Summer may just be kicking off, but temperatures are already dropping at Netflix.
As rom-coms continue to rule the holiday season, the streaming service has begun to rival staple networks like Hallmark and Lifetime in its seasonal content. For 2024, fans can expect a star-studded cast across a handful of films all guaranteed to put them in the mood for cocoa, caroling and romance.
Earlier this year, Netflix revealed its first three movies; Hot Frosty, starring Hallmark darling Lacey Chabert, Lindsay Lohan’s upcoming Our Little Secret and the Christmas musical Meet Me Next Christmas with Pentatonix and Christina Milian. In May 2024, it added The Merry Gentleman to its slate, which will feature Britt Robertson as a former big-city dancer who tries to save her parents’ small-town shop.
“My character Ashley has been a successful Broadway dancer for her entire adult career, she returns to her hometown and is faced with figuring out what she wants for her future, while also reinventing her parents’ local business,” Robertson told Netflix’s Tudum about her role. “I love being able to surround myself with friends and family, decorate a Christmas tree, cook fresh baked goods and celebrate our lives together,” she says.” Being able to bring my favorite people together to watch a holiday movie helps me to appreciate the most important things in life.”
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The film also stars Chad Michael Murray as Lucas, Ashley’s love interest, and one of the men in Ashley’s Christmas-themed revue. (This marks the fourth time Murray has portrayed a character named Lucas since shooting to stardom as Lucas Scott on One Tree Hill.)
“Luke is kind, confident and slightly sarcastic,” Murray shared of his character. “He works as a contractor helping out the family who owns a bar named the Rhythm Room. He’s thrust into an unfamiliar situation and is pushed to the limits of comfortability.”
As for why Murray took on the role, he told the streaming giant, “Holiday movies bring so many of us the peace and calm we love to enjoy over the holidays. These films bring us together and give us adventures to enjoy as a family.”
Keep scrolling for a complete guide to Netflix’s holiday movie lineup:
‘Hot Frosty’
Release Date: TBD 2024
Starring: Lacey Chabert, Dustin Milligan, Craig Robinson, Joe Lo Truglio, Katy Mixon, Lauren Holly, Chrishell Stause
Synopsis: Two years after losing her husband, Cathy (Chabert) magically brings a handsome snowman to life! Through his naivete, the snowman helps Cathy to laugh, feel and love again, as the two fall for each other just in time for the holidays…and before he melts.
‘Our Little Secret’
Release Date: TBD 2024
Starring: Lindsay Lohan, Kristin Chenoweth, Ian Harding, Jon Rudnitsky, Tim Meadows,
Synopsis: Two resentful exes (Lohan and Harding) are forced to spend Christmas under the same roof after discovering that their current partners are siblings.
‘Meet Me Next Christmas’
Release Date: TBD 2024
Starring: Christina Milian, Kofi Siriboe, Kalen Allen and the cast of Pentatonix
Synopsis: Directed by Rusty Cundieff, Meet Me Next Christmas follows the yuletide journey of Layla (Milian), a woman whose pursuit of a fairy-tale romance with the man of her dreams leads her on a race against time to secure tickets to New York City’s hottest gig: the sold-out Pentatonix Christmas Eve Concert.
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‘The Merry Gentlemen’
Release Date: TBD 2024
Starring: Chad Michael Murray, Britt Robertson, Marla Sokoloff, Beth Broderick, Michael Gross, Maxwell Caulfield, Hector David Jr, Colt Prattes, Marc Anthony Samuel
Synopsis: To save her parents’ small-town performing venue, Ashley (Robertson), a former big-city dancer, decides to stage an all-male, Christmas-themed revue.
“Champagne Problems’
Release Date: TBD 2024
Starring: Minka Kelly, TBD
Synopsis: A mergers and acquisitions executive (Kelly) heads to France just ahead of Christmas to finalize a deal for a beloved champagne brand. However, the situation gets complicated when she begins a whirlwind romance with a Parisian stranger who just happens to be the son of the champagne company’s founder.
