Watching a Hallmark movie is like eating your mom’s homemade chocolate chip cookies on a snowy day. You know the experience will be sweet, warm, and comforting, with no surprises. (No raisins or candied cherries in those cookies, please.) That’s because the producers know how to play to their audience.
The plot of Hallmark movies has become a running joke: In a typical film, a sophisticated city dweller finds herself in a charming small town shortly before Christmas. There, she meets a hunky local man: perhaps a bakery owner, lumberjack, or architect. At first, the two can’t see eye to eye, but as the film progresses, they find they have more in common than they thought. By the end credits, they’re kissing under the mistletoe.
The one thing you won’t see, at least not much, is a range of cultures and identities. The network caters to its target demographic, so the BIPOC and LGBTQ+ community is underrepresented in the films. An unnamed producer told Vancouver Magazine, “The formula is unspoken. If you want to do something more diverse, you’re not taking that one to Hallmark.” Still, the company is taking baby steps toward inclusion. In 2020, they released “The Christmas House,” a film about a gay married couple (via WSIS), and in 2021, the Christmas lineup included titles such as “A Holiday in Harlem” and “Eight Gifts of Hanukkah.” We can only hope for continued inclusion in future holiday seasons.
