It’s not even Halloween yet, but Hallmark Channel‘s 2026 Countdown to Christmas movies are already getting millions of fans into the holiday spirit.
Eight of Hallmark’s 34 new holiday movies this year have October premieres (six have aired, two more to go), and according to Forbes, 12 million viewers had already tuned in as of October 29, 2026, not including those who’ve watched via the network’s streamer, Hallmark+. And what they’re loving is a bit of a Christmas surprise…
‘Forgotten Holiday’ is Tops Among October’s Hallmark Christmas Movies So Far
Hallmark’s 17th annual Countdown to Christmas kicked off on October 16 with fan-favorites Victor Webster, Amanda Schull, and Barbara Niven in “‘Tis the Season for Setups,” followed the next night by one of its most-promoted movies of the season — “Holiday Touchdown: A Bears Love Story.”
With an all-star cast including Chicago Bears legends and Hallmark stars Robert Buckley and Lyndsy Fonseca, the movie drew 1.2 million viewers, per Forbes. That’s the least-watched of Hallmark’s NFL partnership movies, but the other two premiered during Thanksgiving weekend rather than in the middle of October. Tyler Hynes and Hunter King’s 2024 movie, with a storyline connected to the Kansas City Chiefs, drew 2.8 million viewers, while 2025’s Buffalo Bills-themed movie brought in 1.5 million.
Of the six movies that have premiered so far in October, the ratings winner is a bit of a surprise, but well-deserved. “Forgotten Holiday,” starring Janel Parrish and Daniel Lissing, drew 1.5 million viewers, “on par with the Houston Cougars vs. Utah Utes football game on ESPN” that night, per Forbes.
Lissing, a longtime Hallmark star and “When Calls the Heart” alum, plays a man who loses his memories from the last year of his life, during which he met and proposed to an antiques dealer played by Parrish, also a longtime Hallmark fan-favorite. With a compelling and complex storyline, beautiful cinematography, and a fabulous supporting cast, it’s no surprise fans and critics are swooning over the movie via social media.
The hosts of the “Deck the Hallmark” podcast, a popular trio of guys (Hallmark fans Brandon Gray and Dan Pandolph, and Hallmark skeptic Dan Thom) who review all of Hallmark’s movies, were blown away by the early entry in Hallmark’s 2026 lineup, heralding Tracy Andreen‘s script, saying that Parrish “crushed” her role and that it’s a “career best” for Lissing.
Fangirlish also raved, “You made this self-proclaimed Grinch cry, feel, and want to believe in something again. I’m thankful for that, even if I’m still a little annoyed about how many tissues it took.”
Fans seem to wholeheartedly agree, including one who wrote, “LOVED LOVED this movie so much!!!!!!! Everything Janel touches turns magical—and this was a great pairing, too—just awesome cast!!!👏👏👏”
Which Other Hallmark Christmas Movies Have October Premieres?
Forbes hasn’t provided specific ratings details for the other Christmas movies that have already premiered in October, but noted that five of the six films “have already broken into the 200 most-watched cable programs of their respective weeks, beating college football games and some episodes of popular Fox News programs like ‘Hannity.'”
The other movies that have premiered this month were “Winter Wonderlanes” with Ashley Newbrough and Franco Lo Presti, “Mr. & Mrs. Christmas” starring Brendan Penny and Pascale Hutton, and “What If Christmas?” featuring Lori Loughlin and Tom Cavanagh.
Rounding out this month’s holiday premieres will be “Who’s Coming For Christmas?” starring Rhiannon Fish and Jake Foy on October 30, and “Adopting St. Nick” with Amy Groening and Michael Rady. Both movies premiere on Hallmark Channel at 8 p.m. Eastern time, and — like all of the other movies — will be available to stream via Hallmark+ the following day.
In 2025, 38 million people tuned into Hallmark’s Christmas movies, making it the most-watched cable network of the fourth quarter for the 12th year in a row. With October delivering 30 percent of that audience already, it appears Hallmark’s on track for another remarkable season.
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