Explaining Hallmark’s Channel Name Changes

Two of Hallmark Media’s cable networks are getting facelifts, as the company announced at the Television Critics Association winter press tour.

On February 28, Hallmark Drama will become Hallmark Family, a network that “spotlights timeless storytelling for the whole family centered around faith, love, and community,” Hallmark said in a press release.

And on March 6, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries will become Hallmark Mystery, “debuting a fresh, new look and continuing to provide more captivating and cozy mysteries.”

Both networks are getting new logos, as seen below.

#Breaking Hallmark Media announced today that Hallmark Drama will become @Hallmark_Family on February 28. Continue to enjoy timeless storytelling for the whole family centered around faith, love, and community. #TCA24 #HallmarkMedia pic.twitter.com/roiqWyFUha

— Hallmark Family (@Hallmark_Family) February 6, 2024

“Hallmark Media is home to a wide range of content offerings that deliver on the promise of providing comfort and joy, and it is our goal to ensure that viewing experiences across all networks and platforms are uniquely authentic,” Lisa Hamilton Daly, Hallmark’s executive vice president of programming, said in a press release. “We look forward to debuting the rebranded networks, where fans can continue to enjoy fun, engaging mysteries on Hallmark Mystery and wholesome family stories on Hallmark Family.”

#Breaking! #HallmarkMedia announced today that Hallmark Movies & Mysteries will rebrand to @HallmarkMystery on March 6, debuting a fresh, new look and continuing to provide more captivating and cozy mysteries. #TCA24 pic.twitter.com/eYMrC0S7xR

— Hallmark Mystery (@hallmarkmystery) February 6, 2024

The news comes as the network currently known as Hallmark Movies & Mysteries tallies a record number of all-new and returning mystery series, including Gilded Newport Mysteries: Murder at the Breakers, its first historical mystery, starring Ali Skovbye, Danny Griffin, and Nathan Witte; CrimeTime: Freefall starring Lyndie Greenwood and Luke Macfarlane; and the next installments of popular franchises like Hannah Swensen Mysteries, The Cases of Mystery Lane, and more.

Fans have offered their takes on the rebrandings on social media. About the change from Hallmark Movies & Mysteries to Hallmark Mystery, one X user wrote, “I like it. Mysteries only, please.”

Someone else praised the new look and name, while a third person asked, “Does this mean no 24/7 Christmas movies for 3 months?”

One X user wasn’t impressed, though, writing, “Not the prettiest logo.” And someone else posted, “Why? If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! Does that mean you’re going to be taking off all of our favorite Hallmark M&M series, movies, and shows?”

As for the change from Hallmark Drama to Hallmark Family, a Reddit user wrote, “I hope they’ll do more with Hallmark Family than just show reruns of The Waltons and Dr. Quinn. I love some of the older Hallmark movies from the late ’90s and early ’00s.”

Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Media’s flagship network, entered the cable TV fray in 2001. Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, a network that “brings the lighter side of the suspense and mystery genres into focus with rich, dramatic, and thought-provoking storytelling,” followed in 2004. And Hallmark Drama, which “evokes the legacy and spirit of the iconic, award-winning Hallmark Hall of Fame franchise with engaging, dramatic storytelling,” debuted in 2017.

The networks’ new names are pithy, but not more so than the nicknames one Reddit user came up with for Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Drama, and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries: “We jokingly called them Hallmark, Hallmark Sad, and Hallmark Murder.”