A Complete List Of Brennan Elliott's Hallmark Movies
If you're watching a rom-com, a mystery movie, or a Christmas movie on the Hallmark Channel, there's a pretty good chance it will star Brennan Elliot as the leading man. Since getting his start on the network in the 2009 "The Nanny Express," the Canadian-born actor has starred in a staggering 22 original Hallmark movies to date.
Prior to joining Hallmark, Elliot had a successful TV career, taking on numerous guest roles in shows like "House," "CSI," "Desperate Housewives," "Grey's Anatomy," and "Bones." However, it was on the Hallmark Channel that Elliot really got a chance to shine. After all, with his natural charisma and dreamy looks, he's a natural fit for the network. And by the sounds of things, Elliot couldn't be happier at Hallmark. "Hallmark shows the side of life that we all want to feel, whether it's love, friendship, family, or the Christmas movies," he said in an interview with Moments with Mercy (via HubPages).
In 2022, Elliot signed a deal with Crown Media Family Networks, the parent company of Hallmark. As Executive Vice President Lisa Hamilton Daly told Deadline at the time, "He's a joy to work with and we look forward to collaborating with him on new movies we know our viewers will fall in love with." It sounds like Elliot has quite a few more Hallmark movies in the pipeline.
Can't get enough of this Hallmark icon? Here's a full guide to all of Elliot's movies with the network so far.
The Nanny Express, 2009
Brennan Elliot's first outing with Hallmark came in the 2009 film "The Nanny Express." Elliot played David Chandler, a widower with two kids who ends up falling for his quirky new nanny, Kate. When his teenaged daughter, Emily, eventually bonds with Kate, the film takes a heartwarming turn and delivers a strong message about makeshift families, grief, and love. Think of it as a modern-day "Sound of Music" — with no songs and no looming war, of course!
For Elliot, the film was a great entryway into the network and proved to be the start of his long relationship with Hallmark. "When I started with Hallmark, my first movie with them was 'The Nanny Express,'" the actor recalled in a 2018 interview with My Devotional Thoughts. "That was a while ago, but it has been a really great, gradual, wonderful relationship that is kicking into high gear now."
All of My Heart, 2015
Brennan Elliot's second Hallmark film came six years later, when he stared in "All of My Heart" alongside Hallmark staple Lacey Chabert. The movie told the story of a caterer (Chabert) who co-inherits a country estate with a cold Wall Street broker (Elliot). Even though the unlikely pair get off to a shaky start, they soon become drawn to each other as they work together on their shared property.
The film quickly became a fan-favorite — in fact, Elliot counts it as his favorite feel-good movie. "For me there's always gonna be a soft spot for 'All of My Heart.' I just thought that was a movie that struck a chord with the fans," he told Nice Girls TV. He went onto explain that as soon as he saw the script, he knew it would be a great film. And once production on the film began, he felt even better. "It felt good to work with Lacey. It felt good," he said. "And then, in the end, I think a lot of the fans feel good watching it and it's been kind of a staple I think in regards to Hallmark."
Christmas Melody, 2015
"A Christmas Melody" followed the story of a divorced designer (played by Lacey Chabert) and her daughter who ends up moving back home with her young daughter. There she reconnects with an old rival from high school (Mariah Carey, who also directed the film) and starts to fall for the school music teacher (Brennan Elliot). Christmas, romance, and music — this film had everything we could ever ask for from a Hallmark classic!
As Elliot explained to TV Goodness, the film was commissioned by the network after the success of his pairing with Chabert in "All of My Heart." "The fans are calling for us to do more movie [sic] together and were very happy to do that," he said. "['A Christmas Melody'] came across my desk and Lacey called me and said she'd really love me to do it." Elliot went on to praise Carey's direction.
Elliot also enjoyed being cast in a slightly different role. "I got the chance to do a little music and some singing," he said. "It was a different type of film, and real character for me, playing this unassuming teacher."
Flower Shop Mystery: Mum's the Word, 2016
Brennan Elliot's relationship with Hallmark seemed to be going stronger than ever after his two successes with Lacey Chabert. In 2016, he was cast in "Flower Shop Mystery," the first in a series of movies about Abby (Brooke Shields), a flower shop owner-turned-small town detective and her blossoming partnership with the local bar owner (who just so happens to be her ex), Marco Salvare (Brennan Elliot). In the first movie in the series, "Mum's the Word," the pair manage to solve the mystery of a local murder, clearing a friend's name in the process.
"It's a real fun relationship detective dramedy," Elliot said to TV Goodness after making the first "Flower Shop Mystery" movie, adding, "[Brooke's] character has a little bit of Lucille Ball energy, and I'm the manly, sex guy who has come from the world of the war and the private investigator. We're still developing and creating the banter."
Flower Shop Mystery: Snipped in the Bud, 2016
Shortly after "Mum's the Word" came the second "Flower Shop Mystery," "Snipped in the Bud." In the second mystery, Brooke Shield's Abby is framed for the murder of an old acquaintance from university. Once again, she and Marco (Brennan Elliot) have to solve the mystery themselves.
As Elliot told TV Goodness, he felt that the team really found their feet with the second film in the series. Instead of putting too much focus on the mystery, they leaned into the relationships. "Anytime you do a pilot or a first film, you learn what not to do... I think [on the first one], we were dealing with the case and making a mystery, and that was important," he said. "I think with this one, we nailed it. We kept the mystery of the case and augmented it with humor and lightness and the relationships and made it a lot more of an enjoyable experience."
He added that his character's relationship with Abby also starts to heat up in this film — which is what we're all really interested in, anyway! "Marco and Abby are very different people and we're getting a little bit of a different dynamic in their relationship while they're solving the case," he teased.
Flower Shop Mystery: Dearly Depotted, 2016
In the third "Flower Shop Mystery" movie, "Dearly Depotted," Abby and Marco take on the mystery of a murdered party guest at her cousin's wedding.
One of the best scenes in the film is when Abby and Marco end up dancing at the wedding. While the sequence ended up looking amazing, Elliot wasn't initially too sure about putting on his dancing shoes. "I was about two days from leaving," Elliot told the Hallmark Channel, explaining that the shoot was almost wrapped. " Then, Shields decided last minute that the pair should dance. "I have some talent but I'm not the biggest dancer in the world," he said. "Ask my wife, at our wedding I think I might have stepped on her toes."
Elliot ended up taking swing dance lessons just for the scene — and we think it totally paid off. The dance scene in "Dearly Depotted" is one of the most romantic moments in Elliot's Hallmark career.
Love You Like Christmas, 2016
Brennan Elliot appeared in his second Christmas movie in 2016 with Hallmark's "Love You Like Christmas." The movie told the story of a workaholic, Maddie (played by Bonnie Somerville, who you may remember as Mona from "Friends"), who finds herself in a Christmas-obsessed town for the holidays. Naturally, she sparks begin to fly with one local, Kevin (played by Elliot).
As reviews of the movie noted, it was a little cliched with its aggressive Christmas-y vibe, but Elliot and Somerville shared amazing chemistry on screen.
Plus, after watching "Love You Like Christmas," you can also pick up the novel by Keri F. Sweet — which, as the author explained to My Devotional Thoughts, gives fans a little more insight into the central relationship. "You just get so much more story. You find out more about how Kevin came into his financial troubles with the storm," Sweet said.
All of My Heart: Inn Love, 2017
After the popular 2015 film "All of My Heart," Brennan Elliot and Lacey Chabert reunited for "All of My Heart: Inn Love." In the sequel, Jenny and Brian's blossoming romance continues as they prepare to open their inn. Of course, their journey isn't without its ups and downs, and a friend from Brian's past threatens to send their plans and relationship off the rails.
For Chabert and Elliot, the sequel was a dream come true. "The fans really love the original movie that we did and it was so much fun to bring these characters to life and the fact that Brennan and I are out here again, you know, continuing this story has just been such a blast," Chabert said in a special feature. "Lacey and I, this is our third film together, and every time we work together it's so easy... it doesn't feel like acting or work," added Elliot. It's no wonder this pair seems so natural on screen — it seems like they're best friends in real life, too.
Christmas Encore, 2017
For the third year in a row, Brennan Elliot starred in a Hallmark Christmas movie with 2017's "Christmas Encore." The movie followed Charlotte (Maggie Lawson), a struggling actor, who lands a role in "A Christmas Carol" and starts to fall for the production's director, Julian (Elliot).
As Elliot explained to My Devotional Thoughts, he decided to sign onto "Christmas Encore" shortly after he finished work on "All of My Heart: Inn Love." He had already been offered another movie and a TV show, but neither felt right. "I had been called about this movie, and thankfully, I had an old draft of the script that I had read," he said. "I thought it was really out-of-the-box and very different... When I read the script, the story just seemed more subtle and different, and so I decided to do this one."
Elliot also explained that he worked closely with Lawson and the director to make the film what it was. "There were many script revisions throughout the filming and lots of changes made. We were often flying on the fly... What I was proud of was how hard we fought to make something that we all believe is an important thing to say about Christmas," he said.
All of My Heart: The Wedding, 2018
The following year, Brennan Elliot and Lacey Chabert reunited once again for a third '"All of My Heart" movie, called "All of My Heart: The Wedding." In the third installment, Jenny and Brian tie the knot at their inn in Bucks County. Even though there are a few hitches along the way, the pair finally get their happily ever after.
In their fourth project together, Chabert and Elliot's chemistry was better than ever. "Our real-life friendship, along with the respect we have for one another, creates a great environment for being creative," Chabert told My Devotional Thoughts. "Because we trust each other, it makes us free to be in the moment and discover the nuances of a scene. Brennan is very funny and loves to improvise. I always tease him that he just has to have the last word."
For Elliot, making "The Wedding" was equally special. In fact, one scene in particular stood out for the actor. Filming the wedding scene "was probably the most fun and most special time we've had on a set in both of our careers. And it wasn't the acting element of it... it was just everything... everything had a really positive energy," he told the network. It even reminded Elliot of his own real life wedding. Apparently, some of the extras were actually crying real tears!
Christmas at Grand Valley, 2018
In Brennan Elliot's fourth Christmas movie with the Hallmark network, "Christmas at Grand Valley," the actor played a businessman and father who is tasked with valuing a small town hotel in Grand Valley. When he meets a young gallery curator (Danica McKellar), sparks begin to fly just in time for the holidays.
The story offers "love, romance, connection, and, you know, getting in touch with your heart and your passion," as Elliot put it in an interview with Extra. He added that this is one Christmas movie that goes a little deeper than some of the other Hallmark rom-coms. "It's a grounded, simple, honest tale under Christmas, but there's a lot more emotional character stuff going on," he said. "Such a rich, beautiful story," McKellar concurred. This is the perfect Elliot flick to pick if you're looking for some emotional depth — along with that guaranteed happy ending.
Crossword Mysteries: A Puzzle to Die For, 2019
After the huge success of the "All of My Heart" series, Brennan Elliot and Lacy Chabert reunited again in a new film series, "Crossword Mysteries." Chabert played Tess, the editor of a crossword puzzle who begins to find murder clues in her puzzle. Elliot played Logan, a police detective who initially suspects Tess.
Even though Chabert and Elliot were used to working together, in this first "Crossword Mysteries" film, they were playing, as Elliot said, "strangers." "The very first scene we did was the crime scene... that was a little bit daunting at first," he said in an interview. He went on to explain that as they continued filming, they built more chemistry between their new characters. "We're now feeling the banter and the relationship grow, cause we're just strangers, and it's been an interesting dynamic, but it's been a lot of fun."
All Summer Long, 2019
All aboard! In "All Summer Long," Brennan Elliot played the chef of a cruise — but things get a little rocky when the captain turns out to be his ex, Tia (Autumn Reeser). Naturally, the pair end up rekindling their old spark while out at sea. As Elliot told It's A Wonderful Movie, "All Summer Long is a story about second chances, finding the right person, and the importance of self acceptance." The movie premiered during Hallmark's Summer Nights series.
Even though Elliot had a great time making the movie, filming on a yacht wasn't always as fun as it sounds. "Loved shooting on a yacht but it was scorching hot, I got dehydrated and had to get IV fluids at the hospital," revealed the actor. "Learned my lesson — drink lots of water."
Despite his illness, Elliot got to try a character that was very new. "I've never played a chef and I've never been on a boat," he said in an interview. "And it's such a different experience I never thought I'd be doing it and I'm having such a blast, I'm having such a fun time."
Crossword Mysteries: Proposing Murder, 2019
In "Crossword Mysteries: Proposing Murder," crossword editor Tess reunites with Logan to solve another crossword-related murder mystery.
Brennan Elliot is certainly a busy man — in fact, he went straight from "All Summer Long" into this second "Crossword Mysteries" movie. "I went off and did a movie called 'All Summer Long' which was a summer movie with Autumn Reeser and then I went right from there to Toronto and shot back to back 'Crossword Mysteries' which we're excited about — in the new ones I'm not so much a rookie detective, we're maturing, our relationship is growing," the actor told At the Fence Online. "Her (Lacey) and I are collaborating a lot more. It's really just evolving, it's a lot of fun, and I think the fans are in for a real treat."
What can viewers expect? As Elliot put it, "Lots of fun and mystery, banter and romance and of course action. All that stuff that makes these kind of mystery series really fun to watch and entertaining." Sign us up!
Crossword Mysteries: Abracadaver, 2020
Straight after "Proposing Murder," Hallmark released the third installment of "Crossword Mysteries," "Abracadavar." This mystery featured Tess and Logan solving the murder of a famous magician who died while doing a very dangerous trick during his act. In order to track down the killer, they have to learn about the world of magic themselves.
For Brennan Elliot, the third "Crossword Mysteries" movie was his favorite one to date. "I think we've finally found our voice with the show," he said in an interview with the Hallmark Channel. He also gushed about his growing relationship with his co-star Lacey Chabert. "We have a lot of fun. We've become very, very good friends," he said. The network then played an adorable message from Chabert, who gave a shout out to Elliot — and to his hair in "Abracadavar." Could these two be any cuter? We have to say, this film certainly sounds downright magical!
Christmas in Vienna, 2020
Brennan Elliot once again returned to the wonderful world of Hallmark Christmas movies in 2020 with the lush, romantic "Christmas in Vienna." The film starred Sarah Drew as a violinist who finds romance while on tour in Vienna at Christmastime. Elliot played Mark Olsen, a widowed diplomat whose heart is warmed when the violist bonds with his children. If it sounds a little bit like "The Sound of Music," you'd be right!
As Elliot told My Devotional Thoughts, the movie was filmed right before the pandemic. "I do remember being in Europe in December [2019] and January [2020] and being around hundreds if not thousands of extras and people on the streets," he recalled. "No masks. I do remember...you know, COVID wasn't even in the consciousness on the scale it is now except maybe behind closed doors."
Even though "Christmas in Vienna" is definitely a Hallmark Christmas romance, it deals with some fairly dark themes. "Why I wanted to do this was that there's a real strong element of, 'Are we able to love again after being broken-hearted?'" Elliot said. "And that is such a universal thing that I think takes many faces and forms... It is about how when you're heart's been destroyed, and you've lost all passion for life... is your heart so broken that you can open your heart again and love again?" Cue the tears!
Crossword Mysteries: Terminal Descent, 2021
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Brennan Elliot managed to get back to work and film another series of "Crossword Mysteries" films. The fourth movie in the series, "Terminal Descent," begins with a crossword competition and soon devolves into the mystery of a dead tech company executive. Of course, Tess and Logan team up once again to get to the bottom of the murder.
In this movie, you'll notice that the writing is more complex than ever. "Every scene is so complex the way it's been written because it's like a puzzle," Elliot told Hallmark in an on-set interview. "It's not just like you know we just had a couple scenes where it was like if you're saying one thing but there's a million other things that you're trying to say." Elliot explained that working with such a detailed script wasn't easy. "You need some time with the material to find all those nuances but I think that's what makes it different." Knowing Elliot, we have full confidence that he absolutely did the script justice.
Crossword Mysteries: Riddle Me Dead, 2021
In "Terminal Descent" Brennan Elliot and Lacey Chabert took on another crossword-related mystery — this time, the murder of a game show host.
It was Elliot and Chabert's fifth "Crosswords Mysteries" installment, and the two actors were a stronger creative duo than ever. "We just have a great time together, and the audience is responsive. It's been wonderful," he told TV Fanatic. "It's one of those things where when you have a career; you can look back and go, 'Wow, that was special.' So very thankful for it."
In terms of what fans can expect from the fifth "Terminal Descent" movie, Elliot said, "I can't give too much, but I will say this, the fans — what they've been asking for and what they've been yearning for — will be pleasantly surprised. I always tell people this is the most personal episode we've had." Sounds like the romance element gets kicked up a notch in this installment!
Open by Christmas, 2021
Brennan Elliot starred in yet another Hallmark Christmas movie in 2021 with the charming "Open By Christmas." The rom-com follows Nicky (Alison Sweeney), who is trying to track down her old high school secret admirer after she finds an old Christmas card in her parents' house. Of course, Elliot's Derrick is one of the contenders in the little mystery.
This sweet movie has all of the things we love about a good old fashioned Hallmark romance. "It's all very simple and innocent," Elliot said in an on-set interview with the Hallmark Channel. "That's what's really refreshing about the story... there is a fun mystery in the movie of her trying to figure out who wrote her that card." This movie shows that it's never too late to find the person you're meant to be with. Plus, it's the perfect heartwarming, escapist tale to switch on at Christmastime.
The Perfect Pairing, 2022
In the 2022 film "The Perfect Pairing," Brennan Elliot plays Michael, the owner of a winery and a single dad who helps Christina (Nazneen Contractor), a young wine critic, who is suffering from amnesia. Little does she know, she has already given Michael's winery a horrible review. As Digital Journal noted in their review, it's a "poignant" film that goes a lot deeper than other Hallmark romances.
Elliot was a big fan of the movie's premise. Because Christina and Michael have no idea who each other are, they can fall in love without any of the baggage that comes with being in the "real world." "I think that starting and meeting that way it just gives the story so many places to go," he told the Hallmark Channel. "And I think it's a great way to meet and I've never done any movie or project where I met in that kind of circumstance."
Marry Go Round, 2022
Shortly after "The Perfect Pairing" came Brennan Elliot's "Marry Go Round," a love story about Abby (Amanda Schull) and Luke (Elliot), two childhood sweethearts who married, but grew apart and separated. When Abby finds out that their divorce was never official, a complicated, grownup love story ensues.
Once again, "Marry Go Round" is a great showcase for Elliot's skill as an actor. "I think what defined Brennan's performance, for me, was just his acceptance and willingness to be very authentically vulnerable; and not try to fake it or force it or push it — and that's not always easy for men," his co-star Amanda Schull told WNYPapers. For Elliot, taking on the somewhat harrowing role of Luke wasn't always easy. As he told one fan on Twitter, "This movie is a pretty personal love story for me to be honest." Sounds like this romance isn't for the faint of heart.
The Gift of Peace, 2022
In "The Gift of Peace," Brennan Elliot finally got to work with Hallmark actor Nikki DeLoach. The touching movie follows Traci (DeLoach), an artist who joins a grief support group after losing someone close to her. There, she meets Michael, a man who is also grieving over the holidays.
For Elliot, this film was not only emotionally harrowing, it was also very close to home. "There were a couple of scripts that came across my desk, and this was one that I read, and it scared me, to be perfectly honest," he said to TV Fanatic. "When I first read it, I thought, 'Wow.' It's a testament to Hallmark's diversifying content, going deeper on certain movies..." Elliot went on to explain that the film reminded him of his experience with his wife, who has battled cancer for several years. "Obviously, people know what I'm going through with my wife, so everything lined up, and I decided to go after it," said the actor.