THE POP CULTURE NEWS BULLETIN 217: POPULAR HALLMARK NEWS AND A ‘SUNRISE’ TEASE
Like almost any week as we look back on the pop culture news from the week, much of the headline makers are about the TV shows. From spoilers to recaps, that’s what often trends. Like any week, there are often a few other stories too. Read more to discover all the things. pop culture news bulletin 217
THE POP CULTURE NEWS BULLETIN 217: POPULAR HALLMARK NEWS AND A ‘SUNRISE’ TEASE ✨ #TheHungerGames #Hallmark #WildCards Share on XLet’s get our search engine game face on, and see what made headlines!
THE POP CULTURE NEWS BULLETIN 217
The Pop Culture News Bulletin is a weekly roundup of the recent and trending news stories in the entertainment industry or stories that fall into the pop culture subcategory. Every Friday we feature stories that fit the content we frequently cover
Netflix is getting into the seasonal rom-com business for next year already. The streamer is adapting the Katherine Center novel The Bodyguard (which will, for obvious reasons, be renamed). Leighton Meester and Jared Padalecki are reported to star in the adaptation as a bodyguard assigned to protect a movie star.
We look at Hallmark for two of our pop culture news stories of the week. The first is, the network officially announced its December 6 special. We talk about it in our December schedule but if you missed it, the event is called The Hallmark Christmas Experience: A Hometown Holiday Christmas Special. The event will then stream next day on Hallmark+ and will feature “sneak peeks” and a special Christmas 2026 movie announcement from Lacey Chabert with appearances by favorite stars including Andrew Walker, Tyler Hynes, Kimberley Sustad, B.J. Britt and many more. Musical guests Brad Paisley and Mickey Guyton will also appear.
It other news, Hallmark revealed (through other outlets) that it has its next class of female directors making up their “Make Her Mark” program which is a “women’s directing mentorship program that aims to support and increase representation of women behind the camera.” The ladies in this next group, which are quoted as being the next group to go to the “mentorship” phase of the program are “Angie Nolan, Hannah Michielsen, Huriyyah Muhammad, and Sarah Wilson Thacker. Hallmark actor and writer, Nikki DeLoach, also joins.”
LIST | RANKING THE CHRISTMAS MOVIES OF 2025: PART ONE
THE POP CULTURE NEWS BULLETIN 217: POPULAR HALLMARK NEWS AND A ‘SUNRISE’ TEASE. #TheHungerGames #TheWayHome #Hallmark Share on X
Finally in more Hallmark news, the announcement that the upcoming (in 2026) season four season of The Way Home will be its last. The show follows three generations of Landry women who travel back to key time periods in their family line through a pond on the ancestral farm.
Despite the earlier CBC (in Canada) season three and four renewal, the U.S. home of the crime procedural Wild Cards hadn’t announced the show’s return. At least until this week. CW announced that “Season 3 of the Smash Crime-Solving Procedural ‘Wild Cards’ Premieres on Monday, January 26, 2026.” Vanessa Morgan and Giacomo Gianniotti star in the show that will likely pick up in the aftermath of Morgan’s Max learning her mother is still alive!
Lionsgate dropped a teaser trailer for the 2026 release of their next The Hunger Games flick which is Sunrise on the Reaping. This is another prequel film taking place 24 years prior to Katniss Everdeen’s Hunger Games and centering on Haymitch Abernathy. You can watch it below.
PBS has grand news for a large swath of its fans! Announced this week, that following its season six premiere on January 11, 2026, the dramedy (set in the 40s) All Creatures Great and Small will return for seasons seven and eight. The series is based on the novels by James Herriot, and follow a vet in the Yorkshire Dales. Are you among the fans excited for this?
Did you follow any of these stories? Which ones made you smile? Which ones annoyed your pop culture fangirl opinions? Comment all of your thoughts below!
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