Forget Lacey Chabert. These 10 Hallmark Actresses Are the Real Future
Are Lacey Chabert, Nikki DeLoach, and Bethany Joy Lenz the future of Hallmark? Don’t get me wrong — they’re all incredible. But every era eventually ends, and Hallmark’s next generation is already here and already delivering. In this video, I’m breaking down 10 actresses under 40 who are proving the Hallmark Channel has a very bright future ahead — whether the network fully realizes it yet or not.
From scene stealers turned leading ladies to actresses who are flat-out too good for cable, this list covers the women I genuinely believe will carry Hallmark movies and mysteries for the next decade. We’re talking about Amy Groening, Emily Tennant, Gina Mason, Katie Findlay, Katie Stevens, Kim Matula, Lillian Doucet-Roche, Madeleine Arthur, Marie Jansen, and Skylar Samuels — and yes, I have opinions about all of them.
💬 Who’s your favorite young Hallmark actress? Drop a name in the comments — I read every single one.
👍 If you liked this video, check out my Top 15 Hallmark Actresses of 2026 next!
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CHAPTERS
00:00 – Introduction: Is Hallmark’s Future in Good Hands?
00:45 – Amy Groening
01:30 – Emily Tennant
02:15 – Gina Mason
03:00 – Who Didn’t Make the List (and Why)
03:30 – Katie Findlay
04:15 – Katie Stevens
05:00 – Kim Matula
05:45 – Lillian Doucet-Roche
06:45 – Madeleine Arthur
07:30 – Marie Jansen
08:15 – Skylar Samuels
09:00 – Final Thoughts & Comment Question
22 Comments
Isn't this what got Lisa Hamilton Daly fired? 😁 And all those mystery series cancelled when she left.
I love Lacey, but when I see Nikki DeLoach, Bethany Joy Lenz or Alicia Witt as the lead in a movie, I won't watch it. We all have our favs and those aren't mine. It's nice to see some new faces.
Amy Groening has been great for a long time and should have been getting leads for awhile. You missed a great Mallory Jansen movie in "On The 12th date of Christmas". I love that movie.
I love Kim Matula. I've been watching her body of work since her days on the Daytime Drama, "The Bold and The Beautiful."
Good call to include Mallory Jansen in this line-up! She's so deserving of many more projects as both a lead and a writer! 👏🏻
A few other actors that I would love to see in lead roles are Stephanie Sy, Donna Benedicto and Meghan Heffern. 🎬
The new generation escept Marie Jensen isn't good enough to replace the current leading ladies. No chance.
Amy, Kim & Emily can be enjoyable to watch but it depends on the movie. Many movies have descent into farces, some are far too PC and in many cases the stories generally poor. As for the rest on the list, not interested in watching them.
Eric, did you see Mallory on Will Trent (TV series on ABC)?
I like all of the actresses. I lean more towards the scriptwriting and directing. It could be my background that leans me towards those choices. I never want to say I would not watch a movie because of an actor. They may surprise me. I’m not attach to actors. I barely know their names. I like scripts. Now would I like to see some of these season thespians take a few opportunities to grow? Yes!
I hope Emily T. goes back to being blond. That red hair doesn't suit her IMHO. I've recently come to appreciate Mallary Jensen, she is a great musician and singer. I think your take on the new wave is right on.
Love Kimberly Sustad
Please add Jessie Schram. She shines in everything she is in. I watched The Birthday Wish twice because of her performance. She played so well with Luke McFarland and more than held her own. Now my favorite Hallmark actress. You forget that she's acting. Nuff said. 🎉
just watched, A season to blossom. Emily Tennant is effortlessly charming!!!
Thanks for bringing up Katie love her. I'd like to see more Aimee T great list
2:15 I think she's absolutely fantastic, beautiful voice and presence.
Absolutely love, love, love Katie especially in Ghost of Christmas always. That entire production was awesome with camera angles, shots and their expressions. It's what made that show my all time favorite.
Great list of actresses that are overdue for prime roles. All of them are good. My wife chides me for enjoy Hallmark channel movies whether Romance or Mystery, but I enjoy the movies. The leading ladies are always terrific, and while I've seen quite a lot of movies, I've recently saw the interview on the returning actress from GAC, where the shooting time for a typical Hallmark movie is pretty intensive for the crew filming. While I love the existing leading ladies, I do think that spreading some of the roles for the newer actresses would give the fan favorite actress a little more breathing space to regroup/relax, spend time with family/friends. I would like to see these young actresses a bigger chance for more roles. I know Hallmark has a huge repository of movies, but there are some that I've seen a long time ago, but never see them reshown recently or even listed as able to purchase. I've been adding slowly to my personal library but I loved some the older ones that I haven't seen shown on Hallmark for a long time. Keep up the good work and keep the mystery series expanding, even with both male/female leaving or choosing to pass, it'll be fine to pass the torch to a newer actor/actress to expand their skills.
I recently discovered Vanessa Lengies and she instantly became a favorite of mine. I watched Take Me Back For Christmas for the first time this year and it was one of the best Hallmark movies I have ever seen-funny, sad, romantic and never boring! I seek out her movies now.
Amy Groening is wonderful. The Santa summit is one of my favorites and it’s because of her❤❤❤
I love the movies Emily Tennant are in. One of my favorites…
Sad title. Saying to forget Lacy. Really?
In my opinion, Hallmark movies are not getting better. Don’t like most of the new people. And the new guys have zero appeal.I keep watching my favs on Hallmark plus.