HGTV is getting into the holiday movie business this season with two flicks featuring Love it or List It’s Hilary Farr and Home Town’s Ben and Erin Napier.
Farr will guest star in Designing Christmas, which stars Jessica Szohr as an interior designer who has chemistry — but never acted on it — with her contractor cohort (Marco Grazzini) on their home renovation show. Farr plays Stella’s mentor Freddy.
The Napiers will appear in A Christmas Open House, which stars Katie Stevens as an Atlanta property stager who teams with her old high school crush (Victor Rasuk) to sell her mom’s home in their small Georgia home town. The Napiers plays a “unique” couple who make custom home projects that appeal to Stevens’ character.
HGTV’s sister Food Network has also completed production on two holiday movies that showcase their personalities, having entered the Christmas movie business last year with Candy Coated Christmas. This year, Food Network will premiere A Gingerbread Christmas featuring Duff Goldman, and One Delicious Christmas with Bobby Flay.
All the movies are from MarVista Entertainment and will premiere November 11 on Discovery+.
“The holidays are huge for HGTV and Food Network, which together attracted 90 million seasonal viewers last year,” said Kathleen Finch, Chairman and Chief Content Officer, US Networks Group at Warner Bros. Discovery, in a statement. “So we expanded our offerings and produced four scripted holiday features for discovery+, each showcasing some of the biggest personalities on Food Network and HGTV. We will promote them to approximately 35% of the available cable audience by running spots on HGTV, Food, and the rest of the WBD portfolio of 25+ cable networks, exposing our great talent to even more potential fans.”
“We are thrilled to partner once again with Food Network, and now HGTV, along with their phenomenal fan-favorite talent on four holiday films,” added MarVista’s SVP Creative Affairs, Larry Grimaldi. “MarVista’s passion and expertise in creating festive feel-good holiday stories, along-side Food Network and HGTV’s entertaining lifestyle content provide the gift that will keep on giving this holiday season.”