Lori Loughlin is officially back at Hallmark Channel. She just returned to her “Garage Sale Mysteries” franchise, reuniting with the cast for their 17th movie on September 19, 2026, and she’s back in the saddle as Abigail Stanton on “When Calls the Heart,” currently filming season 14 (Hallmark even gave us a sneak peek at Abigail and Elizabeth’s emotional reunion).
Next up on Loughlin’s comeback tour is her first Hallmark holiday movie since 2018’s “Homegrown Christmas” with Victor Webster. On October 25, she’ll co-star with “Ed” and “The Flash” alum Tom Cavanagh in “What If Christmas,” which she told Decider she’s been working on bringing to life for several years.
Lori Loughlin Explains How ‘What If Christmas’ Came To Be
“I have the most, I think, delightful Christmas movie coming out,” Loughlin told Decider, noting that it’s been a passion project that she’s been trying to make for some time with her friend Cara J. Russell, a screenwriter and producer who’s written many rom-coms for Hallmark, Netflix and Great American Family.
“This one is close to me,” Loughlin explained. “I was looking for a project about four years ago, maybe even longer, for another network before I went back to Hallmark. I said to (Cara), ‘I know you have something hiding in your closet somewhere.’ And she said, ‘Well, I do have this one script, but it’s written for a younger couple.’ And I said, ‘Would you send it to me?'”
“I read it, and I was like, ‘Okay, there’s a story here,'” Loughlin recalled. “I started developing that and then it never came to fruition with the other network. But it was always kind of still in my mind. I was always like, ‘I’d love to get this made.’ And then when everything came together with Hallmark again and they wanted to do a Christmas movie, I called Brad Krevoy who produces ‘When Calls the Heart’ and produces a lot of stuff for Hallmark, an independent producer.”
Loughlin said she called Krevoy and suggested they pitch “What If Christmas” to Hallmark together after some work on the script by Russell, whom she said “did a lovely job.”
“Then they had another writer come in and really polish it up and make some changes,” Loughlin said, referring to Julie Sherman Wolfe, who’s among Hallmark’s most beloved screenwriters.
“It just all came together and I I really like it,” Loughlin told Decider. “I think it’s different too for Hallmark. I mean, it definitely follows the Christmas mode, but it’s a little bit of unique. That’s all I’ll say. It’s fun though. It’s very heartwarming and I’m so happy we got it made, and I think the audience will like it.”
Lori Loughlin Loved Working With Tom Cavanagh
HallmarkLoughlin also called Cavanagh a “dream come true” co-star, gushing to Decider, “I can’t say enough wonderful things about Tom Cavanagh. He’s just a delightful, funny, fantastic actor.”
Cavanagh is no stranger to Hallmark fans; he last appeared in an episode of “Mistletoe Murders” during the series’ first season in 2024, but he previously co-starred with Kimberly Williams-Paisley in the “Darrow & Darrow Mystery” franchise from 2016 to 2019.
According to Hallmark’s synopsis, Loughlin plays Erin, “who has always supported her heart surgeon husband, Adam’s (Cavanagh) career by organizing the hospital’s 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.”
“What If Christmas” will be one of the first movies in Hallmark’s 2026 Countdown to Christmas lineup, premiering on October 25 at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
