For over 20 years, Hallmark Channel has aired original romcoms featuring happily ever afters, seasonal themes, and of course, centering around Christmas. But despite being given different titles, starring a slew of different and diverse actors and taking place in different but always romantic locations, most of the time, these movies tell the same story.
From the struggling local business to reuniting with a high school sweetheart to the good, old enemies-to-lovers scenario, Hallmark movies have always been known for their predictable formula, but there are some tropes that need to go.
First Awkward Encounter
When it comes to romcoms, the initial meeting is everything, but on Hallmark, it's never not awkward. Whether the leading lady falls into the man's arms or one accidentally spills coffee on the other, it's the pivotal scenes that set up the blossoming romance that only leaves viewers cringing.
When it's not awkward, the first meeting is usually a mean one. Cocky work rivals, competing business owners and sometimes even ex-lovers open the film and don't hide their hatred for the other until the inevitable feelings hit.
Second Awkward Encounter
-Cropped.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=1500&dpr=1.5)
The second awkward encounter comes the next time the two leads run into each other and usually find out that they're about to be in close quarters. Maybe the man that the woman was previously rude to finds out he's her family's handyman, or the snobby woman from the coffee shop is actually in town to buy out your business.
The second awkward encounter typically ends with shock on both lead characters' faces and the realization that they're about to be around each other a lot more than they expected, kicking off the film's romance.
A Dead Parent
Similar to the way most Disney movies star a child with only one parent, Hallmark Channel has made that trope a running theme in its films when a character calls home and speaks to their parent about the other parent's death, or carries around a keepsake given to them by their late parent.
In some cases, when the film wants to keep it light, the deceased parent will be replaced by a parent or parental figure who gets a minor, non-life-threatening injury that forces the main character to come back home, where they'll almost always run into their ex.
Enemies-To-Lovers
From Leslie and Ben on Parks and Recreation to Sam and Freddie on iCarly, the enemies-to-lovers trope is famously used in TV, movies and romance novels when the two love interests start out as mortal enemies and slowly realize their chemistry until their relationship evolves into an undeniable love.
In Hallmark movies, the enemies usually make their rivalry known with little jabs or laughing at each other's failures, but after some time getting to know each other, they will each secretly start falling for the new side of the person they see before finally turning into lovers by the end of the film.
A Local Business At Risk
It wouldn't be a wholesome Hallmark movie without the local bakery or the town's one and only coffee shop or the beloved, family orchard. And more often than not, Hallmark movies will center around these local businesses being at risk of closure.
Whether it's a love interest coming from the big city to the small town to buy out someone's business or the main character's family land being threatened, this trope always makes for inevitable conflict between the two lead characters, whether they're on opposite sides or both trying to save the day.
Former Teenage Besties
While most Hallmark films follow two strangers who meet and fall in love, one way they try to spice things up is by making the starring love interests old schoolmates. Sometimes they're long-time BFFs, sometimes they're former academic enemies, but typically, they were high school sweethearts who broke things off come college.
This trope usually results in the BFFs realizing their one true love was right there all along, while the academic enemies leans toward an enemies-to-lovers sub-trope. But it's the high school sweethearts reuniting as adults and finally making it work that gets the viewers every time.
A Seasonal Baking Contest
Plenty of Hallmark Channel movies center around the sights and scents of Autumn, the fresh flowers of Spring, the windchill of Winter and the cozy comfort of Christmas. And almost every time a season or holiday approaches, so does a themed baking competition.
While a baking contest is sometimes used as a fun or competitive interaction between the two love interests as a way of celebrating any holiday from Valentine's Day to Hanukkah, some films solely revolve around the competition, like 2016's Pumpkin Pie Wars and 2020's The Secret Ingredient.
Returning Home
When a Hallmark movie fades into its opening sequence, rather than the expected small-town scenery, it's usually the cityscape of New York skyscrapers or busy Chicago streets. This is because while most films take place in small towns, it's almost always after the main character returns home.
The main character is typically someone who moved to the big city to have a successful career, but come Autumn or Christmastime, but return home to their small town with plans of reuniting with their family or going on a work trip that turns into them meeting the love of their life and moving back home.
Moving In With The Love Interest
It's a strange but overdone trope when the main character suffers a minor injury, winds up with memory loss, or even comes to town with nowhere to stay, and inevitably ends up moving in with the love interest.
In a highly unrealistic storyline, in 2017's Falling For Vermont, the leading lady finds herself in a new town and suffering from amnesia, and winds up moving in with her doctor until her memory returns. A similar plot happened in 2021's Time for Them to Come Home for Christmas when an amnesiac woman moves in with her handsome nurse.
A Cozy Inn
No matter what time of year it is on Hallmark, you can always check a cozy inn off the BINGO card. Whether it's in the snowy mountains or in the midst of fall foliage, inns tend to become the prime setting of most romcoms.
For some films, an inn is more than just a setting and becomes part of the memorable title. 2022's A Cozy Christmas Inn followed a man struggling to keep his Alaskan inn afloat, while The Mistletoe Inn is a Christmas film taking place at a Vermont inn where two authors meet while on a writing retreat.