Hallmark
Hallmark Reveals ‘Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story’ Cast: Matthew Daddario, Holland Roden & More
Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story was such a hit, Hallmark’s doing it again! And this time, the network is headed north!
Hallmark Media, NFL, and Skydance Sports are partnering up again for the 2025 Countdown to Christmas event for Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story. The announcement was made on Thursday, March 27, through a video featuring Bills Safety Damar Hamlin. Now, the starting lineup (a.k.a. the cast) has been revealed. Scroll down for all the latest details on Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story.
Who has been cast in Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story?
Teen Wolf star Holland Roden and Shadowhunters star Matthew Daddario will play the leads of Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story. They’ll be joined by an incredible ensemble cast that includes Tony Danza, Tracy Pollan, Caroline Aaron, Steve Schirripa, and Patti Murin.
Just like Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story, plenty of Buffalo Bills team members will be making cameos in the new Hallmark movie, including head coach Sean McDermott, running back Ray Davis, safety Damar Hamlin, offensive tackle Dion Dawkins, tight end Dawson Knox, long snapper Reid Ferguson, defensive tackle DeWayne Carter, and wide receiver Joshua Palmer. Bills legend Jim Kelly, as well as teammates Steve Tasker, Thurman Thomas, Scott Norwood and Andre Reed, along with Bills play-by-play announcer Chris Brown, will also see action during production. Luke Russert, son of broadcast journalist and die-hard Bills fan Tim Russert, will make an appearance.
On May 19, Hallmark released an adorable video of the cast (watch below) announcing the kickoff of production:
View this post on Instagram
When will Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story premiere?
Hallmark Channel hasn’t announced an exact premiere date for Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story, but the movie will air during the network’s annual Countdown to Christmas programming event later this year.
Production started May 19 in Buffalo, New York, and will film at iconic locations throughout the region: Highmark Stadium and Oishei Children’s Hospital.
What is Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story about?
Hallmark released the following synopsis about Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story: The Quinns and DeLucas have lived next door to each other for decades in the shadow of Highmark Stadium, the home of their beloved Buffalo Bills. With their longtime friendship rooted in being proud members of Bills Mafia, the two clans have enjoyed cherished traditions that revolve around cheering for their favorite team, especially at the holidays when they celebrate the last home game before Christmas.
Pediatric doctor Morgan Quinn (Roden) and the Bills’ VP of Stadium Development Gabe DeLuca (Daddario) have always been close friends, but Gabe has always held a torch for her—a fact obvious to their families (Pollan, Aaron, Schirripa, Murin)…and everyone else who crosses their path. When Morgan learns from her Uncle Tommy (Danza) that someone anonymously helped her family get by after he was drafted more than 60 years ago—and that he continues to receive a Christmas gift each year to this day—she decides to find his benefactor and give her uncle a Christmas he’ll always remember. Aided by Bills Mafia friends of theirs, Morgan and Gabe work together to unwrap the gifter’s identity. Along the way, Gabe’s love for Morgan deepens and in turn, she begins to see him in a new light though neither is daring enough to admit their feelings. Meanwhile, Morgan’s hopes of pulling off her surprise for Uncle Tommy get sacked. That is, until Gabe takes matters into his own hands and uses his connections with the Bills to pull off the surprise of a lifetime for Morgan and both their families that will make this a Christmas they’ll never forget.
Last year’s collaboration, Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story was cable television’s most-watched movie of the year. (Also, according to Nielsen data, over 75 percent of Hallmark Channel viewers also watched NFL Football while Countdown to Christmas was on air in 2024.) That movie starred Hunter King as a Chiefs superfan who tries to win the Fan of the Year Award as a Christmas gift for her family, and along the way, she falls in love with Tyler Hynes‘ character, who works in the Chiefs front office.
“The incredible success of last year’s partnership with the NFL and the Kansas City Chiefs far exceeded our expectations,” said Darren Abbott, Chief Brand Officer, Hallmark, in a statement. “We are thrilled to team up with the Bills this year for a new holiday movie filled with heart, family and the classic Hallmark storytelling that our fans know and love, all set against the special community the Bills franchise has nurtured throughout its storied history.”
Added Pete Guelli, Chief Operating Officer, Buffalo Bills, “We were honored to be approached by Skydance Sports to participate in this amazing project that will showcase two powerful brands – Hallmark and the Buffalo Bills. This is just another example of how the Bills brand and our amazing fan base continues to grow across the sports and entertainment landscape. This is an incredible opportunity to feature Western New York and Bills Mafia on the Hallmark platform. It is a privilege to be part of this project, and we hope this film will be a hit during the holiday season!”
Alongside the film will be fan activations, unique co-branded merchandise, and on-air, social, and digital promotion, with details of all of that shared later in 2025. Skydance Sports (a new venture between Skydance Media and the NFL to create a top-end sports content studio and expand sports programming across a range of formats) serves as the executive producer of Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story.
Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story, 2025, Hallmark Channel
