Whether you're strictly a Christmastime viewer or a year-round die-hard, you can't deny that the Hallmark Channel is the home of feel-good entertainment. And in the war against new competitor Great American Family, the old trusty seems to be winning. Sure, Candace Cameron Bure made the jump from Hallmark to faith-based GAF, but her controversial views on showing same-sex couples on TV led many network devotees to happily bid adieu. There may be defectors at Hallmark ready to lend their talents to a new network (especially if it's shelling out the big bucks), but longtime favorite Ryan Paevey is certainly not one of them. The actor is currently signed on for an exclusive, multi-picture deal with the network, promising much more Paevey ahead.
Ashley Williams and Ryan Paevey in Hallmark's Two Tickets to Paradise. (The Hallmark Network)
Paevey, who got his start on General Hospital, quickly became a Hallmark mainstay after dazzling in the network's so-called Darcy film series (Unleashing Mr. Darcy, Marrying Mr. Darcy). Beloved follow-ups like Harvest Love and last summer's Hawaiian getaway Two Tickets to Paradise, co-starring Ashley Williams, solidified his status as one of the network's most in-demand hunks. And Paevey wouldn't have it any other way. He's a regular at RomaDrama Live!, a collection of in-person events for fans of the romance genre (and of Hallmark romance movies, in particular), where he's always down to chat up longtime fans:
"Some of these people I've been seeing since I started on the soap opera. That's almost 10 years ago now," Paevey told Wide Open Country in a 2022 interview. "So it's just good to catch up. Because you really do kind of develop friendships with them over time. And it's always fun when you remember a face or a name or a chat that you had at the last one."
A company man, through-and-through.
Ryan Paevey in Hallmark's Coyote Creek Christmas. (The Hallmark Network)
"Being part of Hallmark is like no other experience I've ever had," Paevey said in a statement following his 2022 multi-picture pact. "The creative people I've had the pleasure of working with both at the network and on every set have made this collaboration so special and I can't wait to see what's next."
The Hallmark Network has been criticized for showing primarily white characters in usually heterosexual love stories. Hallmark acknowledged the shortcoming and began to roll out more diverse films, like 2020's same-sex love story The Christmas House and Christmas at the Golden Dragon, which centers on a Chinese-American family. It's a programming evolution that Paevey fully supports:
"The fundamental storylines and equations are starting to change," he told TV Insider in 2022. "Becoming more inclusive, embracing a broader range of content and subject matter to be more reflective of real life. The core of it is still the same."
What I'm hearing is: Ryan Paevey is a Hallmark lifer, and we're definitely getting Two Tickets to Paradise 2: Three Tickets to Paradise. Bet on it.
READ MORE: Is Hallmark Star Erin Krakow Dating Her 'When Calls the Heart' Co-Star?
