When Hope Calls Christmas (2021)

Synopsis: 

In this two-part season premiere, the residents of Brookfield come together to celebrate Christmas alongside some familiar visitors. 

Starring: 

Morgan Kohan, Ryan-James Hatanaka, Hanneke Talbot, Marshall Williams, Neil Crone, Wendy Crewson, Jefferson Brown, Lori Loughlin, Daniel Lissing, Carter Ryan, Kyana Teresa, Kalinka Petrie, Lori Phun, Liam MacDonald, Ava Weiss, Taya Messier, Charlie Zelter, and Luxton Handspiker 

Genre: 

Drama, Family 

Premiered: 

December 18, 2021 - GAC Family 

🎄 2021 Christmas Binge Watch Movie #111 🎄 

---- Spoilers!! ----

I guess I should start with some background on "When Hope Calls." Back in 2018 Hallmark announced plans for a spin off to their popular "When Calls the Heart" series. In the 2018 holiday movie "When Calls the Heart: The Greatest Christmas Blessing" they introduced sisters Lillian (Morgan Kohan) and Grace (Jocelyn Hudson), along with some orphans. We basically find out that the sisters were orphaned at an early age, separated, Lillian was adopted while Grace stayed in an orphanage, and were reunited after Lillian spent years searching for Grace. Now the sisters are hoping to start an orphanage together and take care of children in need. The original plan was to air "When Hope Calls" alongside season six of the mother ship show, but for some boneheaded reason they moved the show to Hallmark Movies Now as an original exclusive show. I get why they did it, they were hoping Hearties fans would subscribe to their streaming service. I think it doomed the show. Then in 2020 the show made its television debut airing after new episodes of season seven of the flagship show. Then crickets. This show aired on all three Hallmark Channels eventually. I think the official word that the show was canceled came very late in 2020. Season one is still up on the streaming service for all to view. 

In this show's first season the storylines and characters were better than anything we were getting in season six, or seven, or eight of "When Calls the Heart." Plus we had some beloved characters from the main show appearing on a few episodes. It was all good, and it was kind of a bummer it was canceled, but I guess it just didn't catch on enough. While very similar tonally the shows have different vibes from each other. Flash forward to 2021 when Bill Abbott introduces GAC Family, talks about the Christmas movies, and announces a special "When Hope Calls" holiday movie with Lori Loughlin and Daniel Lissing reprising their roles form "When Calls the Heart." Lori Loughlin played Abigail, and she was fired in season seven after the whole college admission scandal. Daniel Lissing played Jack, one half of the main super couple. He left the show in season five, killed off right after his wedding. I will say this, Bill Abbott when he was CEO of Hallmark was the one who commissioned this show, canceled this show, and fired Lori Loughlin. He's brought it all back for his new channel. He was CEO for years at Hallmark, and had a successful working relationship with a majority of the talent. I get it, he's hoping Hearties will jump channels to watch this, potentially luring in fans with two popular and beloved characters. It's business. It is weird, and rare, that a spin off jumps to another network. If this is successful enough we might get a season two. I wonder how it'll do in Canada, ratings wise. I believe this is Lori Loughlin's first role since she got out of jail. How ever one feels about her, she served her time and deserves to work again is she wants. We give second chances to individuals who commit far worse crimes. 

As for this TV movie, almost everyone is back with the exception of Grace and Chuck (Greg Hovanessian). At the season end they were together while Grace went off to reunite an orphan with her grandfather in England. When we pick up the story here, Grace and Chuck are married and living it up in England. Kind of a bummer as the show was about long lost sisters reunited, and now where a sister down. I believe both actors where attacked to other projects and couldn't come back. To be honest I really didn't miss them. Outside of that this special feels very much like the show, really did feel like they just picked up where they left off. Lillian and her potential mountie love Gabriel (Ryan-James Hatanaka) are still on the will they or won't they band wagon. Funny, during the run of the show there was a potential triangle with Sam (Marshall Williams). I was team Sam, but always knowing the mountie was gonna win it in the end. Sam's still around, and it seems that they are potentially pairing him up with Maggie (Hanneke Talbot). Funny, I was shipping Maggie with Joe (Jefferson Brown) on the show. 

"When Hope Calls" very much looks like its sister show, filled with absolutely horribly ill fitted wigs, not period correct hairstyles, completely wrong era costumes, and it's a sweet heart felt family show in an alternate reality where World War I isn't happening. It's fine, it’s a tv show. The one thing that irked me, the scene between Abagail and Jack was so touching and so rooted in "When Calls the Heart" history that it just didn't belong here. Why would Abigail be dreaming about, or having a ghostly visit from Jack with a message for Elizabeth? Like wouldn't it make sense for him to appear to his dead wife and say that instead of on the spin off? It's ratings bait. Plus I don't think the show runners of the main show are interested in that as they got her with a new man now. I did like how Abigail mentioned Henry, she's still a character mentioned quit a bit on the main show. I didn't realize how much I missed that character. I did find it suspicious that we didn't see Abigail and her son leave at the end of this movie. Perhaps they're testing the waters for her to join the cast in a potential season two. Both these shows aren't the best looking, but the cast is solid, and it harkens back to the old school days of these type of family oriented western-lite shows. I really enjoyed this movie, and I realized how much I would've liked to have seen it continue. I enjoyed it more than the last couple of seasons of the mothership show. Fingers crossed that this does well enough to get a second season. I'm not so sure on that end. GAC is a new rebranded channel not available everywhere, there's controversy with the network, and who knows how this will do in Canada as its is a co-production. Made me really miss the days when "When Calls the Heart" would do holiday movies, they were always a highlight. 

Generally this is going by the title "When Hope Calls Christmas," but it's sometimes listed as season two episodes, one and two, called "A Country Christmas Part 1 and 2." 

If anybody is interested, "When Calls the Heart" is based on a series of books written by Janette Oke. There's a total of six books in the "Canadian West" series. Plus three more books in the "Return to the Canadian West" sequel series. After "When Hope Calls' came out, Janette Oke and Laurel Oke Logan have co-written three books so far about Lillian and Grace in their own series of books. 

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐½ 

Where to Watch: GAC Family