Hallmark's 'Countdown to Valentine's Day' Schedule: A Love Letter to 'Suits' Fans
With another Hallmark Channel Countdown to Christmas in the books, and its Winterfest in full swing, you know what’s next: The network will launch its annual Countdown to Valentine’s Day on Jan. 30.
As you see in the exclusive promo above, the 16-night event will feature the premiere of five new original movies starring Suits’ Meghan Markle and Sarah Rafferty, Parenthood’s Erika Christensen, The O.C.’s Autumn Reeser, and Summerland’s Taylor Cole.
Yahoo TV has the first look at the schedule below.
Dater’s Handbook (premieres Sat., Jan. 30 at 9 p.m. ET)
Stars: Suits’ Meghan Markle, Backstrom’s Kristoffer Palaha, Angel of Christmas’s Jonathan Scarfe
The Synopsis: Realizing she has a recurring habit of picking the wrong type of guy, Cassandra Barber (Markle) turns to relationship expert, Dr. Susie, and her latest self-help book, The Dater’s Handbook, to help with her ailing love life. She follows the advice in Dr. Susie’s book to evaluate potential suitors, and then must ultimately choose between reliable George (Scarfe) and fun-loving Robert (Palaha). It’s hard to change old habits and place your faith in the experts, especially when your heart tells you something different.
All Things Valentine (premieres Sun., Jan. 31 at 9 p.m. ET)
Stars: Suits’ Sarah Rafferty, Mad Men’s Sam Page
The Synopsis: When Avery Parker (Rafferty) is assigned a Valentine’s Day advice column for the local newspaper, she’s less than thrilled. After a string of disappointing Valentine’s Days, she’s all but given up on love. But when Avery takes her dog to the vet and meets the handsome veterinarian Brenden Bates (Page), she throws herself into the assignment. A chance encounter with the newly single Brenden leads to a date and Avery starts thinking maybe this year will be different. What Avery doesn’t know is that Brenden’s ex-girlfriend broke up with him because of Avery’s advice column and he’s been leaving angry comments on her blog ever since. This has piqued the interest of other readers as he and Avery battle online. With Valentine’s Day approaching, they begin to spend more time together and feelings grow, but when Avery learns what Brenden has been doing, she’ll question whether this is a love story or yesterday’s news.
Appetite For Love (premieres Sat., Feb. 6 at 9 p.m. ET)
Stars: Summerland’s Taylor Cole, A Bride for Christmas’s Andrew Walker
The Synopsis: Mina (Cole) has everything going for her — a boyfriend who has meticulously planned out their lives and a great job with International Corporate Brands. But her world is turned upside down when work sends her to her hometown in Tennessee where she must convince an old, stubborn restaurant owner to sell his property. There is just one problem — the restaurant is now owned by her ex-boyfriend, Clay (Walker), who claims he will never sell. He resists her negotiations every step of the way, and all the while sparks fly.
Valentine Ever After (premieres Sat., Feb. 13 at 9 p.m.)
Stars: The O.C.’s Autumn Reeser
The Synopsis: Big city girls Julia (Reeser) and Sydney (Vanessa Matsui) take a trip to a dude ranch in Wyoming for a fun weekend getaway. But when a brawl ensues in the local bar one night, the girls are sentenced to perform community service for disorderly conduct and are forced to stay in town. In addition to doing odds and ends around town, the girls discover a charitable cause and help create a Valentine’s Day party for the charity. In the process, Julia realizes she has a knack for marketing and considers changing her career plan, and falls for a charming cowboy (Eric Johnson) in the process.
Anything For Love (premieres Sun., Feb. 14 at 9 p.m.)
Stars: Parenthood’s Erika Christensen, A Christmas Detour’s Paul Greene, Bomb Girls’ Antonio Cupo
The Synopsis: Katherine (Christensen), a high-powered executive who believes men are intimidated by her career, is persuaded by her friend to create an internet dating profile claiming she is an executive assistant. Meanwhile, Jack (Greene), a male nurse, creates his own internet dating profile without realizing his best friend has secretly changed his profession to be a doctor. They are matched and find themselves falling in love, but hiding their true identities proves far trickier than expected when Katherine’s ornery and controlling father ends up in the hospital under Jack’s care.
“Hallmark is the unmatched destination for year-round, original content celebrating special occasions and holidays, and Countdown to Valentine’s has become a beloved programming event for our viewers,” Michelle Vicary, Crown Media Family Networks’ EVP of Programming, says in the announcement. “It’s an honor to tell heartfelt stories that resonate with such feeling for Valentine’s Day.”
The Countdown to Valentine’s Day begins Jan. 30 on Hallmark Channel.
