For Great American Family cable television network, Lori Loughlin is starring in her first love story, the romantic comedy Fall Into Winter. The CEO of the network wants to make “America’s sweetheart” the face of the network.
The 58-year-old actress will play Keely in the film, GAC revealed on Thursday. Keely is shocked to learn that her brother sold his share of their family’s candy store to his closest buddy, who also happens to be her rival from high school. Brooks, Keely’s archenemy, and they are compelled to work together, but there may also be more in store for them.
Loughlin is familiar with GAC. When Hope Calls: A Country Christmas, the network’s holiday special from last December, featured her as a member of a large ensemble cast. In that two-part debut, Loughlin played Abigail Stanton from When Calls the Heart again. The Hallmark Channel terminated its relationship with the Fuller House actress in March 2019 due to her role in the college admissions controversy. She had recently seen as Abigail in season 6 of the Hallmark Channel drama When Calls the Heart.
Before entering a plea agreement in August 2020, Loughlin first entered a not guilty plea for many crimes. The agreement called for her to serve two months in jail, be subject to two years of supervised release, pay a fine of $150,000, and carry out 100 hours of community service. She was let go less than two months after starting her sentence in October 2020. Despite none of their daughters having ever participated in the sport, Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannulli spent $500,000 in bribes to get Isabella and Olivia Jade accepted to the University of Southern California as recruits for the crew team.
Despite the incident, Bill Abbott, CEO of the GAC network, told Variety earlier this week that he wanted Loughlin not just to become a part of the network’s family but also serve as its spokesperson. Candace Cameron Bure is another star and executive on the network. Abbott and Loughlin have a long history of collaboration. Loughlin appeared in 56 episodes of When Calls the Heart and 16 Garage Sale Mystery movies for Hallmark during his tenure as CEO of Hallmark Media.
“She’s America’s sweetheart, regardless of what happened,” said Abbott of Loughlin. “At the end of the day, she represents all that is positive about entertainment, and has had a stellar career — not only on screen, but also the way she’s conducted herself personally, in terms of being someone who has a track record of doing the right thing in the world at large, aside from whatever happened. I don’t know the details. She’s beloved, and for a good reason. We’re very proud of our association with her and we want to make her part of the fabric.”
Additionally, Abbott had said that he and Loughlin spoke “three times a week” and that Fall Into Winter was one of the two screenplays she liked that had already received approval.
“Lori’s a good friend and somebody who we would love nothing more than to do a movie with, and we’re hopeful,” Abbott said.
The first episode of Fall Into Winter will air in January, with filming starting next month.