Hallmark has cancelled Finding Mr. Christmas after two seasons — but Jonathan Bennett is not ready to close the Christmas cabin door.
The reality competition, hosted by Bennett, brought ten hopefuls together each season to compete for the chance to become Hallmark’s next leading man.
The winners went on to star in Hallmark holiday movies.
Bennett told EntertainmentNow that show business can be unpredictable and that sometimes a programme is cancelled seemingly without warning. But he is still hoping Finding Mr. Christmas might return in a year or two.
More than a competition
The show had a simple format: ten men, Christmas-themed challenges and the promise of a leading role in a holiday movie.
But the contestants also built a genuine community. Bennett says they are still friends, and two of them became fathers within weeks of each other. Viewers even held parties around the country to watch the episodes.
That is part of what made the show feel different. It was not only a search for Hallmark’s next handsome leading man. It was a group of men being ambitious, vulnerable, silly and supportive while the cameras were rolling.
Still hoping for a return
Bennett has not given up on the idea that the series could find a new home. The show had received a GLAAD Award nomination, and its contestants went on to become part of Hallmark’s wider Christmas universe.
For viewers, the appeal was not difficult to understand: attractive men in festive clothes, a little competition and a host who made the whole thing feel welcoming.
Hallmark may have cancelled Finding Mr. Christmas. But the friendships, the watch parties and the Christmas spirit are still very much alive.
📷 Hallmark Media / Jonathan Bennett
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