‘Tis The Season…For Christmas Movies! Recommended Films With Blacks In Lead Roles
It’s time to get in the holiday spirit! The Christmas season is upon us, which means it’s the perfect time to listen to holiday music and watch Christmas movies. And though race doesn’t play a part in the enjoyment of a movie, sometimes it’s nice to see yourself represented on the screen.
There are a ton of Christmas movies out there (Hallmark brings a new crop of them every year), but many don’t feature black-leads (or even leads of varying racial identities or sexualities). It can be limiting, and a bit boring, to not see enough variety on-screen.
Spectacular Magazine has put together a guide of new, made-for-TV holiday films with Black talent in lead roles that are airing on cable networks. This list only includes holiday films on basic cable networks and will not include any on premium cable, streaming service, or Hallmark. The initial premiere date is listed, however, don’t fret if it’s already passed — you can be assured the cable networks will air the movies numerous times during December. Just check your listings.
Dive into these movies premiering this month or that are already airing:
“A Christmas For Mary”
Network: OWN
Initial premiere date: Dec. 8 at 9 pm
Vivica A. Fox stars with Jackée Harry and Morgan Dixon in a holiday tale of rediscovery and renewal when up-and-coming journalist Lena Jones (Dixon) is tasked with delivering a story by Christmas that will wow her boss, magazine editor Vivian Vaye (Fox), who is dangling a promotion to head writer over Lena’s head. Intrigued by a portrait of a mysterious woman painted by her late grandfather, Lena journeys to the small town of Pineville, wherewith her mother Deborah’s (Harry) blessing and support, Lena uncovers a long-ago forgotten tale of young love that not only uncovers cherished memories of the past but also inspires Lena to follow her heart and find her own true love … and her perfect Christmas story.
“The Christmas Lottery”
Network: BET/BET Her
Initial premiere date: Dec. 12 at 8 pm
Reginald VelJohnson stars in this BET original drama about a father who requested his three estranged daughters Diedre, Nicole, and Tammy to come home for Christmas for a big announcement…he has won a $10-million-dollar lottery! To get their share, the sisters must repair their broken relationship. But when their dementia-stricken mother, Diane, forgets where she hid the ticket, the Davenport’s are now in a race to find the ticket and fix their family all before Christmas. Cast includes Asia’h Epperson, Brave Williams, Candiace Dillard Bassett, Kay-Megan Washington, Lorenzo “Renny” Cromwell, Terayle Hill, and Phylicia Morgan.
“Cooking Up Christmas”
Network: OWN
Initial premiere date: Dec. 15 at 9 pm
Meagan Holder (”Pitch”) stars in this holiday story as Chloe, an Atlanta-based chef who gets fired just weeks before Christmas and reluctantly takes a job with pro baseball player Donovan Jackson (OWN’s “Greenleaf” star Lamman Rucker), who is a single dad of three needing a live-in-chef to get him through the holidays with the kids. Throughout the holiday season in the Jackson household, Chloe discovers that her lifelong dream of opening her restaurant might finally come true… and that her heart has a mind of its own. “Cooking Up Christmas” also stars Jen Harper and Laparee Young from OWN’s “Greenleaf” and Lindsey Amani Blackwell from OWN’s “David Makes Man.”
“Holiday Heartbreak”
Network: BET/BET Her
Initial premiere date: Dec. 16 at 8 pm
Karma hits hard at Christmas when a loving father, played by comedian Michael Colyar, discovers that his womanizing past is coming back to haunt his daughter, played by Maryam Basir, after a curse destroys her love life. Rounding out the cast of this romantic comedy are LisaRaye McCoy, AJ Johnson, DeWayne “Kountry Wayne” Colley, Tiffany Black, B Simone, Kenneth Wayne, and Lonnie Bee.
“A Christmas Exchange”
Network: Lifetime; Full movie available free on YouTube
Initial premiere date: Dec. 19 at 8 pm
The holiday season has started and Molly Cooper (Laura Vandervoort) is looking for joy. Finally living her childhood dream, Molly swaps her quaint farmhouse for London Financier Patrick Kingston’s (Rainbow Sun Francks) posh apartment. Through the ups and downs of her new life in London and searching for romance, Molly begins to look forward to all communication with Patrick. Likewise, Patrick finds Molly’s warm emails and texts charming and compelling. Sparks fly between them as they get to know each other as they live in each other’s spaces.
“First Christmas”
Network: OWN
Initial premiere date: Dec. 22 at 9 pm
Given up for adoption and placed in foster care at a young age, writer Halle Downing (Idara Victor, “Alita: Battle Angel”) receives the blessing of a lifetime when she is invited to spend Christmas in New Orleans with the biological family she never knew she had – The Moore family. Extremely excited to celebrate Christmas with her relatives, Halle soon faces the hard reality that finding her place in this close-knit family is going to take longer than she thought, but anything is possible during the holidays. “First Christmas” also stars Tonea Stewart (“A Time to Kill”), Samantha Smith (“Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins”), Mason Beauchamp (“NCIS: New Orleans”), and Peyton Jackson (“Nobody’s Fool”).
“Christmas Dilemma”
Network: TV One
Initial premiere date: Dec. 6 at 7 pm
TV One’s new original holiday film “CHRISTMAS DILEMMA,” filmed in Atlanta, stars BJ Britt (Being Mary Jane, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), Brittany Hall (Ballers, Satisfaction), Carl Anthony Payne II (Martin, 5th Ward), and Christopher B. Duncan (Black Lightning, The Jamie Foxx Show). The movie follows a newlywed couple Jay (Britt) and Monica (Hall) as they struggle to decide which set of in-laws they should join for their first Christmas. After each pleads their case and even attempts a little trickery, they decide to bypass the guaranteed disappointment of picking one family over the other. Unbeknownst to them, the decision is made for them when their families show up at their home unexpectedly. Drama ensues as the in-laws’ clash, long-lost relatives decide to make an appearance, and Jay’s grandmother joins the holiday festivities accompanied by her caretaker who just happens to be Jay’s gorgeous ex-girlfriend.
“Let’s Meet Again on Christmas Eve”
Network: Lifetime; Full movie available for free
Initial premiere date: Dec. 5 at 8 pm
When college sweethearts, Corinne (Kyla Pratt) and Rob (Brooks Darnell), get opportunities on opposite sides of the world, they decide to part ways and meet again in two years on Christmas Eve to see if they are really meant to be. However, when one shows up and the other doesn’t, the fate of their romance seems to have reached the end. Many years later the two end up bumping into one another when they are both hired to help bring together a Christmas Eve wedding. With many questions left unanswered, they are about to embark on a journey filled with romance and magic, just in time for Christmas Eve.
“Christmas Together”
Network: ION TV
Initial premiere date: Dec. 5 at 7 pm
Encore: Dec. Dec. 20 at 3 pm; Dec. 25 at 5 pm
Vivica Fox stars in and produces “Christmas Together.” The film follows a brokenhearted New York painter (Anna Marie Dobbins) and a West Coast widower (Marc Herrmann) as they find their way together for the holiday season, thanks to the latter’s young daughter (Rylie Coe) and her innocent scheme. Fox will play Deb, a friendly neighbor witnessing and encouraging the blossoming relationship.
“A Christmas Surprise”
Network: BET/BET Her
Initial premiere date: Dec. 5 at 8 pm
A self-made businesswoman gets a Christmas surprise when her daughter returns from college with big news – she’s engaged! Now the holiday is thrown into chaos as she deals with her less-than-impressive and soon-to-be son-in-law, his overbearing mother, and an impending wedding. The film stars Wendy Raquel Robinson, Keesha Sharp, Will Blagrove, Katelynn Bennett, Mustapha Slack.
“Christmas in Carolina”
Network: Roku (I know it’s a streaming service, but the movie takes place in Carolina!)
Initial premiere date: Dec. 1
After losing her parents in a car accident, Elle (Joslyn Y. Hall of ‘Atlanta’), a career-driven investment banker has given up on finding love and the Christmas spirit until she meets Wesley (David L. Rowell of “Com-pli-cat-ed’), a former NBA player and CEO of a small marketing firm. Impetuously, Wesley invites Elle home for Christmas in South Carolina with his mother and uncle (Kellie Shanygne Williams and Darius McCrary of ‘Family Matters’ who reprise their roles as siblings). Hesitantly, Elle accepts and is thrown for a loop when she falls in love and finds the spirit of Christmas again. Starring Kellie Shanygne Williams, Darius McCrary, Joslyn Y. Hall, David L. Rowell, Jessi Nicolet, and Terrence Shingler.
“Merry Liddle Christmas Wedding”
Network: Lifetime; Full movie available for free
Initial premiere date: Nov. 28 at 8 pm
Lifetime’s first-ever Christmas sequel to last year’s hit movie, “Merry Liddle Christmas”, “Merry Liddle Christmas Wedding” once again follows Jacquie Liddle (Kelly Rowland), as she and Tyler (Thomas Cadrot) try to plan their perfect destination Christmas wedding. Naturally, Jacquie’s plans go awry when her boisterous family intervenes in her planning and her snooty wedding planner quits in protest. While nothing goes as initially planned, Jacquie and Tyler get a Christmas wedding more memorable than they could have ever dreamed. This Christmas sequel also stars Debbi Morgan, Bresha Webb, Latonya Williams, Jaime M. Callica, Nathan Witte, and Chris Shields.