Lifetime Casts Real Couple in First LGBT+ Christmas Film and More!
Jasmine Blu
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Lifetime has already gotten a headstart on the cheesy cuteness with the casting for their first LGTBQ+ Holiday film, The Christmas Setup.
If people aren't excited enough, the network has cast real-life married actors Ben Lewis (Arrow, Shadowhunters) and Blake Lee (Parks & Recreation) as the leading men.
They get five snowflakes for chemistry before we've even seen the film based on this couple who has been married since 2016.
And if that casting news isn't sweet enough, the film will also star the iconic Fran Drescher as Hugo's meddling, matchmaker mom, Kate.
And rounding out the cast is GLOW's Ellen Wong as BFF, Madelyn.
The Christmas Setup is written and directed by members of the LGBTQ+ community, and the network worked extensively with GLAAD.
The film follows New York lawyer Hugo (Lewis), who, along with his best friend Madelyn (Wong), travels to Milwaukee to spend the holidays with his mom Kate (Drescher), who is also in charge of the local Christmas celebrations.
Kate, the loving matchmaker that she is, Ever the matchmaker, Kate orchestrates a plan for Hugo to run into Patrick (Lee), Hugo’s high school crush, who has recently returned home after a successful stint in Silicon Valley.
The pair enjoy the fun holiday-themed festivities, and their attraction for one another grows. But when Hugo gets word of a life-changing promotion that requires him to relocate to London, he has to decide what is most important to him.
It has all the classic camp, cuteness, and fun of these Holiday films. What more can you ask for?
Lee shared the news on Instagram with the caption: "Have yourself a merry little Christmas, make the yuletide GAY!” We hear you & we will!"
And Lewis shared that 2020 has been a weird year, but this is "good weird."
Lifetime's pledge for more diverse and inclusive films doesn't stop there.
Of the 30 Christmas/Holiday films slated to premiere from October. 23 onward into the holiday season, A Sugar & Spice Holiday, is highly-anticipated as well.
Jacky Lai (V-Wars) and Tony Giroux (Motherland: Fort Salem) will star alongside another icon, Tzi Ma (Mulan), in this sweet holiday family that will center around a Chinese-American woman and her family.
The movie follows Suzie (Lai), a rising young architect. She returns to her small Maine hometown for Christmas, where her Chinese-American parents, Pete (Ma) and Mimi (Lillian Lim), run the local Lobster Bar.
Following the loss of her beloved grandmother, who was a legendary baker in their community, Suzie is guilted into following in her grandmother’s footsteps by entering the local gingerbread house competition.
It's set to premiere sometime in December.
Over to you, Lifetime Fanatics. Are you looking forward to It's A Wonderful Lifetime's latest Holiday films?
Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. She is an insomniac who spends late nights and early mornings binge-watching way too many shows and binge-drinking way too much tea. Her eclectic taste makes her an unpredictable viewer with an appreciation for complex characters, diverse representation, dynamic duos, compelling stories, and guilty pleasures. You'll definitely find her obsessively live-tweeting, waxing poetic, and chatting up fellow Fanatics and readers. Follow her on X.
