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The Hallmark Channel is rolling out the stars of yesteryear, and it's all part of a strategy to serve what many believe is an underserved group of TV viewers. The network, which is available in 85 million homes, will offer up 30 original movies next TV season.

"You will not see on our channel 'Confessions of a Call Girl' or 'Bachelor Threesomes,'" Hallmark Channel's executive vice president for programming David Kenin said Tuesday at the TV critics press tour in Beverly Hills, Calif. "There's a lot of that on television. But we're different. We're targeting that great under-served audience seeking stories about the human condition, about families, about caring."

Kenin said part of the network's strategy is bringing in stars who are well known and have built-in fanbases, and some of those include Jane Seymour, Ed Asner, Cheech Marin, Corbin Bernsen, and the list literally goes on and on.

"The people that watched our shows are watching the Hallmark Channel and they're happy to see us, I think," said former "Knots Landing" star Donna Mills, who stars with "Brady Bunch" mom Florence Henderson and Pam Grier in "Ladies of the House." "I think they want to see us, but on other networks there aren't always places for us. There aren't always roles, and the Hallmark Channel provides that for us, and I think provides a comfort zone for them with people that they know and people that they want to see."

Henderson agreed with Mills, and acknowledged that Hollywood makes it tough to break out of past roles and breaking in to new roles is difficult.

"I personally am very grateful to Hallmark because I feel very strongly about the Baby Boomer population, that they're sorely neglected on television, and I'm grateful to Hallmark because they address that population," Henderson said. "We're the fastest-growing segment of the population. I feel we are underserved, underestimated, underappreciated, and I think advertisers forget that we are the ones with the most money, and so I, for one, am very grateful."

Here's a quick look at some of the highlights on Hallmark Channel's fall schedule, with descriptions of each movie from Hallmark Channel:

DEAR PRUDENCE, starring Jane Seymour
Prudence McCoy, a humorous, Martha Stewart-like advice columnist and TV personality, escapes to a much-needed vacation from her work-driven life.  There she becomes embroiled in a murder mystery by using her own quick-witted, good-housekeeping tips.  In doing so, she gains a better understanding of the mother she wasn't close to in her youth, and takes her first steps toward finding a balanced life that includes true love.

FOR THE LOVE OF GRACE, starring Mark Consuelos, Chandra West and Corbin Bernsen
Firefighter Steve Lockwood is dealing with the untimely death of his wife while trying to keep his mind on his job.  After he saves the life of a young woman from an apartment fire, the two begin to get acquainted, and each begins to heal from their wounded pasts and start to see the different possibilities that the future holds..
 
LADIES OF THE HOUSE, starring Florence Henderson, Donna Mills and Pam Grier
Three women take on the daunting task of renovating a run-down house in order to raise funds for their church.  The project becomes deeply personal for each of them, and helps them examine challenges they are facing in their personal lives.

GENERATION GAP, starring Ed Asner and Alex Black
A rebellious teenager is forced to spend the summer with his grandfather, a retired World War II colonel.  Their differences may go deeper than just the years that separate them, but the two slowly develop a mutual respect – and love – for one another.
 
MAIL ORDER BRIDE, starring Daphne Zuniga and Greg Evigan
A con woman fleeing from her handler ends up posing as her recently-deceased friend, who was prepared to move from Boston to Wyoming to marry a man she never met.  But her lies begin to crumble around her when her ‘fiance’ becomes suspicious, and her violent past suddenly arrives on her doorstep.
 
ACCIDENTAL FRIENDSHIP, starring Chandra Wilson, Ben Vereen and Kathleen Munroe
Based on a true story, a police officer and a homeless woman who share similar emotional pasts and an inability to form lasting relationships slowly form an unlikely bond, and learn to trust one another.  Eventually each is able to affect the other’s life for the better.
 
AN OLD FASHIONED THANKSGIVING, starring Jacqueline Bisset
The eldest daughter of a widow struggling to provide for her family goes behind her mother’s back and contacts her wealthy grandmother, pleading for aid.  But while the high-society matriarch’s arrival brings new possibilities for the future, it also forces old wounds to be reopened.

EXPECTING A MIRACLE, starring Cheech Marin
A couple facing difficult marital issues tries to escape for a few days in Mexico, only to have their SUV break down, stranding them in the town of Dommatina.  However, as the couple and the town residents warm to each other, it becomes apparent that they’ve ended up exactly where they need to be.

TEA FOR TWO, starring Leslie Ann Warren and Meredith Baxter
Two lifelong friends, Jane Tetley and Ida Mae Tutweiler, must face the past and make difficult decisions about the future when Jane learns she has precious little time left and inspires those she loves to make the most of the time they do have.  But a long-held secret may tear apart the things they hold most dear.
 
RELATIVE STRANGER, starring Miss Cicely Tyson, Eriq La Salle, Michael Michele and Michael Beach
A former football player who left his family six years earlier is forced to return to settle his father’s will.  But his return opens old wounds that must be addressed in order for the family to heal, and for him to become the man he has the potential to be. 

*** What do you think? Do you agree that much of TV ignores Baby Boomers? Are you looking forward to Hallmark Channel's fall schedule? Click here to comment!

****** Victor Balta and Tracy Phillips are blogging live from the TV critics press tour. What do you want to know about your favorite shows? Let us know. Click here to ask about your favorite TV shows!


More from the TV critics press tour:

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• Koppel Gets New Gig; Slams U.S. News
  
• Network Vows Obama-only Coverage
• "Grey's" Co-star Backs Heigl in Emmy Flap
• "Brady" Mom Slams Reality TV

Message Edited by Victor_Balta on 07-10-2008 01:27 PM