Hallmark Channel Announces Plans to Produce Even More Inclusive Series and Movies

Studio City, CA - The Hallmark Channel has announced that it will be moving forward with plans to create even more inclusive programming in 2026, with a major focus on niche societal subcultures, in order to revitalize an aging viewer base.

Hallmark's Throuple Trouble, a romance about three gay witches who move to Salem to open a Halloween themed vegan bakery, will air next year around Thanksgiving

I couldn't be more proud of the progress that the Hallmark Channel has made over the past several years," Jessica Tassler Noble, chief culture officer at Hallmark Media, explained. "We have increased diversity both in front of and behind the camera, and picked some low hanging fruit by introducing gay characters and more shows that feature people of color. And we will continue to strive to produce programming that all viewers can see themselves in, because everybody is welcome at Hallmark. And by everybody, I mean everybody."

Every since the series finale of the series Good Witch featured the network's first lesbian kiss in 2021, Hallmark executives have been looking for ways to increase interest in the channel among members of underrepresented groups. According to Noble, Hallmark television programming shouldn't be any different than the cards that you can find in a Hallmark store. "There are cards for the LGBTQ community, people of different ethnic backgrounds, believers in a variety of world religions, and so many more. If you can buy a bespoke birthday card for the naturist uncle in your life, wouldn't they also appreciate seeing a character practicing non-sexual social nudity on an episode of When Calls the Heart?"

In the past, Hallmark programming has been criticized for having simplistic and unrealistic plots with thinly written characters that are flat and lifeless. Some have pointed out that Hallmark characters might be conventionally attractive, but are essentially caricatures of people found living in the real world. The dialogue, sometimes described as insipid drivel, sounds as if written by people who have never had a conversation with an actual human being.

Noble, who took over the position of chief cultural officer from Sabrina Wiewel in June, has made it her mission to change the minds of Hallmark haters by pushing writers to develop characters that are more complex and relatable. "When you watch a movie or an episode of a series, you want to seen someone you can identify with. That character might be caught up in an unusual situation, but if we've done our job you will imagine yourself in their shoes and perhaps even wonder how you might handle bumping into an ex-love at your hometown apple orchard or finding a murder victim in the alley behind a neighborhood hair salon."

In addition to crafting more relatable characters, Hallmark plans to push the boundaries of storytelling and explore what it means to love and to be a family in an even more authentic and inclusive way. Noble believes that depth and dimension requires a story that defies common stereotypes. "We want to truly represent the human condition from every angle and shine a light into the deepest corners of society. We want to represent real lives and true lived experiences. That's what makes a compelling viewing experience."

Here are a few of the upcoming Hallmark programs set to air in 2026:

Home Birth Holiday - A widowed midwife who has begun to lose confidence in herself, Janice returns home to snow-covered Vermont. She soon finds a new perspective and some Christmas cheer when she meets a handsome paramedic after a baby dies during a botched home birth.

Tiny House, Big Heart - Recently engaged Vivian buys a tiny house that can magically grant wishes. As Vivian and her beloved Clara begin to make a new home together, they come to realize that living with love can be just as powerful as living with less.

The Eight Piercings of Hanukkah - An anonymous suitor sends body piercing optometrist Sara a different Hanukkah themed nipple clicker for each of the holiday's eight nights. While on a journey to find her secret admirer, she learns that her one true love might be someone she never expected: the Jewish guy she met at the gym in the first scene!

Physician-Assisted Bromance - When Larry returns home to take care of his ailing satanist father in California, he is determined to plan the perfect Lupercalia before the physician-assisted home suicide. But Dr. Death becomes Dr. Love after they are snowed in during a powerful blizzard.

Furry Fantasy - After unexpectedly moving to Alaska to run her dead aunt's bed and breakfast, an ambitious furry starts a new romance with a local brony and learns that the small town is hiding a kinky secret: they're all into it.

The Quiverfull Mysteries - A Christian husband and wife spend their days homeschooling their 23 children, and their nights solving crimes in a rural Nebraska community. With a new case each week, Mr. and Mrs. Quiverfull will be forced to keep an open mind and an open womb while maintaining an accepting and obedient attitude towards the possibility of bearing children, and the possibility that one of their own kids might be the mastermind behind a series of cow murders.