Hallmark Pairings Whose On-Screen Chemistry Didn't Land With Fans

If you ask someone to share their thoughts about Hallmark, they will most likely share how they feel about the television channel rather than the greeting card company. In the years since the channel's launch, Hallmark has established itself as a home to charmingly predictable films that entertain millions of viewers worldwide. Often associated with a seasonal holiday, these films offer viewers a romantic escape into a world where small towns can host extravagant festivals and true love is just a meet-cute away.

Granted, some movies do this better than others. While the Hallmark formula is undeniably part of the charm, not every film makes us believe in love. The cast is an important part of the equation; if the two leads don't have great chemistry, the whole film can fall apart. And a recognizable name doesn't necessarily guarantee a great romance — even the buzziest Hallmark actors can't force chemistry when it isn't there.

If you've ever watched a Hallmark movie and thought the lead actors would have better chemistry with a coffee mug than each other, you're not alone. Here are some of the Hallmark couples who couldn't convince fans they were meant to be.

Couples often fall in love at first sight in Hallmark movies, but "Love At First Glance" pushes that premise even further. As the film's title suggests, the main characters share a quick glance while passing each other on the subway which leads to them falling in love by the end of the movie. The leads are played by Amy Smart and Adrian Grenier, two capable actors fans thought were given little opportunity to meaningfully interact with each other in any way.

"Honestly, I loved the script," Smart told Media Village of her decision to star in a Hallmark movie. The movie shows the couple interacting solely through text until they meet face-to-face at the end of the film, which Smart describes as "not the normal way you get to know somebody." Fans concur, though they're less enamored with the idea: one IMDb reviewer wrote that it felt like the main couple fell in love "too soon" and that "there wasn't much chemistry because there was no time for it to develop."

Others were more vocal in their displeasure. "This is literally the worst movie I've ever seen," wrote one Letterboxd reviewer. Despite the criticism, Smart says she enjoyed her time with Hallmark. Though Grenier hasn't spoken about his experience, he returned to Hallmark to star in "Christmas at Graceland: Home for the Holidays" in 2019.

Lacey Chabert is typically one of the Hallmark actors with great on-screen chemistry, but some fans thought "Haul Out the Holly" was a miss. The film follows Chabert as Emily, an editor who is fresh off a breakup and looking to spend a relaxing Christmas at home with her parents. Unbeknownst to her, her parents have booked a vacation and left Emily to fend for herself against the neighborhood's aggressively festive HOA.

Finding herself at the mercy of its strict Christmas requirements, Emily falls for the head of the HOA, Jared, played by Wes Brown. However, viewers were divided on whether Jared was romantic or just plain creepy. "Hated this movie," wrote one frustrated fan on Reddit. They proceeded to call Jared an "obnoxious stalker" and stressed that there was "no chemistry with the two leads either." Another wrote on Letterboxd, "Who wouldn't fall in love with an overly intrusive, over-the-top HOA president who repeatedly doesn't respect your boundaries?"

Still, "Haul Out the Holly" has clearly done something right. The movie has inspired two sequels so far, one set the following Christmas and another during the Halloween season. Despite their questionable on-screen chemistry, Brown only has great things to say about working with Chabert. It looks like these are two celebrities who love working together, so maybe their chemistry will only improve with time.

Alison Sweeney and Luke Macfarlane are two of our favorite Hallmark stars, but that doesn't guarantee their on-screen chemistry is a match. The two star opposite each other in the film "A Magical Christmas Village," one of the last films included in Macfarlane's initial Hallmark contract.

"Absolutely no chemistry whatsoever," wrote one Reddit user before calling the film "a massive stinker." Others echoed the sentiment on other sites, including one IMDb reviewer who noted that the movie was "the first time I have seen Macfarlane not connect with his leading lady." Still, it's worth noting that other fans thought the two worked great together.

Macfarlane and Sweeney seem to agree. In an interview with Us Weekly, Sweeney said Macfarlane "is super talented and easy to work with. ... We just clicked right away." Macfarlane didn't speak of Sweeney directly, but only had good things to say about his time with Hallmark. "I always, always want to be a part of that," he told TV Goodness while promoting "A Magical Christmas Village."

Lacey Chabert and Andrew Walker have been in dozens of Hallmark movies, though rarely together. "I think now she has 40 under her belt and I have 30 or so," Walker said while speaking to TV Insider about their joint Christmas film, "She's Making a List." The plot follows Chabert as Isabel, a consultant Santa hires to monitor children who don't fit neatly on either the Naughty or Nice List, and Walker as Charlie, the father of a young daughter who's been misbehaving since her mother died a year prior.

While some viewers enjoyed the high-concept film, others thought the plot left little room for Chabert and Walker's characters to develop feelings for each other. "I think they could have had great chemistry," wrote one Reddit user, "but the chaos of the script didn't give any real attention to it." Other fans agreed that the main focus is more on Isabel's job and connection with Charlie's daughter than her budding romance with Charlie. "The script essentially tossed them together," wrote another viewer, "I was shocked when he asked her out."

Both Chabert and Walker are Hallmark veterans and close friends. Given their successful tenure with Hallmark and their friendship, here's hoping the pair get another chance with a future movie.

The fake boyfriend trope is one of many Hallmark tropes that could be considered red flags, but it's one of our favorites. In "Undercover Holiday," Noemi Gonzalez plays Jaylen, a singer who won a talent competition similar to "American Idol." Rather than tell her family her label hired a bodyguard (Stephen Huszar) to watch over her, she tells them he's her new boyfriend. Unfortunately, most fans who watched "Undercover Holiday" agree that even its use of the beloved trope couldn't save this film.

"'Undercover Holiday' had one of my favorite tropes (fake boyfriend) and there was no chemistry whatsoever," wrote one Reddit user of the film who claimed that "strong chemistry may have overcome any shortcomings in the script." An IMDb reviewer echoed the sentiment, writing, "But the biggest problem, quite frankly, was that I just couldn't picture Jaylen with Matt. And that's essential for a Hallmark romance to work."

The lack of chemistry between the two lead actors wasn't the only problem fans had with "Undercover Holiday." Others complained on Reddit that Gonzalez wasn't a convincing pop star and her vocal performance could be improved, noting that she went flat when singing live.

Even though she's in some great films, there are Ashley Williams Hallmark movies that didn't impress fans. One such film is "Two Tickets to Paradise," in which Williams stars as a bride who decides to go through with her honeymoon plans after being left at the altar. While on vacation, she meets a man (Ryan Paevey) in a similar situation and sparks fly between the two. Or do they?

Some fans loved seeing Williams and Paevey paired together as a couple, while others were less enthusiastic. The most frequent complaint was that the two were giving brother and sister rather than a romantic couple. "I thought they had a great friendship forming with their adventures, but I personally didn't feel sparks jumping off at me from those two," wrote one Reddit user. Even positive reviews like this one on IMDb acknowledged that the chemistry could be improved: "Ashley and Ryan didn't have the best chemistry but also not the worst I've seen either."

The two definitely get along like siblings in real life, even showing off their bond in a Q&A video posted on Hallmark's YouTube channel. "I feel like I made friends on this movie," Paevey said about working with Williams, "like we send each other memes now." Perhaps a buddy you share memes with doesn't make for the most romantic scene partner, but what do we know?

Kimberly Sustad and Lucas Bryant have seemingly perfected the Hallmark formula, but this western romance got mixed reviews from fans. While some adored the two and praised their chemistry, others felt the romance was awkward at best. Depending on which side you fall, "The Real West" might be a real dud.

As per usual, this Hallmark movie romance begins with a meet-cute. Rebecca, a widowed professor, and Jake, a quiet cowboy, hit it off immediately and chat for hours during what could only be described as a coffee date. When it's revealed that Jake is dating Rebecca's sister, that should be the end of their flirtation. Instead, Rebecca continues to pursue Jake and fans are torn on whether this worked in the film.

"The 'quiet and mysterious' thing they tried with Jake just made him seem emotionally unavailable," wrote one viewer on Reddit. When Rebecca made advances toward Jake, this fan felt that he seemed disinterested: "He never initiates, never genuinely pursues Rebecca, and just reacts to her advances." One IMDb reviewer even wrote that Jake came off as "creepy" rather than "smoldering" as intended. Still, the film has just as many positive reviews as it does negative, so you might enjoy the pairing more than these critics.

"Double Scoop" is predictable but predictability hasn't stopped us from enjoying Hallmark movies before. So what stops fans from enjoying "Double Scoop?" Despite starring two beloved Hallmark actors, fans thought the script and chemistry were lacking.

In a relatively positive Reddit thread, users likened the film's plot to comfort food but even its defenders admitted they weren't completely convinced by Cole's and McPartlin's acting. "The only real criticism was the chemistry wasn't the best," wrote the thread's original poster. Others agreed, calling the romance "meh." One IMDb reviewer wrote that the romance "felt more contrived than real" while others felt that the actors were talented but ultimately let down by the poor script.

While on set, the two actors grew closer than their on-screen chemistry would suggest. In an episode of "That's Awesome with Ryan McPartlin," Cole opened up about her struggles with Hashimoto's disease, grief, and infertility. While Cole was showing up to set to play a happy Hallmark heroine, she was dealing with her own heartbreak in her personal life. McPartlin tried to support his friend during production and offered his podcast as a platform for Cole to help others going through the same things.

"Falling for Look Lodge," also known as "Love at Look Lodge," is a 2020 Hallmark film starring two lovely actors whose characters fall for each other in a charming event space. Unfortunately, the paper-thin plot and the lack of sparks between the main couple left fans unimpressed. It's anyone's guess as to why the romance fell flat, but fans speculate that filming restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic and an unlikable love interest are partially to blame.

"The male lead is selfish, whiny, rude and disrespectful during most of the movie so when they get together in the end, it leaves you shaking your head," writes one fan on IMDb. Another summed up their feelings as thus: "Bad acting. No chemistry. Stupid story." Meanwhile, Reddit users wrote that the movie felt "slapped together" and noted that the supporting cast felt exceptionally bare. "Was it sparse because of COVID precautions?" one commenter pondered.

Whatever the reason, it's a shame that an attempt to rectify one of Hallmark's biggest scandals fell flat among its viewers. In 2018, Global News reported that extras in one Hallmark production were told by staff that Hallmark had a "policy against interracial couple representation in our production." Though the company denied any such policy and affirmed its commitment to diversity and inclusion at the time, some fans believe Hallmark needs to do better. 

There are some rom-coms that are just a few changes away from being a horror film, and "The Perfect Christmas Present" is one of them. Tara Holt plays Jenny, a woman in a relationship with a man who is too busy to buy her a Christmas present. This busy boyfriend then hires an old school friend (Sam Page) to essentially follow his girlfriend and find the ultimate gift for her.

Page's character proceeds to trail this woman around, becomes infatuated with her, and worms his way into her life in order to steal her away from her current boyfriend. This is played as romantic but Hallmark fans thought it was anything but (though they did agree that Page was charming in his role, despite the stalking). "I like Sam Page but I felt there was no chemistry at all with the female lead," wrote one fan on IMDb.

Letterboxd reviewers felt similarly. "Both the leads are terrible people, but the guy also stalks her at the beginning so he's more terrible," wrote one fan while another wrote that the characters were "unhinged in a way that made the writing choices kind of fascinating ... like a trainwreck." With reviews like these, "The Perfect Christmas Present" could be a contender for your next hate watch.

When she signed a contract with Hallmark competitor GAC Family, we thought Jessica Lowndes would no longer be on the Hallmark Channel. Imagine our surprise when she returned in 2024 to star in the film "Happy Howlidays" alongside Ezra Moreland. Given fans' poor reactions to the movie, perhaps Lowndes wishes she stayed away a bit longer.

Fortunately for the film's leading lady, it's not her performance that fans have a problem with but her co-star's. Moreland competed on the Hallmark reality show "Finding Mr. Christmas" and won the chance to star in this film. To say fans were unimpressed with the winner's acting is an understatement: "If he's the best, how bad were those other contestants?" one viewer wrote on Letterboxd while another wrote that "the dogs were outperforming the humans."

More fans took to Reddit to share their displeasure, writing that Moreland was "stiff." Those are probably not the words an actor wants to hear about their performance, but Moreland is new to the whole acting thing. Hopefully, he can win over more fans in his next film.