• by Adam Buckman , Featured Columnist, Yesterday

Lifetime is bringing God to its Christmas-season movie slate with help from country star Kane Brown and his wife Katelyn.

Their 2023 hit song “Thank God” is the inspiration for one of Lifetime’s upcoming original Christmas movies, “Thank God: Christmas at Keller Ranch,” the network announced.

Meanwhile, Hallmark Channel is getting into the country Christmas spirit by partnering with the Grand Ole Opry and Brad Paisley.

The country star has been brought on board to write original music and perform in one of Hallmark’s upcoming Christmas movies, “A Grand Ole Opry” Christmas.”

He is also writing an original “anthem” that will serve as the theme music for Hallmark’s “Countdown to Christmas” slate of non-stop holiday movies starting soon and continuing through New Year’s.

“A Grand Ole Opry Christmas” has a country-music storyline that culminates in a concert at the fabled Nashville music venue, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.

Other country performers scheduled to perform in the movie include Suzy Bogguss, Mickey Guyton, Pam Tillis, Riders in the Sky and Rhett Akins.

Lifetime’s movie built around the Browns’ “Thank God” song stars Tyler Hilton and Arielle Kebbel (above photo). 

Lifetime describes “Thank God: Christmas at Keller Ranch” as “a heartwarming Christmas romance” about a professional hockey player (Hilton) who sustains a serious injury just before Christmas and moves to a facility called Keller Ranch to recuperate.

There, he meets Maggie Keller (Kebbel), a single mom who runs the place. “As an unexpected romance blossoms between the two, will it go the distance or is it just a holiday fling?” teases Lifetime in a press release.

The Tyler Hilton character is named Wes Campbell, but fans of “One Tree Hill” may remember the character he played in that show, Chris Keller. 

The character’s last name and the name of the Keller Ranch in this new Christmas movie are likely coincidental.

Kane Brown, 32, and wife Katelyn Brown, 33, are credited as executive producers of”Thank God: Christmas at Keller Ranch,” which is part of the cable channel’s annual “It’s a Wonderful Lifetime” lineup of Christmas movies.

TV’s annual Christmas movies are known for their romance and holiday cheer, but “Thank God” may be the first one (or a rare one) to have the word “God” in its title.

The song has a man thanking God for the love of a woman. The song repeats the phrase “Thank God” 25 times in just under three minutes.