This summer is already proving to be a scorcher, but Hallmark is giving soap opera fans a fun way to beat the heat: Stay inside and watch one of its super soapy "Summer Nights" movies! Three of the feel-good films feature soap opera stars, and one actually goes the extra mile by not only featuring soap opera stars, but also featuring a storyline that revolves around a fictional soap opera. The whole lineup is so soapy, we may as well call it Dawn. Or Joy. Or... you get the picture!
The new, soapy additions to Hallmark Channel's "Summer Nights" event, which begins Saturday, July 31, include:
Love, For Real
Starring: Chloe Bridges, Taiana Tully, Scott Michael Foster, and Corbin Bleu (ex-Jeffrey King, One Life to Live)
Premieres: Saturday, July 31, at 9PM PT/ET
Synopsis: Hayley (Bridges) and her friend, Bree (Tully), go on a dating show to advance their careers. But bachelor Marco (Bleu) and producer Luke's (Foster) plans are for Hayley to stay through the finale.
Sealed With a Kiss: Wedding March 6
Starring: Jack Wagner (ex-Frisco Jones, General Hospital; ex-Nick Marone, The Bold and the Beautiful), Caitlyn Stryker, Josie Bissett, and Nathan Witte
Premieres: Saturday, August 14, at 9PM PT/ET
Synopsis: Before saying "I do" themselves, Mick (Wagner) and Olivia (Bissett) are hosting the wedding of an A-list actor (Witte) and his fiancée (Stryker). But when the low-key celebration morphs into an event that's anything but that, they have to quickly pivot to pull it off. Meanwhile, when Mick gets an exciting opportunity Olivia won't let him turn down, they're faced with delaying their own nuptials until a last-minute change in plans gives both couples the weddings of their dreams.
Love in the Afternoon (working title)
Starring: Jen Lilley (ex-Theresa Donovan, Days of our Lives), Ryan Paevey (ex-Nathan West, General Hospital), Linda Dano (x-Vivian Alamain, Days of our Lives; ex-Rae Cummings, All My Children/One Life to Live/General Hospital/Port Charles; ex-Felicia Gallant, Another World)
Premieres: Saturday, August 21, at 9PM PT/ET
Synopsis: In order to save her daytime soap drama from cancellation, head writer Maggie (Lilley) must convince Darin (Paevey), fan-favorite actor and her real-life ex-boyfriend, to return to the show. The show's producer, Alice (Dano), who created the series, wants to retire and hopes to pass the baton to Maggie, if the soap can be salvaged.
Meanwhile, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries is set to premiere three new installments of its popular mystery franchises in August, one of which is the new Murder, She Baked film, Sweet Revenge: A Hannah Swensen Mystery, which stars Alison Sweeney (Sami Brady, Days of our Lives) and Cameron Mathison (To-be-named-character, General Hospital; ex-Ryan Lavery, All My Children). To get the details on the film -- which is set to premiere on Sunday, August 8 -- click here.
What do you think about Hallmark's second slate of "Summer Nights" films featuring soap opera stars? Which of the films are you most excited to see? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
