Daytime Soap Operas: The Edge of Night

“Death of a Playwright” – When a young playwright’s suspicious death rocks the world of New York theater, Elsbeth finds several suspects waiting in the wings. Meanwhile, Captain Wagner faces pressure from the new mayor and the police commissioner over the city’s increased murder rate and budgets, on the CBS Original series ELSBETH, Thursday, Oct. 15 (9:01-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming live on Paramount+ (Premium) and next day.

Hallmark Channel’s Full Countdown to Christmas 2026 Schedule

The annual event (the 17th!) takes over the Hallmark Channel with new movies for 10 weeks on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights, with 34 original movies (the most ever) set to premiere this year, beginning on October 16. And, as always, Hallmark faves and new faces are part of the lineup and the week of Thanksgiving will feature movies beginning Thursday, November 26, with double features that Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Mistletoe Murders Season 3 will premiere on Thursday, November 5. All will be available to stream the day after premiere on Hallmark+. Plus, festive movies will be airing 24/7.

“We’re thrilled to offer viewers exciting new movies that feature the heartfelt and inspiring storytelling synonymous with a Hallmark Christmas movie,” said Darren Abbott, President, Hallmark Media and Hallmark Chief Brand Officer, in a statement. “The worlds and cultures of the NFL, Walt Disney World Resort® and Biltmore® present special opportunities for us to bring fans unique tales of romance, family and community that are sure to be highlights of this holiday season.”

Added Michelle Vicary, Head of Programming, Hallmark Media, “As we celebrated Hallmark Channel’s 25th birthday last month I can’t help but reflect on the way Countdown to Christmas has evolved since its first year. We’ve progressed from a schedule of daily Christmas movie marathons and four original movies to our robust 24/7 holiday programming across 10 weeks, featuring 34 original movie premieres and one original series with our hit Mistletoe Murders, now it its third season. We have our wonderful fans to thank for this longevity and are so grateful to them for joining us on this journey.”

The Holiday Touchdown movies continue, with this NFL love story teaming up with the Bears. Then, Hallmark has teamed up with The Walt Disney Company for a film premiering during Merry Thanksgiving Week, Holiday Ever After: A Disney World Wish Come True, which filmed at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. And Hallmark is returning to Biltmore for another movie filmed on location, this time set partly in the Gilded Age.

Scroll down for all the details about the Hallmark’s Countdown to Christmas 2026 schedule, including the air dates, casts, and synopses for the 34 movies.

Air date: Friday, October 16
Stars: Amanda Schull, Victor Webster, Barbara Niven

Hyper organized single mom and party planner Lexi (Schull), her free-spirited mother June (Niven) and teen daughter Piper (Verity Marks) are set to spend Christmas at a local ski resort after Lexi is hired to organize their annual holiday party. Upon arrival she immediately butts heads with Ridge (Webster), the ski instructor and son of the lodge’s owner, Dan (John B. Lowe). Despite not getting along from the get-go, Lexi and Ridge notice a spark between June and Dan and decide to set them up. Lexi and Ridge create a multitude of festive excursions – and excuses – to bring them together but thanks to creative machinations by June and Dan these outings keep turning into foursomes. In the days leading up to the Christmas party Lexi and Ridge’s attempt to pair up their parents brings them closer together and their merry matchmaking ends in surprising results.

Air date: Saturday, October 17
Stars: Lyndsy Fonseca, Robert Buckley, Marsha Mason, Barbara Alyn Woods, Khary Payton
Featured Cameos: Chicago Bears Head Coach Ben Johnson, quarterback Caleb Williams, tight end Colston Loveland, tight end Cole Kmet, legendary Bears alumni Mike Singletary, Charles “Peanut” Tillman and Dan Hampton, Connie Payton, wife of the late Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton, and the team’s beloved mascot Staley Da Bear, as well as Tamera Mowry-Housley, Marilu Henner, Jake Connelly and Dyon “Mojo” Brooks

When ambitious freelance reporter Avery Clark (Fonseca) returns to Chicago to spend Christmas with her mom (Woods) and new stepdad (Payton), she’s hoping for a little holiday downtime before her next assignment. Instead, she lands a feel-good story profiling Darlene Donnelly (Mason), a beloved Chicago Bears superfan about to celebrate an incredible milestone – attending her 500th game. There’s just one catch: Avery knows next to nothing about football or Chicago. Enter Darlene’s handsome grandson Matt (Buckley), a Chicago firefighter and die-hard Bears fan who, with a little gentle nudging from Darlene, agrees to show Avery what being part of Bears Nation is all about. As Avery follows Darlene’s remarkable story through cherished game-day traditions, festive Chicago adventures and memories of a love story that began at a stadium, she starts to understand that football is about much more than what happens on the field. And as sparks fly between Avery and Matt, this Christmas may just convince a woman who’s always on the move that sometimes the greatest adventure is finding a place, and someone, that feels like home.

Taylor Lewis (Penny) is a single dad and holiday display expert who relocates to the charming town of Pineway with his two children just weeks before Christmas. Despite the challenges of a new home, new school and a daughter who seems to be outgrowing their cherished holiday traditions he’s determined to make the season magical. As Taylor takes charge of the town’s beloved Christmas Market revival, he finds himself unexpectedly partnered with Sophie Shaw (Hutton), a practical accountant hoping to prove she’s ready for a new leadership role. Together, the unlikely duo brings fresh ideas, festive spirit and plenty of Christmas cheer to the community. But when Taylor’s well-intentioned efforts to help his teenage daughter backfire, he begins to realize that yuletide can’t be forced, it has to be discovered. As Taylor and Sophie grow closer, they learn that embracing change may be the key to creating new traditions and new memories.

Audrey Bell (Newbrough) is a globe-trotting pop-up restaurateur who returns home for Thanksgiving to the news that her late grandfather’s beloved bowling alley, Wonderlanes, will be sold. Audrey agrees to stay for one last festive season at Wonderlanes and decides to revive its iconic Winter Wonderlanes youth bowling tournament. To drum up publicity for the event, she reluctantly teams up with Jason Miller (Lo Presti), a local news reporter and her high school boyfriend. Working side by side the embers of their past start flickering, rekindling feelings they thought they left behind. As the tournament draws near, Audrey questions her next move that will take her away from the people and places she loves…and decide if she’s ready to walk away from Wonderlanes – or finally put down roots where her heart truly belongs.

Kathryn Liu (Parrish) is an antiques buyer for her father’s store and has been happily dating Rob Ashford (Lissing) for nearly a year. When he surprises her with a pre-Christmas proposal, her fear of a failed relationship sends her dashing away without giving him an answer. Heartbroken, as Rob drives to his sister’s house he has a car accident that leaves him without memories of the past year, including their relationship and his once-infectious love of Christmas. Following the unconventional orders from his doctor, Kathryn agrees to help trigger Rob’s memory by retracing their romance and reintroducing him to the holidays. But as his memories inch closer to returning, Kathryn must face the painful truth that bringing Rob back to himself may mean losing him forever, unless she can finally find the courage to fight for the love she was too afraid to claim.

Erin (Loughlin) has always supported her heart surgeon husband, Adam’s (Cavanagh) career by organizing hospital Christmas charity galas. However, when he moves to a new hospital, her help is no longer needed. Feeling lost and without a purpose back in New York City, her long-suppressed regrets over giving up her dream of pursuing fashion design start bubbling up. When Erin is given a peculiar heart-shaped Christmas ornament, she wakes up in an alternate reality where she’s a world-famous fashion designer. As she “meets” and attends Christmas events with alternate universe Adam, she realizes that while her fashion dreams came true, it’s lonely at the top. While working on a way to bring more charity and heart to her fashion empire, she learns that her dream life and love were always right in front of her – if only she finds the heart and courage to ask.

Having recently relocated, Julie (Fish) is setting up her new town using pieces she inherited from her late grandmother, including a beautiful dining room table she plans to use on Christmas Eve when she hosts dinner for the first time. Though she doesn’t have her guest list set just yet Julie takes inspiration from her grandmother and has faith that her holiday table for eight will be filled. Julie’s warm, friendly nature leads her to quickly become part of the community and make friends, including her neighbor Mark (Foy) and his young daughter Vanessa (Morgan). Mark suggests that he and his family could join her, making Julie’s dream of dinner for eight come true. But when bad weather keeps them from making the trip it looks like it will be a silent night with just the three of them unless a small Christmas miracle – or series of miracles – fills her holiday table.

Maren (Groening) is a busy single mother to her adopted daughter, Leah (Taylor Blake). As the owner of her late father’s beloved hardware store, she is often found helping repair just about anything for her fellow locals, leaving very little time for herself. When the chance to participate in the Christmas Companions program at Jolly Acres, a new-yet-thriving retirement community in town, Leah excitedly jumps at the chance as she misses having a grandfather in her life. Much to Leah’s delight, she is paired with Kris (Randy Apostle), a jolly resident who bears an uncanny resemblance to Santa Claus. While there, Maren crosses paths with the nomadic Reid (Rady), the center’s Director of Community Launch and Operations whose job has him traveling from facility to facility to launch new branches. But the Christmas Companions program is soon jeopardized as the contractor for the center’s community room suddenly pulls out. Seeing how much joy the program brings Leah and Kris, the always helpful Maren offers to help finish the project. As she spends more time at the center with Reid, Maren slowly realizes it’s okay to let others in, accept help and stop shouldering the entire load. Reid starts questioning whether to accept his next assignment which will take him far away from the people and center that have begun to feel like home. With the help of some Christmas magic – and a little assist from Kris – everyone finds where they belong.

Marie (Ullerup) is a hotel tech executive living in Chicago who returns home to Copenhagen to spend the holidays with her family and puts herself to work at their inn. When Ryan Miller (Sevier) checks in a case of mistaken identity leads Marie to believe he’s a travel writer. She sets out to make sure his stay is perfect, which includes the Christmas tour Ryan’s expecting…but the Andersen Inn hasn’t offered it since her father passed so she scrambles to cobble together an itinerary meant to impress. When Marie’s mom tells her she plans to sell the inn after the New Year Marie becomes doubly determined to make Ryan’s visit a success – a positive story could boost business and convince her to keep the inn. Marie escorts Ryan on a carefully curated tour of Copenhagen and pulls out all the stops to create hygge at the inn, though both efforts end in some festive fiascos. Despite the mishaps the two forge a connection that may be more than just inn-keeper and tourist. When Ryan Miller the journalist arrives they realize their mistake, sending Marie into overdrive to ensure he experiences the perfect Danish Christmas. In the process, Marie learns that warmth, connection – and, possibly, romance – happen naturally and can’t be created.

Michaela (Lindura) is a rigid accountant who steps in to help her brother care for his young son Danny (Omi Fitzpatrick-Gonzales) while Danny’s military mom is deployed over Christmas. When Danny is assigned to create a holiday scrapbook for his mom, Michaela reluctantly accepts help from his free-spirited substitute teacher, Bryan (Morgan), whose creativity clashes with her need for preciseness and control. As they set out to capture festive moments for the scrapbook unexpected mishaps turn into meaningful traditions – and sparks begin to fly. Through Danny’s project, Michaela learns to embrace imperfection and open her heart, while Bryan rethinks his future as a traveling substitute teacher.

Sally (DeLoach), an art teacher, has spent the last 10 years honoring the memory of her late husband Jake while raising their children, Keegan (Brandon Ironside) and Boo (Remy Marthaller). Feeling like she’s finally ready for love, she joins a dating app and is matched with Damon (Di Pace), her former colleague who taught her kids’ kindergarten class. Jake had co-founded a web platform that preserved family home videos. When a server migration wipes out Sally’s treasured videos of him – and her phone containing backup copies accidentally shatters – the only hope is finding the original tapes. She doesn’t want Keegan and Boo to know about the missing videos so to buy time until they’re recovered, Sally institutes a screen-free Christmas for her family while secretly searching for the tapes. After she connects with Damon at his uncle’s antique store, he joins the hunt and the two grow closer. Keegan and Boo soon discover the joys of unplugging and spending quality time with their grandparents, who also come around and embrace the experiment after begrudgingly agreeing. With every lead exhausted, Sally is forced to admit the videos may be gone forever. As the fate of the tapes is in flux, the family learns the importance of cherishing old memories and creating new ones.

Heidi (D’Orsay) and Sophie (Liebert) are sisters who couldn’t be more different – Heidi is buttoned-up and laser focused on landing the play-by-play job for the local pro hockey team while Sophie is following her dream of making it in stand-up comedy while waitressing. Though a years-ago rift following their mother’s passing have pulled the sisters apart, what they do share is a deep love for their father Ed (Denton). When a fainting episode lands him in the hospital Heidi and Sophie rush to his side. Hating seeing their father in that state – and still alone four years after losing their mother – the sisters decide to set aside their differences and team up to play Cupid at Christmas. As Heidi and Sophie work together to prepare Ed for the dating world in the hope he’ll find someone special in time for the holiday, they each go on their own journeys that bring them unexpected joy, love and peace for Christmas.

Meg (Acker) set aside her newscaster aspirations after a disastrous audition experience in college and has been happy as a news producer in her small town of Fern, Texas. Billy Kane (Macfarlane), her former college crush and audition partner, is a well-known celebrity host in Hollywood on the brink of losing his career after an on-camera gaffe. At the advice of his publicist, Billy begrudgingly returns to Texas to lay low and spend the holidays with his sister (Canning) and her family. When Meg and Billy cross paths he’s happy to see her but her feelings are on the frostier side – she’s still upset he took advantage of her failed audition to get the gig himself. Meg finds herself seeing Billy more than she’d like since his nephew Graham (Isaiah Haegert) is in the horse therapy program her dad runs at their ranch. With their annual Reindeer Roundup holiday event coming up Meg’s dad gets sidelined after an injury. Her dad enlists Billy to serve has its host, much to Meg’s chagrin. With the Reindeer Roundup just days away, Meg teaches Billy basic riding and roping skills to get him ready for his hosting duties. In the process, they slowly reconnect and Meg sees there’s more to him than Hollywood glitz. As their connection grows, each of them helps give the other the courage to step outside their comfort zones and find new joy – and possibly love – in unexpected ways.

One Christmas Eve Marty (Hynes), whose life is in a bit of a rut, finds himself wishing he had more time. Thanks to some holiday magic, he awakes the next morning to discover it’s Christmas Eve – again. Confused at first, Marty learns to embrace his new normal and begins to truly appreciate the sights, sounds and people of New York City that previously went unnoticed. With this gift of time, he expands his world by learning how to play a new instrument, picking up new languages and reading…every single book. But when Marty meets Chloe (Mailey), a newly out-of-work journalist having a tough day, he falls hard for her. The only problem is that when the morning of December 24 comes once again, she doesn’t know who he is. As the Christmas Eves continue to repeat themselves, Marty makes it his mission to win her over and, in the process, figure out what he needs to do to finally make his way to Christmas Day — hopefully with Chloe by his side.

Air date: Sunday, November 15
Stars: Tamera Mowry-Housley, Kristoffer Polaha, Jennifer Robertson

Claire Bennett (Mowry-Housley) is a successful business consultant in Manhattan who unexpectedly inherits her beloved Uncle Lou’s Christmas-themed bar, The Tipsy Reindeer, in upstate New York. When she returns, Claire discovers the bar comes with high debt – her Uncle Lou was overly generous to people in town while the booming business of Algorithm, an upscale and trendy new club, added insult to injury. She intends to turn things around before Christmas and sell to someone who will preserve her uncle’s legacy and then return to her life in the city. Claire meets Zach (Polaha), Algorithm’s part owner and manager, who tells her they want to buy The Tipsy Reindeer so they can expand. Claire bristles at the proposition and they agree to face off in a 12 Days of Christmas-inspired series of festive events to see who can bring in the most business – if Claire wins, Zach will use his contacts to find the right buyer but if Zach emerges victorious, Claire agrees to consider Algorithm’s offer. As they compete over the course of the 12 days their attraction is undeniable. Rivalry leads to romance and the two are faced with figuring out how their shifting priorities might somehow lead them down the same road, together.

When Lexi Bell (Cole) returns home for the holidays, she faces a beloved family tradition she’d rather avoid: the fiercely competitive Bell Bowl, an annual Christmas flag football showdown between her father and uncle that has fueled decades of sibling rivalry. But when an injury sidelines her brother-in-law it looks like Lexi’s family’s losing streak will remain unbroken. To give them a fighting chance, she strikes a deal with Eddie (Davis), a former local football star-turned teacher – Lexi will use her baking know-how to help Eddie best his brother in their annual bake-off if he’ll pose as her boyfriend and meet the “eligibility requirement” to play on their team. As they navigate each other’s festive family gatherings, traditions and celebrations, what started as a transactional partnership begins to become something more as Lexi and Eddie find themselves feeling less and less like their romantic relationship is just pretend. As the two clans battle it out on the field, regardless of who takes home the trophy Lexi may have already won at love.

On-set veterinarian Goldie MacKenzie (Cahill) leaves the glamour of Hollywood behind to buy a family-run veterinary clinic in tight-knit Blue Dog Valley, arriving just in time for the town’s cherished Christmas season. When Dr. Gable, the clinic’s longtime owner, unexpectedly ends up out of town, Goldie is hosted by his handsome son Cohen (Walker), the black sheep of the family because he decided to forego their expectation of becoming a vet. Cohen and Goldie get off on the wrong foot, but when the folks of Blue Dog Valley cold shoulder “the newcomer,” Cohen teams up with Goldie to win over even the frostiest of community members. Goldie is also aided by the mysterious canine she dubs Blue whose spontaneous appearances always seem to guide Goldie to exactly where she needs to be. As Goldie works hard to prove herself to the townspeople when furry and Christmas crises arise, she finds herself pulled towards the very heart of her new-found home…and a certain black sheep.

Air date: Sunday, November 22
Stars: Rachael Leigh Cook, Owain Yeoman, Stephen Hagan

There’s only one thing identical twins, quiet and bookish Abigail (Cook) and globe-trotting event planner Charlie (Cook), agree on is that this first Christmas without their mom will be difficult. When they unexpectedly get a last-minute chance to travel to Wales and spend a week running the Story Shoppe, an AirBnb/bookshop in Hay-on-Wye, they jump at the opportunity. Abigail is particularly excited, given the town’s role as the backdrop of the bestselling Winterton Chronicles, her all-time favorite Regency holiday romances. Upon arrival, Abigail dives into setting up the bookshop’s window display with help from the friendly next-door barista, Tom (Yeoman), who is also a fan of the Winterton Chronicles. Meanwhile, Charlie meets the dashing Lord Rhys (Hagan), the great-nephew of Evelyn Calon, who wrote the book series. Abigail is charmed by a series of thoughtful Christmas ornaments she assumes are from Rhys (but are actually from Tom), while Charlie and Rhys grow closer as they help plan the Winterton Ball at Rhys’ castle. Mistaken identities lead to a series of merry mix-ups as Rhys and Tom woo the sisters, unaware they are twins. On the night of the ball, however, the sisters’ double secret is discovered. As the truth is unwrapped, the crisscrossed lovers discover that the perfect holiday happy ending isn’t always by the book.

Determined to unwind from the stresses and loneliness of her everyday life, Kimberly Carr ( Reeser) travels to Canada to spend Christmas with her grandmother, JoJo (Linda Darlow), at her beautiful, cozy farmhouse. Kimberly’s plans for a restorative holiday are turned upside down when she crosses paths with Ben Chambers (Brown), owner of a local tree farm and new Christmas tree delivery app called TreeBen. Ben’s a dreamer who never looks before he leaps while Kimberly is methodical and lives her life based on practicality – the two couldn’t be more different. But when Ben’s app is plagued by an onslaught of issues, Kimberly uses her tech expertise to help him out and ensure that no one in town is deprived of a Christmas tree…even though she isn’t convinced of the need for the app in such a small town. As they team up to deliver trees in his red truck, Kimberly and Ben discover they may have more in common than they realized. In the process, Kimberly begins to question if she’s truly happy with her life or if she’s ready for a change and – just maybe – ready for romance.

Air date: Friday, November 27 at 6/5c
Stars: Daniella Monet, Kevin McGarry
Executive Produced by Giada DeLaurentiis

Silvana “Silvy” Gianetti (Monet) is disillusioned with her job as the Executive Chef at a swanky restaurant in New York. Growing up in a large and loving Italian-American family, Silvy is drawn to the food and comfort of her home. When her beloved Nonna suffers a minor wrist injury, Silvy is called back home to Boston’s Italian North End to prepare the family’s beloved “Feast of the Seven Fishes” Christmas Eve dinner. As she preps for the big feast, her family is joined by Ethan (McGarry), a photographer who is documenting different family traditions around town and who’s become close to her Nonna. After a rocky start with Ethan, things begin to heat up as Silvy grows to appreciate the heart and soul he puts into capturing the magic of the little moments and a romance could be simmering. Every day leading up to Christmas Eve, Silvy gathers in the kitchen with her Nonna, mom and aunt to prepare the pasta, struffoli and other Italian classics near and dear to Silvy’s heart. This special family time reminds her of the kind of cooking that truly brings her joy and leads Silvy to rethink where she belongs and gets a clear picture of who should be by her side.

Hopeful and dreamy eight-year-old Jake (Campbell) writes a letter to Santa with all his most fantastical wishes. But when the letter gets lost in the North Pole, young Jake wakes up disappointed, and no longer a believer. Decades later Santa discovers the misplaced letter and immediately sets out to make things right. Now an adult, Jake’s life is about to get turned upside down when the appearance of his childhood wishes clash with his practical life. All while his childhood best friend Julie (Boston) rather unexpectedly moved back to town. As Santa continues to check off Jake’s list, Jake and Julie combine forces to anticipate each new wishes’ chaotic consequences, all while growing closer to each other – and possibly leading Jake closer to his most important childhood dream.

Every Christmas, a small town honors the memory of a beloved teacher who once spread joy through her “Secret Norma” gifts each holiday by creating a whimsical and heartfelt scavenger hunt for one worthy recipient. When burned-out art teacher Vanessa (Sursok) visits her widowed brother and niece Esther for the holidays, she is surprised to be chosen as the next “Secret Norma” recipient. Hoping to bring Esther some Christmas magic, Vanessa decides to help revive the town’s holiday block party. Her handsome electrician neighbor Spencer (Porte) offers help with the preparations if Vanessa will help him sell his mother Norma’s house. As Vanessa solves the riddles of “Secret Norma” and plans the block party, her passion for teaching art begins to spark along with her feelings for the charming electrician next door.

Air date: Saturday, November 28 at 8/7c
Stars: Lacey Chabert, Travis Van Winkle, Richard Kind, Christy Carlson Romano, Bryce Durfee, Taegen Burns

Lindsey (Chabert) and her extended family head to the Walt Disney World Resort® to spend a magical Christmas together. But the dream of a jolly holiday gets quickly dashed when Lindsey discovers her room is next door to Philip (Van Winkle), a disastrous first date she recently had, who’s also there on a family trip. As Lindsey and Philip’s paths cross throughout their stay, the frost starts to thaw as they learn they’re not so different from each other after all. Thanks to some Walt Disney World magic, the holiday wish Lindsey made in Cinderella Fountain just might turn their rivalry into romance.

Hannah (King), who works for a large auction house in New York City, is excited for her best friend Ethan (Jeannotte) to return home for a visit during Hannukah and is looking forward to some much-needed time off from work That plan is short lived when Ethan shares the news that he’s convinced the daughter of his wealthy boss to use Hannah’s auction house to sell their family’s collection of Judaica with the condition that Hannah handles the sale. Complicating her holiday further, she meets the mysterious Pearl (Felicia Shulman), who gifts her with an antique menorah that is anything but ordinary as it takes her back to a different times of her life each night of Hanukkah, with Pearl as her guide. This front row seat past moments – including some that involve Ethan – leads Hannah to reflect, break out of her comfort zone and overcome her fear of failure. Thanks to her trips through the past, and as she and Ethan spend time together in the present Hannah realizes she has feelings for him she never acknowledged. Through this journey, Hannah makes some bold decisions about her life – and love – that are sure to make this Hanukkah one to remember.

Air date: Sunday, November 29 at 8/7c
Stars: Ashley Williams, Steve Lund, Alison Sweeney

When an early snowstorm sweeps through the Midwest, punctual, straight-laced “suit” Cassidy Fields (Williams) is forced to hitch a ride with free spirited, music loving Johanna “Jo” Woods (Sweeney) in her bother Chase’s (Lund) 18-wheeler to the nearest airport to catch another flight. However, when Jo’s flight successfully takes off and Cassidy’s is cancelled again at the last minute, she joins Chase on the road back to Tennessee from Chicago to make it home in time to spend Christmas with her father. Quickly, Cassidy and Chase’s connection begins to spark. Through losing the car keys, stopping to partake in a Mrs. Claus parade and a surprise run-in with Jo, whose plane got grounded mid-flight due to weather, Cassidy builds bonds with both siblings as they all challenge one another’s life philosophies. As the trio pushes past every obstacle, they work to embrace their differences and find that the fastest way home is when they lean on one another for help.

When driven corporate attorney Tanya (Hemmens) rushes into a charming gift shop searching for a last-minute White Elephant gift, she crosses paths with Jason (Ghanimé), a handsome, laid-back clerk. Their brief encounter leads Tanya to purchase a beautiful antique glass snowflake which, unbeknownst to her or Jason, is a good luck charm that carries a generations-old Christmas tradition. However, since the ornament is entered into a holiday gift exchange rather than gifted with proper intention, Tanya suddenly finds herself on the receiving end of everyone else’s misfortune. After Jason’s Aunt Coco (Jayne Eastwood) explains the snowflake’s magical lore, Tanya reluctantly teams up with Jason to track down the snowflake as it makes its way from one recipient to the next across Chicago before Christmas Day or she’ll be stuck with bad luck until next Christmas. Along the way, the pair is swept into festive holiday adventures, unexpected encounters and a journey that challenges Tanya’s carefully structured life. As they race against the clock to undo the snowflake’s magic, Tanya and Jason’s relationship turns into something more and they may find that their biggest stroke of luck was meeting each other.

Air date: Saturday, December 5
Stars: Holland Roden, Niall Matter, Andie MacDowell, James Trevena, Jonathan Frakes, Rachel Boston, Wes Brown

As Biltmore House opens for the first time on Christmas Eve 1895, 13-year-old Elizabeth and her family are holiday guests. When she notices Michael, a fellow teen caught trespassing by the staff, Elizabeth comes to his rescue by claiming to know him, much to his relief. The two share an instant connection and set out to explore Biltmore but Michael inexplicably vanishes. Twenty years later, Elizabeth (Roden) is spending Christmas at Biltmore and this time is accompanied by James (Trevena), a suitor her Aunt Maysilee (MacDowell), is keen for her to wed. When a stranger asks Elizabeth to dance at the Christmas gala she’s shocked to discover it’s Michael (Matter). Thrilled to reunite with her friend, she throws herself into his arms. But the world around her changes in an instant when Elizabeth is transported into the modern world with Michael, a tourist from the present day who had traveled to the past 20 years prior with the help of a magical hourglass in Biltmore’s library. Now, Elizabeth and Michael must find a way to send her back to her time, while not arousing the suspicion of Michael’s mother and sister during their family vacation. As Elizabeth experiences life and Christmas in the 21st century, she and Michael become close. When the time comes for her to return to 1915, Elizabeth must decide whether she’ll resume the life that’s been chosen for her or if her heart will lead her down a new path in the present.

Air date: Sunday, December 6
Stars: Fiona Gubelmann, Marco Grazzini, Nancy Robertson

Amanda (Gubelmann) and Jack (Grazzini) had a whirlwind romance and got married after knowing each other for only three months. Their first – and only – Christmas together was calamitous and was the beginning of the end to their brief marriage. Three years post-divorce and still harboring an aversion for the holiday, Amanda is heading to Vermont with her sister Lucy (Siobhan Williams) to enjoy an un-Christmasy getaway…and finds that Jack is on their flight. En route, Amanda meets Margaret (Robertson), a quirky traveler who disappears without a trace and without being seen by anyone else, leaving Amanda mystified. Bad weather diverts the plane to the remote town of Pinecone Lake, leaving Amanda with the last person she wants to be stranded with – Jack. Shortly after arriving, Margaret inexplicably reappears and convinces a confused Amanda that she is in fact her guardian angel and has been her entire life. As the days leading to Christmas pass by, Amanda slowly begins to feel connected to the community and, with Margaret’s guidance, sees beyond past circumstances and follows her heart to where – and with whom – she truly belongs.

Rose (Schram) arrives in Canterbury, England, eager to spend the holidays with her childhood friend Asha (Sohm Kapila) as she leaves behind her hometown of Vienna, OH following the passing of her beloved Grandma Bud. Having first met in a children’s choir they went on to pursue careers as choir masters. As Rose arrives Asha is put on bed rest in the final days of her pregnancy. Rose steps in when the headmistress offers her the job…not realizing there was confusion over which Vienna children’s choir she worked with. Rose’s “glass half full” attitude is tested when she crosses paths with Harrison (Kemp), the traditionalist boys’ choir master who has an unwavering allegiance to history and precedents. The boys’ choir always performs at the annual Christmas Eve concert in Canterbury Cathedral but Rose questions why the girls don’t have the opportunity. When the school’s headmistress decides the two choirs should compete against each other for the honor, they get to work to prepare their students. Along the way, their rivalry sparks a romance and these two seemingly opposites from opposite sides of the pond discover they may not be so different after all.

Inspired by Brad Paisley’s song “Snow Globe Town,” this heartfelt holiday romance follows Emily Church (Sustad), who joins her sister Zoe and Zoe’s longtime boyfriend on a Christmas getaway to Pine Grove, the town famously known as the Christmas Proposal Capital of America. Expecting to help capture a photos of Zoe’s perfect engagement moment as is their family’s tradition, Emily instead finds herself unexpectedly sidelined by the town’s couples-only traditions and paired with Bert Baxter (Foster), a skeptical journalist researching the celebrated romantic legacy inspired by his grandfather. As Emily quietly works behind the scenes to help Zoe’s proposal plans come together, she and Bert are drawn into the town’s festive traditions, holiday competitions and Christmas celebrations. Along the way they discover a shared outlook on love and life that challenges both of their expectations. As old assumptions are tested and new possibilities emerge, Pine Grove reminds them that love, family and the spirit of Christmas often arrive in the most unexpected ways.

Before they can embark on their luxurious Hawaiian holiday, uptight sports medicine physician Joseph (Ayres) and his daughter Annie (Kaelyn Yoon-MacRae) must first begrudgingly make a pit stop at a remote campground and deliver a package from his late father to a mysterious person named Birdie. Their plans are derailed when Joseph accidentally crashes into free-spirited Nora’s (DeVitto) RV at a rest stop. Things go from bad to worse when they not only fail to find the elusive Birdie, but their ancient Winnebago breaks down as well. Forced to spend the next few days at the campground while they wait for replacement parts, Nora introduces Joseph and Annie to the eccentric campers who lovingly dub themselves the Nomads. The embers of romance begin to glow as Nora shows Joseph how to embrace the freedom of camp life. When the mystery of who Birdie is becomes clearer and the much-awaited parts arrive allowing Joseph and Annie to finally make their Hawaiian getaway, Joseph must decide if leaving the campground and person who makes it feel more like home is in the plans.

Air date: Friday, December 18
Stars: Mishael Morgan, B.J. Britt, Holly Robinson Peete

Mari (Morgan) is a fiercely intelligent music historian who manages to get an invite to the annual Christmas gala for the local music museum and has one goal: secure an interview with Tasha (Robinson Peete) the legendary Grammy award-winning singer, record producer, and museum’s founder. Mari has to summon the courage to ask the mogul who rarely does interviews these days for this favor, which proves more difficult than anticipated. Also crashing the gala is Julian (Britt), a polished and perpetually busy New York attorney on a mission of his own – his late mother received the autograph of Nat King Cole on a piece of sheet music when she was a young girl and he regrettably donated this treasured piece of family history to the DuPree Museum while emotionally numb in the aftermath of his mother’s death. Now his sister tells him she wants to give the framed sheet music to her daughter/his niece, who inherited her grandmother’s musical talent, for Christmas and Julian is determined to bring it back home. When Mari and Julian cross paths at the gala, they ultimately team up as they look for their chance to talk to the elusive host while participating in increasingly chaotic Christmas contests whose winners will get a tour of the museum that night by Tasha herself. What neither of them expects is how their partnership deepens over the course of this unforgettable evening and leads them to discover that what they were searching for isn’t necessarily what they actually need.

Billie (Anderson) is a workaholic realtor who heads home for Christmas but her journey is derailed after loveable, but chaotic canine named Yappy almost causes her car to crash. After talking to Yappy’s owner, the mysterious, yet oddly familiar Mrs. C, Billie agrees to watch Yappy while she visits her grandchildren for the holidays. Yappy ends up playing the role of matchmaker and new best friend, pulling Billie towards her traveling contractor ex-boyfriend from high school, Hutch (Harding). Eager to move on she’s determined to leave Hutch in the past, but when her mother hires him to work on their shed, she finds herself spending more time with him than she ever expected. As the holidays draw closer, Billie begins to question whether chasing her dream of becoming her firm’s number one seller is truly what she wants. When the mysterious Mrs. C leaves her cabin for Billie and Hutch to breathe new life into, her answer may come sooner than expected.

Susie (Ricci) has checked out on dating while Alec (Bennett) is a hopeless romantic – these longtime friends have both struck out in the love department after failing to meet the right man. After being each other’s plus one to what feels like the twentieth wedding this year, they vow to take a break from attending weddings and looking for their respective prince charming. That break doesn’t last long as next day Susie’s sister announces a last-minute Christmas wedding…and Susie convinces Alec to tag along. The objective for the week? Survive as the two lone, single people and avoid family matchmaking. Over time, the Christmas wedding duties and time with family during the holidays force these two best friends to forge a new appreciation for love and marriage. Susie finds herself turning over a new leaf in pursuing romance while Alec discovers love can walk into your life when you least expect it.

Premiere date: Thursday, November 5 at 8/7c
Stars: Sarah Drew, Peter Mooney
Catherine Bell and Holly Robinson Peete guest star this season

Emily Lane (Drew) once again teams up with Detective Sam Wilner (Mooney) to solve three new Christmas mysteries as her past collides with her present, leaving her questioning everything she believed to be true.

Lori Loughlin Files for Divorce to End Nearly 30-Year Marriage to Mossimo Giannulli

The "Full House" star has filed paperwork, months after the longtime couple separated and began living apart.

Lori listed the date of separation as August 31, 2025. She noted they signed a prenup and said they will figure out support at a later date ... she also noted they have irreconcilable differences.

Their split has already come with some big financial questions ... TMZ previously reported Lori signed a prenup before the marriage that could leave their assets largely separate, and the pair also sold their Hidden Hills mansion for $12.65 million late last year.

The divorce makes their breakup official after a very public marriage that survived the college admissions scandal, prison time and plenty of fallout.

Lori also made her return to Instagram in the past week ... posting Monday a video captioned, "Here's to things working out."

Mark Rydell Dies: Oscar-Nominated ‘On Golden Pond’, ‘The Rose’ Director Was 97

“Mark Rydell, the director or my first film, The Rose, died this morning. He was an actor of note before he became a director, and I was so lucky to have met him when I did; he taught me so much on The Rose and later on For The Boys. Two Oscars nominations both because of him. He was the actor’s whisperer; just a few words was all it took to understand what was needed.”

Other films directed by Rydell included The Fox (1967), The Reivers (1969), Cinderella Liberty (1973) and The River (1984).

Born Mortimer H. Rydell on March 23, 1929, in New York City, Rydell studied music with the intention of becoming an orchestra conductor but pivoted to acting after attending The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York City and landing roles on in the mid-1950s and early ’60s on New York-based soap operas The Edge of Night and As the World Turns.

A busy acting career was launched, with guest appearances over the next decade on episodes of such primetime series as The Phil Silvers Show, Robert Montgomery Presents, The Big Story, Naked City and Wanted: Dead Or Alive.

By the mid-1960s, though, Rydell was increasingly pivoting toward directing, with such early TV credits as episodes of The Virginian, Mr. Novak, 10 episodes of Ben Casey, I Spy, The Wild Wild West, The Fugitive and Gunsmoke.

Rydell made his feature film directing debut in 1967 with The Fox, based on a D.H. Lawrence novella and starring Sandy Dennis, Anne Heywood and Keir Dullea. Though never explicitly stated, the film’s suggestion of a lesbian relationship between the two women was a rarity of the era.

Rydell directed Steve McQueen in 1969’s The Reivers, John Wayne in 1972’s The Cowboys and James Caan and Marsha Mason in 1973’s Cinderella Liberty. He would reteam with Caan on 1976’s Harry and Walter Go To New York and, that same year, directed the pilot episode of the hit ABC domestic drama Family.

His highest profile film to date came in 1979 with Midler’s movie debut, The Rose. Based loosely on the life and death of rock star Janis Joplin, The Rose made a movie star of Midler, earning her an Oscar nomination as well as one for co-star Frederic Forrest.

The Rose‘s success led to Rydell’s hiring to direct the much anticipated On Golden Pond, the film adaptation of playwright Ernest Thompson’s 1979 play. The movie would star Katharine Hepburn, Henry Fonda and Jane Fonda in one of the most celebrating casting coups of its day. Rydell was nominated for an Oscar, as was Jane Fonda. Both Henry Fonda and Hepburn won their Academy Awards, as did Thompson for his adapted screenplay.

Rydell continued his run of star-driven films with 1984’s The River with Mel Gibson and Sissy Spacek, and 1991’s For The Boys, a project that reunited the director with both Midler and Caan. A heart-tugging musical comedy-drama, For The Boys was set largely during the military conflicts of World War II, Korea and Vietnam, with the two stars playing characters loosely based on the troop-entertaining Martha Raye and Bob Hope. Midler was nominated for her second Oscar, and won a Golden Globe for her performance.

Despite Midler’s performance, For The Boys was both a commercial and critical disappointment, and, aside from 1994’s Intersection starring Richard Gere and Sharon Stone (critics panned it, audiences mostly ignored it) Rydell turned increasingly back to television for his directing jobs. Credits from the period include TV movies Crime of the Century and James Dean, with Rydell returning to the big screen for the 2007 crime-and-gambling film Even Money starring Kim Basinger, Danny DeVito, Forest Whitaker, Nick Cannon and Kelsey Grammer. The film was not a success.

In all, eight actors in Rydell films would be Oscar-nominated for their performances: both Henry and Jane Fonda, Midler (twice), Mason, Hepburn, Spacek, Forrest and The Reivers’ Rupert Crosse.

The director occasionally performed small roles in his films, and had producing credits for, among others, Cinderella Liberty, For The Boys, James Dean and Even Money.

Rydell was married to actor Joanne Linville (Guiding Light, The Goddess, 1976’s A Star Is Born) from 1962 to 1973. The couple had two children, daughter Amy and son Christopher. A second marriage to documentarian and producer Esther Rydell produced a son, Alexander, before ending in divorce.

Survivors include his three children, three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

2026 TONY AWARD NOMINATIONS

Ruben Santiago-Hudson, August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (Another World / All My Children)

Lori Loughlin Reunites With ‘When Calls the Heart’ Costars Ahead of Season 14 Return

Loughlin, who will return as Abigail Stanton in the upcoming 14th season of When Calls the Heart, posed alongside costars Erin Krakow, Ben Rosenbaum, Jack Wagner, Viv Leacock, and Kavan Smith at the party, which also served as a premiere event for the prequel series, Hope Valley: 1874. The Full House alum looked stunning in a white sequined dress.

Krakow, who is expecting her first child with Rosenbaum, her husband and costar, has been open about how excited she is to have Loughlin back on When Calls the Heart. When Loughlin’s return was announced in December 2025, Krakow called it the “very best news.”

Loughlin then made a surprise appearance at the Hallmark Christmas Experience with her costars. She gushed that Krakow has been “championing” her return for a “long time.” The actress was so grateful for the warm welcome. “I just want to thank everyone at Hallmark for being so loving and so welcoming… And this just feels incredible. And I think — I mean, you guys all know it — we have such a special cast and such a special bond, and it’s just so nice to be back with my family,” she said.

Abigail Stanton was one of the original When Calls the Heart characters when the show debuted in 2014. Loughlin was a series regular until Season 6, when her character was written off the show due to Loughlin’s involvement in the Operation Varsity Blues college admissions scandal.

Seven years after her last appearance in Hope Valley, Abigail is making her way back home.

Procter & Gamble Backs New Soap Opera Consisting Entirely of Micro-Episodes

The consumer-products giant behind household staples like Tide, Crest and Pampers has been entwined with daytime serials for nearly a century, helping to produce radio dramas like “The Guiding Light”; daytime TV mainstays including “As the World Turns”; and a recent revival of the format called “Beyond the Gates” that airs on CBS. Now the company hopes to reach digitally savvy consumers with an intriguing twist on the old formula.

In January, P&G will launch “The Golden Pear Affair,” a 50-episode “microsoap” that will be made available initially via social media and, later, a bespoke mobile app. The idea, say backers of the new program, is to reach people who are used to giving content a swipe on a mobile phone, rather than those who sit back and passively swoon in front of a more traditional screen.

Will fans of the original concept flock to new one? The bite-sized episodes “are serialized dramas. They are soapy and there are going to be some elements that are a little out there,” says Anna Saalfeld, head of P&G Studios. But the new series — some people behind the scenes refer to it as a “short opera” — is “definitely social-first. It is optimized for viewing on your screen. It is very snackable. There are key differentiators” from old-school programs.

“The Golden Pear Affair” is meant to highlight Procter’s Native line of personal-care products. A new collection of “Global Flavors” products sport fragrances from around the world, and will likely get some nods during all the action in “Pear.” “It’s got romance. It’s certainly got adventure. And it’s a lot of fun,” says Geneva Wasserman, global executive vice president of entertainment IP strategy and investment at Dentsu, the agency that has worked with Procter & Gamble on creating the series.

Native may have more room for such play. The brand was founded in 2015 with a commitment to clean formulae for its products. P&G acquired it in 2017 — a nod, perhaps, to the growing clout of start-up consumer brands such as Dollar Shave Club, Honest Co. or BodyArmor. Native is no Tide or Old Spice, which are instantly recognizable and potentially harder to slip into a piece of programming without distracting the viewer.

“Golden Pear Affair” stars Nick Ritacco and Aloyna Real, two actors who have played roles in other microdramas. The Native products being spotlighted will be available only via the brand’s website and in Target stores. The hopes is that viewers will swipe their way through the whole production.

“We want you to have a little smile and a laugh, but also a shock, and ask ‘What’s going to happen next?’” says Wasserman.

Procter is the latest to enter the growing frenzy around what is known as “microcontent,” or programming with stories and plots that are told over the course of dozens of episodes that may last just a minute or two (some parts of “Golden Pear” may go as long as two and a half minutes). In recent months, several companies have begun to supply bite-sized dramas and serials for venues like TikTok or Meta’s Reels. In China, the content capsules have already proven quite popular. Microdramas could generate as much as $11 billion in 2026, according to estimates from Omdia, a London consultancy.

Already, U.S. media companies are trying to woo adherents of shorter stuff to their own venues, well aware that a rising generation of viewers is growing accustomed to having more control over the content they watch. Viewers can now swipe away instantly if they’re bored with something.

Spanish-language giant TelevisaUnivision in 2025 offered sponsorships tied to a new wellspring of “microdramas”– as many as 30 different titles. But the company plans to increase its production to as many as 100 in 2026. The company recently produced a Spanish-language microdrama for the large retailer JCPenney.

Others are courting similar (short) attention. When ESPN unveiled its much-ballyhooed new “ultimate” streaming service earlier this year, it did so along with a new interactive version of “SportsCenter” that is perfect for young sports aficionados with limited time. “SportsCenter for You” doesn’t feature anchors or intros. It serves up quick, consecutive clips — a key play, a short report from a correspondent — all narrated by Hannah Storm or handful of other ESPN personnel, boosted by A.I. ESPN calls its rapid-fire clips “verts.” Meanwhile, the new Fox One streaming service features “shorts” that let users dive into their favorite topics or programs with a series of attenuated video vignettes.

“Golden Pear” drama starts from the first second of the program. The heroine is marrying a crime boss, and things pick up from there, says Jonas Barnes, founder of Pixie USA, a Georgia-based microdrama studio that produced the new series. The hope is that any nods to Native won’t get in the way of viewers enjoying the show. “What’s really important is making the product part of the story where it’s instrumental. and not just on the table. Or the character picking it up and saying, ‘Look what I got.’”

Procter & Gamble wants to get Native into the hands of young consumers. To do so, the company needs to connect with them in the venues where they get their content — and accommodate their behaviors. “A lot of our growth is going to come from multicultural consumers. A lot of our growth is going to come from younger consumers, says Saalfield. “This format really affords us” an opportunity to speak with them in ways they might appreciate.

Executives believe viewers will stick around for the high production values of the series, as well as some of the humor and sudsy antics. Procter will be counting the length of time people interact with the episodes, and how many they watch, among other behaviors.

Add up all the views, says Wasserman, and they may just equal something bigger than the sum of its parts “If you watch it all, you’ve got an hour, maybe an hour and a half of content — like a feature film.”

‘When Calls The Heart’ Renewed For Season 14; Lori Loughlin To Return

Additionally, original cast member Lori Loughlin (Curb Your Enthusiasm, On Call) is set to reprise her role of Abigail Stanton and will appear in six of the 12 episodes, the network revealed.

“Since the series’ debut in 2014, the character of Abigail Stanton was a fan favorite and beloved by the Hearties,” said Michelle Vicary, Head of Programming, Hallmark Media. “At its core the Hallmark brand is about hope, positivity and connection, which is also the central theme of When Calls the Heart. We felt that Season 14 was the right time to continue Abigail’s story with her return to this beloved series.”

Based on Janette Oke’s novel When Calls the Heart, the period-set series stars Erin Krakow, Kevin McGarry, Jack Wagner, Chris McNally, Pascale Hutton and Kavan Smith. It follows a cultured, early-1900s schoolteacher named Elizabeth (Krakow) who leaves her comfortable world in the city for a new life in a frontier town.

When Calls the Heart is an All Canadian Entertainment Production in Association with Brad Krevoy Television and Believe Pictures. Brad Krevoy, Brian Bird, Michael Landon Jr., Joy Gregory, Mike Rohl, Jimmy Townsend, Amy Hartwick, Erin Krakow, Susie Belzberg, and Michael Shepard are executive producers. Vicki Sotheran and Greg Malcolm serve as producers.

Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli Sell Los Angeles Mansion Amid Split

Real estate sources tell TMZ ... the Hidden Hills property sold Monday for $12.65 million. The couple had been asking $14.95 million, so they took a hit off the asking price, but they're still walking away with a solid profit after buying the place for $9.5 million back in 2020.

The sprawling contemporary farmhouse spans nearly 12,000 square feet, loaded with luxury amenities including a fully equipped gym, custom home theater, chef's kitchen, and wine cellar. Outside, the backyard's a resort-style playground with a swimming pool, spa, bocce ball court, and BBQ area.

Lori and Mossimo, who've been living separate lives, called it quits in October. As we reported ... she's been in Los Angeles while he's been spending time in Sun Valley, Idaho.

The deal wipes one major asset off the table, but don't necessarily expect things to be smooth sailing from here. Our sources told us a prenuptial agreement could make the divorce messy and may even prevent Lori from getting anything in the split.

Tomer Fridman of The Fridman Group at Christie's International Real Estate Southern California held the listing.

Margaret DePriest Dies: Actress & Writer On ‘General Hospital’, ‘Days Of Our Lives’, ‘All My Children’ & More Was 94

Born in Bristow, OK on April 19, 1931, DePriest rose from Depression-era farm life to win a drama scholarship at the University of Oklahoma.

She began her career as an actress both onstage and television. One of her first credits was a contract role as Abby Cameron #1 on The Edge of Night from 1965-1966. She also portrayed social worker Mrs. Berger on The Doctors.

She segued to co-writer (with Lou Scofield) on The Edge of Night in the mid-1960s. In 1969, she co-created and was co-head writer of CBS Daytime’s Where the Heart Is, and went on to become head writer for daytime dramas General Hospital, Days of Our Lives, All My Children, Another World, One Life to Live, and most recently Sunset Beach.

She also appeared as an actress in guest-starring roles on The Catholic Hour, True Story and N.Y.P.D. in the late ’50s and 1960s.

DePriest earned five Daytime Emmy noms for Best Writing, first in 1985 for General Hospital, two for Days of Our Lives in 1984 and 1985, and for All My Children in 1990 and One Life to Live in 1992. She also was nominated for a WGA Award for Best Writing for Another World in 1998. In 1965, she won an Obie Award for Best Actress for her performance in The Place for Chance.

Lori Loughlin Had Dinner with Friend James Tupper Night Before Split News

The "Full House" star and James -- who was previously married to the late actress Anne Heche -- were photographed leaving The Bird Streets Club in West Hollywood on Wednesday night after grabbing dinner together.

James was seen comforting Lori, who appeared upset, as the pair chatted and laughed while slipping out of the exclusive hot spot on the Sunset Strip.

The sighting came just hours before Lori's rep confirmed on Thursday that she and Mossimo are officially separated after 28 years of marriage.

But before you jump to conclusions ... sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ Lori and James are nothing more than longtime friends. The two have worked together on professional projects in the past.

Of course, Lori and her fashion-designer estranged husband made major headlines in 2019 when prosecutors said they paid $500000 to college admissions fixer Rick Singer to get their daughter, Olivia Jade, into USC on a bogus crew scholarship -- even staging photos of her on a rowing machine.

Both Lori and Mossimo pled guilty to conspiracy charges ... she served 2 months behind bars, while he got 5.

Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli Separate After Nearly 28 Years of Marriage

PEOPLE confirms the couple — who are parents to Olivia Jade and Isabella Rose Giannulli — have separated after nearly 28 years of marriage.

"They are living apart and taking a break from their marriage. There are no legal proceedings at this time," according to Loughlin's representative Elizabeth Much.

The split comes after the Full House alum and her estranged husband listed their 11,800-square-foot mansion in Hidden Hills for $16.5 million in February.

The couple purchased the home in August 2020 for $9.5 million, PEOPLE previously confirmed, after they were embroiled in a high-profile college admissions scandal involving their daughters in 2019.

In May 2020, Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannulli pleaded guilty to wire and mail fraud after they were accused of paying $500,000 for their daughters Olivia Jade Giannulli and Isabella Rose Giannulli's admission into the University of Southern California. The two were falsely designated as recruits to the university's crew team even though neither ever participated in the sport.

Loughlin was eventually sentenced to two months in federal prison while her husband received a five-month sentence in August of the same year. The actress almost completed her sentence before she was released from prison in December 2020.

Following the scandal, the actress slowly made her return to television, beginning with reprising her role as Abigail Stanton in When Hope Calls: A Country Christmas — a spinoff to When Calls the Heart — in December 2021 on Great American Family.

She also starred opposite James Tupper in the network's January 2023 TV film Fall Into Winter and appeared with Tupper and Jesse Hutch in A Christmas Blessing the following November.

More recently, Loughlin made an appearance on Curb Your Enthusiasm, on which she played a heightened version of herself as she poked fun at her involvement in the college admissions scheme. She also recently had roles on Blue Bloods and On Call.

While she did not address the scandal directly during her conversation with First for Women Magazine, she opened up about forgiveness and learning to move forward.

"I try to be a forgiving person. I’m not one to hold onto stuff. Stuff happens to everyone. We’ve all been in positions to ask for forgiveness but to ask for it, you have to learn and know how to give forgiveness, too," she said.

"My family wasn’t one to hold grudges. I didn’t grow up in a household where if you made a mistake, you weren’t forgiven," she continued. "No one is perfect, we all make mistakes. So I was always told to let stuff go. And I think for your own health, you have to let things go because you can’t hang on to negativity. Life’s too short."

As for her secret to overcoming life's challenges, Loughlin said: "For me, it’s just persevering."

"As an actress, I hear 'no' a lot, so I just have to be myself and persevere and try not to let in negativity," she explained at the time. "My advice is to just keep moving forward. Everyone has good times and bad times. That’s life. I think you just have to pick yourself up. Nobody said life was going to be a breeze. There’s beauty in life, but there’s also hardship in life."

Frances Fisher, Will Patton, Lauren Holly Lead ‘Ruby Road’, Which Saw All Cast & Crew Get Same Daily Pay; Rosario Dawson Exec-Produces

Independent Spirit Award nominee and Guggenheim fellow Talia Lugacy directs the movie, which wrapped production this summer in rural Kentucky, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

The film follows Fisher as Ruby, a former coal-truck and school-bus driver, who when facing a terminal illness sets off in her yellow mini-bus through the Appalachian mountains on a final journey to reconcile with her past and her fractured family. The filmmakers are targeting a 2026 premiere.

Written and directed by Lugacy, the film was produced through a collaboration withAppalshop, an Appalachian media and advocacy organization, and supported by the Mellon, Ford, Schubert and MacArthur Foundations.

Appalshop and Lugacy developed the project alongside local performers, artists, and craftspeople, many of whom make cameos in the film, which hybridizes fiction and improvisational non-fiction.

The project is a continuation of the team’s cooperative filmmaking model, emulating Lugacy’s previous feature film, the Independent Spirit Award nominated This Is Not A War Story which was acquired by Warner OneFifty for HBO Max.

According to producers, everyone on the cast and crew received the same daily pay while traveling and living together throughout a 30 day shoot across three states.

Lugacy, Ryan De Franco, Emily Cooper, Julian West and Noah Lang produced with Rosario Dawson, Gill Holland, Fisher, Patton, Luke Lieberman, and Slade McPherson executive-producing. Satya Polisseti co-executive produced with Nick Shadix and Robyn Haddad serving as associate producers.

“Look at it this way – the backbone of America, the Appalachian region, is a microcosm of where we’re at as a collective, as a nation,” Lugacy said. “We have common threads in our anger about how things are, in our disillusion as well as in our fight for integrity and decency. This is a film that seizes on our common threads and asks us existentially how are we going to face the crises of our times – together, or not at all?”

Fisher said: “This is that one-in-a-million chance an actor yearns for: to grab hold of a character and to tell her story from the inside out – to do her justice. Then to collaborate with passionate and fiercely dedicated writer-director Talia Lugacy, was a dream come true. The scope of what we accomplished, across three states in Appalachia – from the depths of pathos to the heights of tenderness and humor with each one of my fellow actors, made this experience a poetic odyssey.”

“This is my third feature collaboration with Talia. We’ve continuously aimed to explore and celebrate the complexities of being human which has been both the guiding light of our independent filmmaking and our friendship,” said Dawson in a statement. “We’re obsessed by the worlds we’ve championed on this journey together. Producing stories that push us to dig deep and take creative risks is the driving focus that has compelled and moved us all of these years.”

Fisher is repped by Greene Talent; Patton by Grand View Management and IAG; Gainey by Monolith Entertainment Group and ATB Talent; and Holly by Mavrick Artists Agency, The Characters Talent Agency, and Gilbertson Entertainment.

Jack Betts Dies: ‘Spider-Man’ Actor Was 96

Per The Hollywood Reporter, which first reported the news, Betts died Thursday in his sleep at his Los Osos, Calif. home, his nephew, Dean Sullivan, said.

Born Jack Fillmore Betts (saying he bore a relation to the 13th POTUS Millard Fillmore) on April 11, 1929 in Jersey City, NJ, he grew up in Miami, where he eventually studied theater at University of Miami. Afterward, he moved to New York City, where he made his Broadway debut in 1953’s Richard III.

When a friend asked him to help with an audition for Lee Strasberg’s famed nonprofit, The Actors Studio, the director of the prestigious acting school granted him a three-year scholarship to study there. As a result, the venerated Elia Kazan later cast him in a production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. (He later returned to Braodway for Kazan’s 1959 production of Sweet Bird of Youth, as well as a late ’70s revival of Dracula, in which he once portrayed the eponymous count as Raul Julia’s standby.)

Betts’ first film credit was in 1959’s The Bloody Brood, and in 1966 he was cast as the title character in Franco Giraldi’s Sugar Colt, billed as Hunt Powers for the first time. That kicked off a string of credits in over a dozen Spaghetti Westerns through the 1970s.

On the television side, Betts racked up a number of appearances in daytime soaps, including General Hospital, The Young Marrieds, The Edge of Night, The Doctors, Another World, All My Children, Falcon Crest, Search for Tomorrow, Guiding Light, Generations and The Young and the Restless.

His other notable arcs included episodes for Perry Mason and The F.B.I., as well as turns in popular series like Gunsmoke, Seinfeld, Mad TV, Frasier, Everybody Loves Raymond, Friends, The Mentalist and Monk. (Betts was great friends with Everybody Loves Raymond star Doris Roberts, whom he met at The Actors Studio in the ’50s; the two shared a home from the late ’80s until her death in 2016.)

In Spider-Man, Betts notably portrays Henry Balkan, the Oscorp Technologies board chairman who tells Willem Dafoe’s Norman Osborn, “You’re out, Norman,” kicking off the Green Goblin’s villainous arc. Later on in the movie, Osborn parrots back the phrase to Balkan, as he vaporizes the board in an attack on Times Square, gleefully shouting: “Out, am I?” Additional film credits include 1993’s Falling Down with Michael Douglas and Robert Duvall, the 1995 Val Kilmer-starring Batman Forever and 1998’s Gods and Monsters opposite Ian McKellen and Brendan Fraser.

In addition to his nephew, survivors include his nieces, Lynne and Gail, and his sister, Joan, who turns 100 in November.

Following the news of his death, Beverly Hills Playhouse shared a tribute to the performer on Instagram, writing: “Our beloved Jack Betts passed away peacefully at home. It is a sad day for the BHP as we have enjoyed his presence for so many years. There are actors who credit him with their not giving up because of his encouragement. We were so fortunate to have enjoyed his great spirit, passion and true dedication to the work. There was only ever one like this and we are the richer for having his presence in our theatre. Rest in peace, Jack.”

‘On Call’ Done On Prime Video After Renewal Talks Fall Through, Being Shopped To Other Buyers

This is a somewhat surprising development as On Call, created by Tim Walsh and Elliot Wolf, has done well, reaching the #1 slot on the streamer in the U.S. following the January 9 drop of all eight episodes and earning 92% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. (The series received mixed reactions from critics.)

Indeed, Amazon a few weeks ago approached the producers of the show about a two-season renewal, sources said. It was looking good until the offer was accompanied by a request to reduce the premium on the series, I hear. Under the widely used current cost-plus streaming compensation model, the license fee producers get from the platforms covers the cost of the series plus a premium on top, which goes to the project’s profit participants and studio in lieu of backend.

This is not a surprising development — virtually every renewal conversation in the current tough economic environment across broadcast and streaming has come with strings attached involving license fee/budget reductions. The process is even harder when outside studios are involved as they face an ever higher threshold for renewal consideration. (Universal Television is the lead studio for On Call, co-producing with Amazon MGM Studios in association with NBCU-based Wolf Entertainment.)

According to sources, Amazon’s argument for the cut was that the company was losing money on the show, also something we hear often, especially on series that are not owned. For Wolf Entertainment and Universal TV, reducing a premium that was not big to begin with was not economically feasible, so the status of On Call at Amazon went from a pending two-season renewal to cancellation within the span of weeks.

All things considered, the parting of the ways was amicable, with Amazon allowing the producers to take back the rights to the existing season if they find a new home for the series, something not all streamers agree to.

I hear there are active conversations with two places. Not surprisingly, one of them is believed to be NBCUniversal’s Peacock, streaming home to Dick Wolf’s NBC Chicago and Law & Order dramas as well as his Peacock original Law & Order: Organized Crime, all ranking among the most watched programs on the platform.

Bringing back the half-hour drama genre from the early days of television in the streaming age has been a passion for Wolf. Like he has done with Law & Order, Chicago Fire and FBI, he has envisioned On Call as a franchise, with a second half-hour drama in development behind it, I hear.

The franchise potential is being shopped alongside On Call, Wolf’s first original streaming series. Still, it will likely come down to financials, with sources pegging the odds of the police drama continuing elsewhere at 50-50.

On Call was originally set up in 2021 at Amazon’s AVOD platform IMDb TV, which became Amazon Freevee before shutting down last fall. By then, the series had migrated to Prime Video. On Call stars Bellisario and Larracuente as a veteran officer and rookie duo who patrol the streets of Long Beach, CA. Incorporating a mixture of bodycam, dash-camera, and cellphone footage to create a cinema verité effect, the series explores the morality of protecting and serving a community.

The recurring cast includes Lori Loughlin, Eriq La Salle and Rich Ting. Dick Wolf, his son Elliot Wolf, Walsh, La Salle, who directed multiple episodes, and Peter Jankowski are executive producers.

John O’Hurley Family Flick

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