Holly Robinson Peete made her Hallmark Channel debut back in 2015, starring in the holiday film “Angel of Christmas.”
Since then, she’s become a staple on the network, having appeared in more than a dozen films for Hallmark — including a bunch of Christmas movies.
She continues to be a popular star for the network; her most recent movie for Hallmark was “Hats Off to Love,” released in 2025.
The Perfect Hallmark Movie
HallmarkRobinson Peete was among the Hallmark actors who appeared on a panel hosted by the Television Critics Association on Wednesday, August 5, in celebration of Hallmark Channel’s 25th anniversary.
As the panel progressed, Robinson Peete was asked an intriguing question: “Outside of the rivalry that turns into a romantic spark, what are the three must-have elements for a Hallmark movie?”
Thinking for a moment, the fast-on-her-feet actress offered an a quick — and hilarious — response.
“Okay, well, we gotta have a meet-cute,” she said of the first element.
“We gotta be baking some cookies,” she said of the second, and then finally delivered her third.
“And Santa gets a flat tire,” she quipped, sending the assembly of Hallmark Channel stars into a collective fit of laughter.
“There you go,” she said, adding one more surefire element for a Hallmark hit: “Starring Tyler Hynes.”
A Connection to Canada
It’s far from a secret that many of Hallmark’s movies are filmed in Canada, particularly the West Coast city of Vancouver.
For Robinson Peete, leaving her home in Los Angeles to shoot a Hallmark production in Vancouver feels less like going away than it does coming home.
“I started working in Canada in 1986 on ’21 Jump Street,'” she said during the panel, recalling the groundbreaking cop show in which she co-starred with a young Johnny Depp.
Vancouver Feels ‘Like Home’
While Vancouver has since been home to countless films and TV series, back in the 1980s an American TV show filming there was a novelty.
“Nobody was shooting up there then,” she said.
“And I couldn’t believe it because I was like, ‘This is amazing.’ Like, the crews were amazing. The actor talent was ripe. And it just was a brilliant move on the part of [’21 Jump Street’ creator] Stephen J. Cannell, who was really one of the pioneers of shooting up there,” she continued.
“And so years later, fast forward, doing Hallmark productions, coming back to Vancouver, you know, 20 years later, it really felt like home,” she added. “There’s just something very conducive to the Canadian filmmaking community that just lends itself to great productions, and I’m so glad that’s where we shoot the majority of our work.”
Holly Loves Christmas
HallmarkAs Robinson Peete explained in an interview with Blavity, it’s no coincidence that she’s gravitated towards Hallmark Channel’s holiday movies.
“Well, A, my name is Holly, so I’m already locked. I was born loving Christmas,” she said.
“And so I feel like that’s been part of my just brand as a little girl, my whole life just loving Christmas, celebrating Christmas. And so when I had the opportunity to come to Hallmark Channel and do some work, do some movies for them … I jumped at it. I was so excited. I love the content. I love the programming. I was happy to bring a little flavor to the network and bring a little diversity. I thought that was really cool because I thought diversity was needed. You got to have that in TV.”
