Glee’s Lea Michele Returns In Freeform’s Same Time, Next Christmas
Okay so this is a little complicated, so sit back. In a first for ABC, the broadcast network will air a movie produced by its partner cable network Freeform. Same Time, Next Christmas, starring Glee’s Lea Michele, will fill a holiday time slot in December.
Christmas in July for ABC & Freeform
The Hollywood Reporter reported:
ABC Entertainment president Karey Burke is making good on her promise to better connect the broadcast network and its cable-focused sibling, Freeform.
The Disney-owned broadcaster has picked up the holiday movie Same Time, Next Christmas, starring Glee grad Lea Michele. The telepic hails from Freeform Studios, the production arm of Freeform — where Burke previously served as head of originals.
The movie — to be released in tandem with singer-actress Michele’s first Christmas album — will air in December and brings her back to the network following her role on ABC’s short-lived comedy The Mayor. Michele will star as Olivia Henderson, a woman who met her childhood sweetheart during her family’s annual Christmas visit to Hawaii. After being separated by distance and years, the two reunite at the same Hawaii resort years later, and the old chemistry between them flares up anew — but circumstances conspire to keep them apart.
Full Circle For Freeform
This sounds like a hoot (or very much like my mother-in-law’s favorite Hallmark Channel movies). However, there is added significance to the move.
Burke, in a March interview with The Hollywood Reporter, signaled that she would look to better unite ABC and Freeform in her new role atop the broadcaster. “We’ve been talking with [Freeform president] Tom Ascheim and his team about grabbing a couple projects for ABC and partnering on some holiday movies,” she said at the time.
And for her part, Ms. Michele is thrilled with the prospect:
“This holiday season holds special importance to me, as I get to celebrate both my role in this film and my first-ever holiday album,” she said Monday in a statement. “I’m honored to return to ABC with this movie event, and I am excited to share the holidays with everyone.”
I’ll be made to watch this one. Will you be tuning in? Let us know in the comments below.