Heavy/GettyLongtime friends and "Full House" co-stars Candace Cameron Bure and Jodie Sweetin in 2019
In an unexpected plot twist, longtime Hallmark star and “Full House” alum Jodie Sweetin‘s newest movie will premiere this fall on Great American Family, a rival network started by former Hallmark Media CEO Bill Abbott that she has been publicly critical of in the past.
In a press release issued on August 9, 2023, the network announced seven original movies will premiere as part of its “Great American Autumn” promotion beginning on September 2, including “Craft Me a Romance” starring Sweetin and Brent Bailey. It’s not clear, however, whether Sweetin, who first appeared on Hallmark Channel in 2017’s “Finding Santa,” knew that this movie would wind up on Great American Family when she filmed it.
The announcement comes less than a year after Sweetin was involved in a highly-publicized controversy over Great American Family’s lack of LGBTQ+ representation. Sweetin got into a public spat with friend and former “Full House” co-star Candace Cameron Bure, who left Hallmark in early 2022 to exclusively appear on and advise Great American Family.
When Bure told the Wall Street Journal in November that her new network would not likely feature same-sex couples and, instead, would “keep traditional marriage at the core,”Sweetin was one of many stars and advocates who spoke out against that phrasing and philosophy, prompting Bure to unfollow Sweetin on Instagram.
Sweetin, who called herself an “outspoken ally for LGBTQ communities” in a December 2022 interview with “Entertainment Tonight,” has made headlines as a vocal activist for many left-leaning causes, from being shoved to the ground during a pro-choice rally last year to speaking out against former President Donald Trump on social media in 2020. Great American Family, meanwhile, was developed and funded by Hicks Equity Partners, a private investment firm known for its support of Trump and ties to the Republican National Committee.
Here’s what you need to know:
Jodie Sweetin May Not Have Known New Movie Would Air on Great American Family
Although Sweetin technically already appears on Great American Family in reruns of “Full House” and “Fuller House,” which began airing on the network in early 2022, per Deadline, “Craft Me a Romance” will be her first original movie on the network when it premieres on September 16. In addition to Bure, with whom she seems to have mended fences since last fall, her former “Full House” co-stars Lori Loughlin and Andrea Barber have also starred in Great American Family movies over the last year.
However, “Craft Me a Romance” was not specifically produced by Great American Family and when Sweetin filmed “Craft Me a Romance” in April 2022, she may not have been aware of where it would eventually air.
The movie was a project for Fade to Black Films, an independent production company that develops and produces original TV movies that networks and streaming services can purchase to feature in their lineups. Other recent Fade to Black projects include Trevor Donovan’s “Aloha to Love,” which aired on UPtv, and the murder mystery “Deadly Yoga Retreat” which aired on Lifetime and featured longtime Hallmark star Jonathan Bennett.
When Sweetin posted photos from the set of “Craft Me a Romance” on Instagram, including one with Fade to Black owners and producers Derek Sulek and Oren Kamara, many fans asked in the comment section when and where the film would air, but the actress didn’t respond.
According to a synopsis of the movie, Sweetin will play Nicole Borden, “the owner of a quaint arts and crafts store ‘The Crafty Companion,’ (who) is faced with an ultimatum when the owner of ‘Mitchell’s Art and Craft Supplies’ tells her she must either sell her store or be forced out of business.”
Sweetin, Fade to Black Films and Great American Family did not respond to Heavy’s requests for comment. Unless the SAG-AFTRA actors’ strike ends before mid-September, Sweetin will not be allowed by the union to promote the movie. But she’ll be with Bure on the day it airs as part of a “Full House” reunion at 90s Con in Tampa.
Will Jodie Sweetin Still Be Allowed to Appear on Hallmark?
GettyActors Jodi Sweetin, Lori Loughlin, and Candace Cameron Bure at a 2018 Hallmark Channel event
Those who’ve moved over to Great American Family include Bure, Donovan, Jen Lilley, Jessica Lowndes, and Jill Wagner — none of whom have appeared since in new Hallmark projects. When Loughlin joined Great American Family, she had not been seen on Hallmark Channel in a couple of years, after she and her husband pled guilty and served brief prison sentences for their involvement in a college admissions scandal at the University of Southern California in 2020.
Over the last year, it’s been rare for stars to appear on both Great American Family and Hallmark, even though most of those who signed deals with Great American Family in 2022 aren’t under exclusive contracts, according to Parade.
Likely the biggest exception is Cameron Mathison, who signed on to be a content contributor alongside Debbie Matenopoulus after Hallmark canceled their “Home & Family” talk show. He appeared in two Christmas movies on the new network, including in “A Merry Christmas Wish” with Wagner. But Mathison has since returned to Hallmark to star with Alison Sweeney in their popular “Hannah Swensen Mysteries.”
Another exception is Becca Tobin, who appeared in 2022’s “A Christmas You” on Great American Family, but starred in Hallmark’s “The Wedding Contract” in June 2023.
Sweetin’s most recent Hallmark movie was “The Jane Mysteries: Inheritance Lost,” co-starring her and Stephen Huszar in May. Huszar recently told Digital Journal that he loved working with Sweetin and that they’re hoping for a second installment of “The Jane Mysteries.”
He said, “Jodie was fantastic, it was a fascinating experience to work with her. She is such a force and a power mom too. We are crossing our fingers for another film.”
Meanwhile, Abbott continues to try to set Great American Family apart from Hallmark, saying he wants to surpass his former network not only in ratings but in the amount of faith-based, family-friendly programming it produces.
In the Wall Street Journal article last fall, Bure and Abbott explained Great American Family’s vision of focusing much of their programming around “faith-based” stories, especially Christianity.
In July 2023, Abbott reiterated that goal to Christian Headlines, saying he wants his network to be a place where“people can be proud of their faith, and they can feel good about going to church, and they can feel good about the relationships they have with their pastor or other people in the community.”
Sony’s faith-focused PureFlix streaming service merged recently with Great American Family to give it a greater reach, which Abbott told The Christian Post will further his goal.
“We will be the leader in faith and family content, both in streaming and in linear,” Abbott predicted.
Great American Family still has a long way to go to catch up to Hallmark, which reported in early August that it was the most-watched entertainment cable network throughout the month of July, thanks to its popular “Christmas in July” programming. According to ratings tracker US TVDB, Great American Family was the 73rd most popular channel for the period ending August 6, 2023.
Liv Lane is an entertainment writer who covers the Hallmark Channel, HGTV, American Idol and The Voice for Heavy. Based in Minneapolis, she has three decades of experience as a local and national radio host, columnist and publicist, interviewing and working with a wide range of celebrities over the years, from Deepak Chopra to Lil Nas X. More about Liv Lane
