LGBTQ Lifetime Christmas Movie to Star Marrieds Ben Lewis and Blake Lee

Matt Webb Mitovich
·2 min read

In a strong contender for Perfect Casting of the Year, Ben Lewis (Arrow, Shadowhunters) and Blake Lee (Parks and Recreation, Mixology) — who are married in real life — have been tapped to partake in The Christmas Setup, Lifetime‘s first holiday movie with a lead LGBTQ storyline.

A feel-good LGBTQ holiday romance, The Christmas Setup, which also was written and directed by members of the LGBTQ community, follows Hugo (played by Lewis), a New York lawyer who heads to Milwaukee with his best friend Madelyn (GLOW‘s Ellen Wong) to spend the holidays with his mom Kate (The Nanny‘s Fran Drescher), who is (of course!) also in charge of the local Christmas celebrations.

Ever the matchmaker, Kate arranges for Hugo to run into Patrick (played by Lee), a high school friend and secret crush of Hugo’s who has recently returned after a successful stint in Silicon Valley. As they enjoy the local holiday festivities together, Hugo and Patrick’s attraction to each other is undeniable and it looks as though Kate’s Santa-style matchmaking is a success. But as Hugo receives word of a big promotion requiring a move to London, he must decide what is most important to him.

The Christmas Setup, like the Asian American-led A Sugar & Spice Holiday (get casting news), represents Lifetime’s mission to redefine the traditional holiday movies in its slate with diverse talent in front of, and behind, the camera.

For The Christmas Setup, Lifetime is working closely with GLAAD to ensure the movie represents the LGBTQ community sensitively and accurately.

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