Hallmark Channel Sets 2022 Christmas Movie With the Rockettes

The Rockettes at Radio City Musical Hall for the 2017 Tony Awards
Jenny Anderson/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions

It may only be March 1, but the Hallmark Channel is already looking ahead to the end of the year, specifically, the months of October, November, and December, when Christmas movies take over.

The network has already announced details for one of its upcoming 2022 /”Countdown to Christmas” movies, A Holiday Spectacular. It will star Ginna Claire Mason, Derek Klena, Ann-Margret, and Eve Plumb — and the famous Radio City Rockettes in various performance numbers and speaking roles throughout the film. It was filmed on-location at Radio City Music Hall as well as in Upstate New York.

A Holiday Spectacular is set in 1958, with a Philadelphia heiress, Maggie (Mason), putting her plans for her high-society wedding (to a man she doesn’t love) on hold to sneak up to New York City and make her secret dream come true: dancing live on stage in the Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall. Her family thinks she’s staying with an “approved” friend from boarding school, but she’s really falling in love with New York and dancing with the Rockettes. But soon, Maggie is caught between two worlds, and a major complication arises after a chance encounter with a young U.S. Navy photographer, John (Klena). Will Maggie find the courage to tell her family what she wants for her future instead of accepting the future that was decided for her?

“The Radio City Rockettes embody Christmas in New York City and we are thrilled to bring together two quintessential holiday brands — Hallmark Channel and the Radio City Rockettes — for a one-of-a-kind holiday movie,” Lisa Hamilton Daly, EVP Programming, Hallmark Channel, said in a statement. “A Holiday Spectacular will be a beautiful reminder of the joy of the season and is sure to become a family tradition, much like attending a performance of the Rockettes’ annual Christmas Spectacular.”

Added Jessica Tuttle, Senior Vice President, Productions, Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp., the parent company of the Radio City Rockettes and Radio City Music Hall, “We are thrilled to partner with Hallmark Channel to bring together our two iconic holiday brands, which both create holiday magic for millions of people every year. This heartwarming storyline gives audiences a peek into the passion and dedication that the Rockettes have for this beloved dance company and the incredible sisterhood that is at the core of this legendary line.”

A Holiday Spectacular is a Choice Films Production. Dustin Rikert serves as executive producer. Tony Glazer and Summer Crockett Moore are producers. John Putch directs a script by Julie Sherman Wolfe.

A Holiday Spectacular, Movie Premiere, 2022 Hallmark Channel