• by Adam Buckman , Featured Columnist, October 28, 2024

Happiness is an opportunity to watch a new Hallmark show.

I have written this before: Many TV shows, with their violence and dark themes, present a challenge for a TV blogger -- mainly because previewing them for TV Blogs can sometimes make for a depressing, disconcerting morning (or afternoon).

But that is never the case when a Hallmark show comes up for consideration, as happens occasionally.

This is not faint praise to say that Hallmark content presents no emotional challenge whatsoever for a TV blogger, or indeed anybody.

The show I watched on Friday is billed as the Hallmark TV universe’s first-ever unscripted, competition reality series.

True to form, it has a Christmas hook. “Finding Mr. Christmas” has 10 men vying for a lead role in a Hallmark Christmas movie.

Some of the 10 have acting experience and others do not, but all of them are confident that winning a role on a Hallmark holiday rom-com would change their lives.

“Finding Mr. Christmas” is slated for Hallmark’s new Hallmark+ streaming service, which launched September 10. It replaced Hallmark’s previous streamer, Hallmark Movies Now.

At $7.99 per month to subscribe, Hallmark+ is ad-free, but there is a marketing component. 

“Hallmark+ allows members to get rewarded for streaming and shopping at Hallmark Gold Crown Stores or online at Hallmark.com,” the company said in an announcement in August.

“By intertwining new, rich content experiences with tangible rewards and premium Hallmark gifts, we are delivering a unique, new program that reflects our commitment to spreading joy through our deeply beloved brand touchpoints,” said Hallmark President & CEO Mike Perry. 

“Finding Mr. Christmas” has the 10 aspiring Hallmark hunks in Christmas-oriented competitions in the hope of moving on to the next episode.

As in all other TV competition shows, one contestant will be sent home in each episode. To mark each exit on “Finding Mr. Christmas,” a Christmas stocking hung by the chimney with care with the losing contestant’s name on it will be removed.

The action takes place in a lodge-like house that is fully festooned for the holidays both inside and out.

“Finding Mr. Christmas” is hosted by Jonathan Bennett, himself a Hallmark hunk who has starred in a number of Hallmark movies. He is also credited as co-creator of the show and executive producer.

The show’s contestants have all evidently been coached to bring enthusiasm and friendliness to the competition, and they deliver.

In this show, unlike so many other competition shows on TV, no one has a discouraging word for anyone else and no one forms alliances. 

This Christmas house is a bitterness-free zone, which helps make the show a pleasure to watch.

In the premiere episode, the men are challenged to craft Christmas sweaters with objects and trimmings that will reveal a little bit about themselves.

In the one-hour episode’s second challenge, the men pair up to do a wreath-making scene with Erin Cahill, who has also starred in multiple Hallmark movies.

According to reports, the winner of “Finding Mr. Christmas” will be seen in one of Hallmark’s upcoming Christmas movies -- “Happy Holidays” starring Jessica Lowndes.

“Finding Mr. Christmas” starts streaming on Hallmark+ on Thursday, October 31.