Holiday or dating app developers1 Corporate fixer1 Greeting card executive1 Stockbroker20 Others

73 Retail and hospitality jobs

27 Store owners or employees11 Bakers or pastry chefs10 Restaurant owners or employees8 Hotel owners or managers8 Toy store owners or employees3 Book store owners or employees1 Candy cane company C.E.O.1 Chef1 Cookie company C.E.O.1 Sommelier1 Tour guide1 Turkey hotline operator

66 Media jobs

21 Journalists9 Book authors8 Photographers7 Editors6 Columnists or bloggers4 Romance novelists3 Television producers1 D.J. for a year-round Christmas station1 Food stylist1 Jingle writer1 Podcaster4 Others

30 Performing arts jobs

7 Musicians6 Country singers4 Choir or theater directors4 Dancers4 Pop or R&B singers3 Actors2 Ice skaters

29 Art and design jobs

17 Decorators or interior designers5 Artists3 Fashion or jewelry designers3 Museum or gallery curators1 Art dealer

21 Education jobs

19 Teachers2 Superintendents or principals

14 Medical jobs

6 Doctors3 Nurses2 Optometrists2 Veterinarians1 Occupational therapist

13 Nonprofit or government jobs

3 Nonprofit workers2 Mayors1 Christmas tree procurer for the city of Chicago7 Others

6 Agriculture jobs

1 Arborist1 Cranberry farmer1 Dairy farmer1 Maple syrup farmer1 Rancher1 Reindeer farmer

5 Seasonal jobs

3 Christmas coaches or coordinators1 Santa’s elf1 Ghost of Christmas present

51 Other jobs

15 Event planners3 Personal shoppers or organizers3 Wedding planners2 Dog trainers2 Pilots2 Caregivers1 Adjudicator for the World Record Bureau1 Astrophysicist1 Detective1 Marine biologist1 Pastor1 Rocket scientist1 Secret agent1 Veteran1 Weather forecaster15 Others

Movies without a female lead or with ensemble casts were excluded.

While some of the women start off having trouble at work or feel they missed their true calling, others are working toward a promotion or new job. When it comes to love, many have experienced a recent breakup or other romantic troubles. About 10 percent are single moms.

The most common name for a female lead? Emma (9 movies), followed by Lucy and Olivia (7), and Emily, Holly, Molly and Sarah (6).

Many of the regularly featured actors, like Lacey Chabert, Jodie Sweetin and the Mowry sisters, are known for roles they played as teenagers. Ms. Daly said she thinks there is a comfort and familiarity to watching actors we’ve seen grow up on screen. “Those are gold for us,” she said.

Here are the women who have appeared in leading roles most often since 2017:

Hallmark in particular has been criticized for its lack of casting diversity. Of the movies released by Hallmark since 2017, 18 percent have featured a nonwhite star on the poster, compared with 44 percent of those released by Lifetime. But Hallmark’s rate has been increasing, from 9 percent in 2017 to 20 percent in 2023.

“We just want everyone who watches to be able to see themselves,” Ms. DiPippo said.

Since 2020, both networks have released a handful of movies featuring gay main characters. And more movies of late have used ensemble casts or emphasized family and friendship, not just couples finding love.

“Lifetime has been a destination for a lot of firsts in the Christmas space,” said Sapna Vyas, the vice president for scripted content at Lifetime. In 2020, the network released its first holiday movie featuring an all-Asian cast. In 2022, it filmed “Merry Textmas” with an all-Latino cast in Mexico, in a debut by a Mexican-Canadian filmmaker, Alba Gil.

3Do they all take place in a small town?

Mostly! It’s understandable, given how much small towns are associated with closeness, community and tradition.

While 40 percent of the stories begin with a woman traveling to a small town (often where she grew up), nearly as many find her already living there (or somewhere small-town adjacent, like a cozy suburb). Most of the movies take place in the U.S., but 70 percent are filmed in Canada.

In recent years, both Hallmark and Lifetime have expanded where they film into destinations abroad.

Ms. Chabert, who has an exclusive contract with Hallmark, has appeared in three holiday movies set in Europe. “It’s not contractual, but she enjoys filming around the world, so we’re happy to oblige,” Ms. Daly said.

4Are all of the love interests handsome local men?

Just some of them. About 20 percent of male love interests can be categorized as locals that the women meet on a visit to a small town. They are more likely to be someone from the woman’s past, like an old friend or ex-boyfriend.

How the men break down:

91 Men from the past

58 Exes or former crushes11 Old friends9 Old nemeses or rivals1 Former business partner1 Former dance partner1 Former musical partner10 Others

75 Local men

5 Teachers4 Farmers or ranchers4 Hotel owners or managers3 Firefighters3 Handymen or contractors3 Mechanics2 Bakers2 Woodworkers1 Air traffic controller1 Botanist1 Estate lawyer1 Groundskeeper1 Ice sculptor1 Librarian1 Sheriff42 Others

34 Employers or clients

11 Hiring a decorator or event planner3 Hiring a nanny2 Hiring a personal shopper1 Hiring a carousel restorer1 Hiring an arborist16 Others

30 Rivals or challengers

9 Real estate developers6 Business rivals1 Man who booked the same cabin1 Food critic13 Others

28 Coworkers

8 Rivals3 Fellow journalists1 Fellow detective1 Morning show co-host15 Others

12 Current partners

5 Boyfriends3 Husbands2 Fiancés1 Husband (separated)1 Presumed-dead husband

9 Employees or consultants

4 Handymen or contractors1 Baking consultant1 Candy cane company consultant1 Driver1 Fruitcake business consultant1 Nanny

8 Writers or subjects

5 Writers3 Subjects of writers

4 Men pretending to be a boyfriend

1 Actor1 Bodyguard1 Brother of a friend1 Co-pilot

105 Others

3 Customers3 Neighbors2 Best friends1 Adoptive father to her adopted son’s brother1 Attending nurse1 Dance instructor1 Nutcracker who comes to life1 Organ donor1 Turkey hotline caller91 Others

Movies without a male love interest or with ensemble casts were excluded.

Twenty percent of the men are single fathers. Suffice to say, this is higher than the actual number of single dads in the U.S. While Ms. Daly said that different family situations make characters more relatable, she also admitted that “we found that watching men be parents is very attractive to women.”

The most common name for male leads is tied between Jack and Ryan (9 movies each), followed by David, Michael, Nick and Ben (8).

Most featured leading men since 2017:

The romantic plots have always been limited to a chaste kiss or two. But in what Ms. Vyas says is a reflection of Lifetime’s desire to showcase relatable, modern adults, one of the network’s 2023 releases features a sex scene.

5Do the stories all share major plot points?

No, but there are several common tropes, such as a Christmas Eve gala or a struggling shop.

Patrick Serrano has watched every holiday movie from Hallmark and Lifetime since 2016, publishing recaps on his blog, Lifetime Uncorked, and discussing them on a podcast.

The reliance on tropes is “very similar to horror movies or a Marvel movie,” Mr. Serrano said. “These certain things happen in every movie.”

Nearly half revolve around an event like a holiday festival, competition or performance.

Some of the events they must plan (or participate in):

A “12 Days of Christmas”-themed scavenger hunt On the 12th Date of Christmas

A 15-year class reunion Christmas Class Reunion

A Christmas broadcast Cloudy with a Chance of Christmas

A Christmas carnival Christmas with a Kiss

A Christmas Eve parade Finding Santa

A Christmas festival Planes, Trains, and Christmas Trees

A Christmas scavenger hunt Christmas Scavenger Hunt

A Christmas treasure hunt A Christmas to Treasure

A Christmas wedding A Blue Ridge Mountain Christmas

A cookie baking contest A Sweet Christmas RomanceShow 25 more events

A quarter of the plots feature a business or town in trouble.

Some of the places they must save:

An Alaskan inn A Cozy Christmas Inn

An animal shelter The Dog Days of Christmas

A bakery A Christmas in Tennessee

A bakery that makes Christmas Kringles Christmas in Love

A bakery with famous gingerbread Baking All the Way

A candy cane company Merry & Bright

A candy store Magical Christmas Shoes

A children’s theater Merry Magic Christmas

A Christmas lights factory You Light Up My Christmas

A Christmas store Sharing ChristmasShow 27 more places

About 10 percent involve some kind of secret that must be revealed by movie’s end.

Some of the mysteries they must solve:

How did the parents meet? Christmas Connection

Is Santa real? Snowed-Inn Christmas

What do the riddles in the historic house mean? Mystery on Mistletoe Lane

What is mom’s true story? A Merry Scottish Christmas

What is the culinary school instructor’s true lineage? Yes, Chef! Christmas

What is the truth behind a French love story? Joyeux Noel

What’s killing the Christmas trees? You, Me & The Christmas Trees

Where is the 50-year-old time capsule? Christmas in Evergreen: Tidings of Joy

Who is the city’s Secret Santa? Random Acts of Christmas

Who is the Santa Crook? Catch Me if You ClausShow 9 more mysteries

The scripts lean heavily into nostalgia and tradition. In many cases, someone is very into Christmas, and someone is not (until they come around). In others, characters are helped along by some Christmas magic. Despite these commonalities, “we’re continually trying to push ourselves out of what we’ve done in the past,” Ms. DiPippo said.

Other elements that show up in many movies: musical acts, travel mix-ups, royalty, military veterans, true stories, time travel and mistaken identities. About half involve grief over a dead or estranged family member.

6Do they all have happy endings?

Do you even have to ask? In many endings, the woman does leave her job and the city in favor of the town (and her new man). But as the networks work to modernize these stories, they are finding other ways to keep the new couples together.

For instance (spoilers ahead), in “Jingle Bell Bride” (2020), a New York City wedding planner in search of a rare flower meets a handsome botanist in rural Alaska. But he’s the one who ends up following her back to the big city.

And in “A Glenbrooke Christmas” (2020), a woman taking over her family’s Los Angeles-based real estate company does decide to move to a small town to be with a fire chief. But she will still operate as C.E.O. remotely!

“We always say that whatever our woman’s path is, that her relationship is icing on the cake,” Ms. DiPippo said. “If she’s career driven, or there’s some goal that she has, that’s what she’s going for.”

If the formula is changing, what will stay put?

Hallmark executives say there is pressure to make their holiday movies more distinct as competition grows. But there are some elements that are unlikely to change.

“I think we’d be crazy to just walk away 100 percent from the formula,” said Ms. Daly. “What we see as the essential formula is connection, love, people coming together.”

But the network’s favorite metric? “Our ratings this year.”