Mishael Morgan, Jackeé Harry, Jonathan Bennett, and Donna Mills.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. The time when networks, streaming channels, and apps transition into holiday TV movie mode. This year, daytime soap stars — current and former — appear in several of these popular films premiering in December.
My Norwegian Holiday (Hallmark Channel @ 8 p.m. ET)
The Holiday Tale: Dealing with her grandma’s death, JJ (Rhiannon Fish) seeks dissertation inspiration. Henrik (David Elsendoorn), drawn to her troll figurine, invites her to Bergen, Norway, to trace its origins.
The Soap Connection: Rhiannon Fish (find out about her special relationship with The Young and the Restless alum Hunter King [ex Summer]) is an actress who’s starred on soaps in her native Australia. There, she appeared on Home and Away and Neighbours, which was recently rebooted on Amazon’s FreeVee app.
Ladies of the ’80s: A Divas Christmas (Lifetime @ 8 p.m. ET)
The Holiday Tale: Five glamorous ‘80s soap opera stars reunite to share the spotlight to shoot the final Christmas episode of their long-running soap opera. This holiday movie stars Loni Anderson, Morgan Fairchild, Linda Gray, Donna Mills, and Nicollette Sheridan.
The Soap Connection: This much-anticipated Lifetime movie features five legendary ladies of primetime television. However, a couple of them did stints on daytime soaps, too. For example, Donna Mills’s first credit as an actress (according to IMDB) is The Secret Storm. Of course, in her post-Knots Landing career, she played Nina Reeves’s nasty mom, Madeline Reeves on General Hospital.
Also, before Morgan Fairchild made her mark on Flamingo Road, Dallas and as Chandler’s mom on Friends, she played the villainous Jennifer Pace on Search for Tomorrow and later played Sydney Chase on The City. At one point, she played a recast Anjelica Deveraux. In fact, she put that DAYS’ character to bed, so to speak. Anjelica was actually found dead in a hotel bed next to Lucas. Finally, Patrika Darbo — Chloe’s mom Nancy Wesley on DAYS and Shirley Spectra on The Bold and the Beautiful — appears in Ladies of the 80s as well.
Christmas with a Kiss (Hallmark Channel @ 8 p.m. ET)
The Holiday Tale: A social media brand ambassador (Mishael Morgan), with the aid of two handsome would-be suitors (Jaime M. Callica and Ronnie Rowe Jr.), uses her influence to bolster interest in her family’s annual Christmas carnival.
The Soap Connection: Mishael Morgan is one of this year’s “it” girls when it comes to holiday TV movies. Christmas with a Kiss is her second movie of the season. She can also be seen in Sworn Justice: Taken by Christmas on BET+. As daytime audiences know, Morgan is best known for playing two roles on Y&R — Hilary Curtis and Amanda Sinclair.
Yuletide the Knot (UPtv @ 7 p.m ET)
The Holiday Tale: When small-town wedding planner Rachel (Mary Antonini) is faced with planning her biggest Christmas wedding yet for an out-of-town influencer couple, she is thrown an unexpected surprise when the bride’s manager turns out to be Logan (Peter Porte), her first love and high school sweetheart. He reminds her what it is to love, and through rediscovering the magic of Christmas, she rediscovers a part of her heart she closed off long ago.
The Soap Connection: Peter Porte (did you know these things about him?) once played Ricky Williams on Y&R, but these “DAYS,” he’s the uber-shady Dimitri Von Leuschner on Days of our Lives. He also produced the flick (and talks about it here).
Rescuing Christmas (Streams on Hallmark Movies Now app)
The Holiday Tale: After being granted three wishes by Santa, Erin Smithson (Rachael Leigh Cook) inadvertently erases Christmas from history. After realizing what a huge mistake she’s made, Erin sets out to bring it back with the help from her brother-in-law’s coworker Sam (Sam Page).
The Soap Connection: Sam Page has been starring in primetime series and in Hallmark movies for so long, does anyone remember he got his start on soaps? Back in 2002, he played Trey Kenyon on All My Children. His character was related to Kendall Hart (Alicia Minshew), David Hayward (Vincent Irizarry), and Leo du Pres (Josh Duhamel)!
Never Alone for Christmas (Streams on BET+)
The Holiday Tale: When Lauren (Mignon Von) gets cold feet and calls off her wedding to Miles (Allen Maldonado), neither dreams they would be forced to spend Christmas alone. By coincidence, each winds up at the same Cajun Christmas retreat, each with someone new on their arm. Also stars Grammy winner Macy Gray.
The Soap Connection: Allen Maldonado has starred in shows like Survivor’s Remorse, Heels, The Wonder Years reboot and Black-ish. Years ago, he played a character named Jamal on Y&R.
Merry Little Batman (Streams on Prime Video)
The Holiday Tale: In this animated holiday special, young Damian Wayne finds himself home alone in Wayne Manor on Christmas Eve, and he must become “Little Batman” to defend his home and Gotham City when supervillains set out to destroy the holidays.
The Soap Connection: Veteran actor Brian George voices iconic DC supervillain The Penguin in Prime Video’s Merry Little Batman. Soap fans may recognize him as playing Dr. Ahmed Namour on B&B in the mid-90s.
Christmas on Cherry Lane (Hallmark Channel @ 8 p.m. ET)
The Holiday Tale: Christmas Eves past and present across the decades bring a heartfelt connection between three families as they navigate pivotal moments in their lives.
The Soap Connection: A slew of Hallmark Media regulars make up the cast of Christmas on Cherry Lane. While Catherine Bell, James Denton, along with relative Hallmark newbie Vincent Rodriguez III star in this holiday flick, it’s time to focus on their cast mates Jonathan Bennett and John Brotherton. Both actors are ABC Daytime alums: Bennett played one of the JR Chandlers on All My Children, while Brotherton was Natalie’s husband Jared Banks on One Life to Live. Dastardly OLTL villain Mitch Laurence shot Jared dead.
A Cowboy Christmas Romance (Lifetime @ 8 p.m. ET)
The Holiday Tale: One week before Christmas, a huge business deal sends real estate “closer” Lexie Crenshaw (Jana Kramer) back to a place she swore she’d never return to: her hometown of Tubac, Arizona. Back on the range, Lexie must convince Coby Mason (Adam Senn), a horse-whispering rancher, to part ways with his family’s land, while navigating her relationship with her father (Bruce Thomas) and brothers she left behind, leading her to reconsider the life she gave up 10 years ago.
The Soap Connection: Max Ehrich, also known one time as Fenmore Baldwin on Y&R, is the connection to this project that reportedly features Lifetime’s first sex scene in a holiday movie. Since leaving daytime’s #1 soap, Ehrich has appeared in the CBS drama Under the Dome, an MTV series called Sweet Vicious, and the music video for Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber’s song “Stuck with You.”
Heaven Down Here (Hallmark Movies and Mysteries @ 8 p.m. ET)
The Holiday Tale: A Christmas Eve snowstorm strands four disparate people in a diner overnight. While no one planned to be away from their loved ones, it turns out each of them was exactly where they needed to be. Inspired by Mickey Guyton’s song of the same name.
The Soap Connection: While the cast includes Krystal Joy Brown, Juan Riedinger, and Richard Harmon, two legends grace us with their presence in this inspirational movie: Phylicia Rashad and Tina Lifford. Even though she’s best known as Claire Huxtable from The Cosby Show, Rashad has appeared on both OLTL and Santa Barbara. As for Lifford, in primetime, she appeared on Knots Landing and Queen Sugar. In the daytime universe, she made some appearances on DAYS in the ‘80s as different characters.
Christmas Rescue (Streams on BET+)
The Holiday Tale: A man abducts the love of his life from her holiday-themed wedding in a desperate attempt to win her back.
The Soap Connection: Robin Givens plays Mama Rose in this original BET+ film. Back in 2018, the Boomerang and Head of the Class actress played Dr. Phillips on B&B.
Favorite Son Christmas (Streams on BET+)
The Holiday Tale: Pastor Blaine has taken over the Graceway Church, whose financials are in dire straits. Looking to the Jubilee to save the day, First Lady Rita suggests a SO GIFTED reunion to rouse the necessary ticket sales. Will the ghost of the (Christmas) past haunt the Church’s future? Or can the brothers, and wives, overcome old gripes to reconcile, and harmonize, for a reunion to bring it all back together.
The Soap Connection: Y&R’s Loren Lott (ex-Ana) was included in the November preview as well. Favorite Son Christmas is her second holiday film for BET+ this season.
The Holiday Proposal Plan (Lifetime @ 8 p.m. ET)
The Holiday Tale: Travel columnist Sonny Kravitz (Tatyana Ali) and her ex-boyfriend Kip (Jesse Kove) are forced to team up to help their best friends Bree (Whitney Able) and Jarod (Geovanni Gopradi) get engaged.
The Soap Connection: Besides breaking out in the popular hit sit-com The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Tatyana Ali played Devon’s (Bryton James) girlfriend Roxanne on Y&R from 2007 – 2013.
A Christmas Intern (Lifetime @ 10 p.m. ET)
The Holiday Tale: With the Holidays approaching, Cecilia (Jackée Harry) discovers that retirement isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, so she decides to make a surprise visit to her daughter Alexis (Ciarra Carter), who created and runs “Cyber Santa,” an online gift giving business. Seizing an opportunity to spend Christmas with her daughter and get back into the game, Cecilia becomes an intern at the start-up company, and the two learn the importance of family during the most wonderful time of year, while also finding love.
The Soap Connection: Both Jackée Harry and Vivica A. Fox — DAYS and Y&R/Generations, respectively — starred in a holiday movie in November and are back for more in December. Plus, when you’re watching the movie, make sure to listen up because Harry also contributes an original song to A Christmas Intern.
12 Games of Christmas (Great American Family @ 8 p.m. ET)
The Holiday Tale: In 12 Games of Christmas, a group of old friends and neighbors are transported into a Christmas-themed board game during a Christmas party.
The Soap Connection: Felisha Cooper played Sasha Thompson on B&B from 2015 – 2017.
Whatever It Takes (Streams on BET+)
The Holiday Tale: It’s Thanksgiving weekend, snow is falling, Christmas is on the horizon, and the promises of the New Year are near. Navigating careers, life, and the nuances of friendship, five women bond over the imperfections in their love lives. The holidays bring some of them their greatest wishes and others their most profound losses.
The Soap Connection: The movie stars former Real World: Los Angeles housemate Tami Roman and Real Housewives of Atlanta’s Kandi Burruss. But the soap connection here is Kendrick Cross. His credits include Queen Sugar, Stranger Things, Ambitions and ABC’s Will Trent. But GH viewers will recognize him as the hot cop who periodically shows up at crime scenes. On social media, there are fans who speculate pairing him up with now Deputy Mayor Jordan Ashford (Tanisha Harper).
A Royal Christmas Holiday (Great American Family @ 8 p.m. ET)
The Holiday Tale: In search of her big break, a reporter (Brittany Underwood) arranges a Christmas interview with a European Prince (Jonathan Stoddard) visiting the states. Will the reporter’s big story become her love story?
The Soap Connection: Brittany Underwood’s the lead of this royal holiday film on GAC. Her soap experiences include OLTL, where she played Langston Wilde, Hollywood Heights, and the Daytime Emmy-winning digital drama, The Bay.
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