Bring on the mistletoe! Hallmark Channel’s 16th annual Countdown to Christmas kicks off on October 17, 2025, and we’re feeling extra jolly about this year’s onscreen pairings.
With two jam-packed months of movies and series ahead, it was no picnic picking just a few couples we can’t wait to see, given all the magical match-ups. But in the end, these Top 8 duos have our hearts thumping with the most anticipation, and we’re happy to tell you why. So — in no particular order, cue the holiday meet-cutes and bring on those snow-capped romances!
TYLER HYNES & ERIN KRAKOW: “Christmas Above the Clouds”
Let’s start with the most obvious gift under the tree! Fans have been wanting a reunion between Hallmark Channel heartthrob Tyler Hynes and “When Calls the Heart” queen Erin Krakow since the final moment of their first movie together — 2021’s “It Was Always You.”
In July, they announced their reunion with a hilarious teaser set to Peaches & Herb’s “Reunited” and, understandably, fans went wild. Although “Christmas Above the Clouds” isn’t a sequel, everyone’s eager to see this dynamic duo’s chemistry fly off the screen again.
In the movie, promoted as a modern take on “A Christmas Carol,” Krakow plays a workaholic CEO who tries to skip Christmas (gasp!) by flying to Australia. But on the loooong flight, she finds herself haunted by her past, present, and future, AND unexpectedly reunited with her ex, played by Hynes. Will she rediscover Christmas magic and true love all in one flight? We are so ready for take-off! “Christmas Above the Clouds” premieres on November 8 at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
KIMBERLEY SUSTAD & ROBERT BUCKLEY: “Merry Christmas, Ted Cooper!”
We have been pumped for this pairing since Hallmark announced “Merry Christmas, Ted Cooper!” We hope Kimberley Sustad’s brilliant brand of dry, offbeat humor gets to shine alongside the adorably quirky and smirky Robert Buckley. Preview pics from the set, including Buckley in a hilarious snowman costume, tell us we’re in for a wild ride!
According to the logline, Buckley plays Ted Cooper, a TV weatherman who loves Christmas but has experienced three really bad Christmases in a row. Positively determined to make this Christmas very merry, he faces a bunch of injuries and obstacles on his way home for the holidays — including landing in Urgent Care with a doctor who was his former crush, played by Sustad.
These two are not only funny but have huge hearts, so they know how to make a rom-com seriously sparkle. Keep in mind: Sustad is one of three screenwriters behind the “Three Wise Men” franchise, tasked with crafting all the touching moments that occur as hilarity ensues. Add in prolific Hallmark director Jason Borque, hilarious screenwriter Russell Hainline, and the fact that Buckley’s one of the executive producers? We’re expecting rom-com gold. “Merry Christmas, Ted Cooper!” premieres on October 25 at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
TAMERA MOWRY-HOUSLEY & B.J. BRITT: “Tidings For the Season”
GettyBravo to the Hallmark casting wizards who thought to pair up longtime star Tamera Mowry-Housley and B.J. Britt, who’s quickly become a fan favorite as part of “The Groomsmen” trilogy with Tyler Hynes and Jonathan Bennett.
We expect great chemistry between Mowry-Housley, a consummate professional and sitcom alum who’s been acting practically her whole life, and Britt, a giant goofball who’s also got a huge emotional wingspan when a script or topic touches him.
Their unique combo of talents will certainly come in handy for “Tidings For the Season,” in which Britt plays Adam Kade, a serious local news anchor whose life “takes an unexpected turn in early December” when he meets 10-year-old Robbie, his biggest fan, and Robbie’s single mom, Lucy, played by Mowry-Housley. Robbie’s one request of his favorite newscaster? To balance out the bad news by reporting good, uplifting stories, too. Can he do it without compromising his career? We have a feeling Mowry-Housley and Britt will be tugging at our heartstrings and we are here for it! “Tidings of the Season” premieres on November 16 at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
RHIANNON FISH & BEN ROSENBAUM: “The Christmas Cup”
HallmarkBen Rosenbaum is on fire! 2025 has been a big year for the longtime “When Calls The Heart” star, who not only married his real-life leading lady, co-star Erin Krakow (who made our Top 8, too), but he also landed his first leading role in a Hallmark movie with “The Christmas Cup.”
Hearties can’t wait to see another side of Rosenbaum as a rom-com leading man and we think he’s been perfectly paired up with Rhiannon Fish, who seems to spark genuine, sizzling onscreen chemistry with every actor she works with.
In “The Christmas Cup,” Fish plays Staff Sergeant Kelly Brandt, who returns home for the holidays in low spirits due to a potentially career-ending knee injury. Her family tries to boost her spirits by convincing her to lead a hometown team in the local Christmas Cup competition, and sparks fly when she receives help from Fire Captain Quinn Stokley, played by Rosenbaum. We’re hoping for a four-alarm fire with these two! “The Christmas Cup” premieres on November 30 at 6 p.m. Eastern time.
LACEY CHABERT & ANDREW WALKER: “She’s Making a List”
Hear ye, hear ye! “She’s Making a List” delivers an onscreen reunion of rom-com royalty — Hallmark Channel’s queen of Christmas Lacey Chabert is paired up with one of Hallmark’s meet-cute kings, Andrew Walker, for the first time since their 2018 flick, “My Secret Valentine.”
The duo had been hoping to reunite onscreen, even suggesting movie ideas to Hallmark executives, Walker told EntertainmentNow. It turned out that Hallmark was one step ahead, already working on finding the right script and timing for the two to come back together. Walker described the movie as “Hallmark Christmas meets ‘Men in Black,'” which has us all the more excited.
According to the synopsis, Chabert plays Naughty or Nice inspector Isabel Haynes, who is “assigned to evaluate mischievous 11-year-old Charlie.” But things get complicated when she unexpectedly falls for Charlie’s widowed father, Jason Duncan, played by Walker. As her heart softens, she starts to question the rigid rules of her job and entertain the true magic of Christmas. “She’s Making a List” premieres on December 6 at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
MEGHAN ORY & BENJAMIN AYRES: “A Christmas Angel Match”
This darling duo has us walking on air! In “A Christmas Angel Match,” longtime Hallmark stars Meghan Ory and Benjamin Ayres play two “rival” angels who have to work together on Earth to match up human couples during the holiday season.
As they’re butting heads, we get to see Ayres put his comedic chops to good use as the “fun and spontaneous” angel, which is how Ory’s older, wiser angel describes him in one preview — and she does not see it as a compliment. Though they may ruffle each other’s feathers, there’s also a spark between these two that they can’t deny.
Ayres and Ory are old pros at making onscreen magic, but he told EntertainmentNow that portraying angels was an intriguing and super sweet challenge, unlike anything they’ve done before. We have a feeling it’ll be a match made in Heaven. “A Christmas Angel Match” premieres on October 17 at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
NIKKI DELOACH & KRISTOFFER POLAHA: “Grand Ole Opry Christmas”
We really can’t think of a better duo than Nikki DeLoach and Kristoffer Polaha to headline Hallmark’s first-ever partnership with Nashville’s iconic Grand Ole Opry to tell a gritty-but-charming story layered with grief, healing, time-travel, and the rich history of an iconic landmark. Both actors excel at stories like these, from DeLoach’s deeply emotional “The Gift of Peace” to Polaha’s time-travel hit “A Biltmore Christmas.”
Oh, and did we mention they’ve been friends for more than two decades? “A Grand Ole Opry Christmas” will be an onscreen reunion for DeLoach and Polaha, who co-starred in the TV series “North Shore” in 2004 and 2005.
The movie was a major undertaking, filmed in Nashville and Kansas City with a star-studded cast that includes Hallmark favorites Sharon Lawrence, James Denton, and Eliza Hayes Maher, as well as country superstar Brad Paisley and a dozen cameos from fellow country artists. DeLoach and Polaha will be the glue that holds it all together, which sounds like a grand plan to us. “A Grand Ole Opry Christmas” premieres on November 29 at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
ALI LIEBERT & KATHERINE BARRELL in “The Christmas Baby”
It’s not lost on us that the final movie of Hallmark Channel’s Countdown to Christmas extravaganza, premiering days before Christmas, is a celebration of mother(s) and child. Nicely played, Hallmark.
“The Christmas Baby” brings together longtime Hallmark stars Ali Liebert and Kat Barrell as a busy couple who live and work together. But they’re thrown for a loop “when a baby boy shows up on their doorstep days before Christmas with a note written specially for them,” per the synopsis. As they find themselves temporarily fostering the infant, they fall head over heels for the little guy — and decide to navigate the complicated process of trying to adopt him together.
Liebert and Barrell’s excitement about the movie is absolutely contagious. They’ve both already shared heartwarming posts about working together and how proud they are of the movie, including Barrell writing on October 10, “If this doesn’t make your heart sing with joy then I’ve got nothing left to help you.” Sounds like the perfect way to wrap up Countdown to Christmas! “The Christmas Baby” premieres on December 21 at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
