Another Hallmark Channel Star Joins Cast of 2025 ‘Holiday Touchdown’ Movie: ‘Can’t Wait’

Mere hours after Hallmark Channel announced the cast of its second NFL-themed Christmas movie on May 19, 2025, another star was added to the mix. Broadway alum and Hallmark star Patti Murin revealed via Instagram that she was packing her bags to film “Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story” in Buffalo, New York.

Although it’s not clear what role she’ll play in the movie, Murin joins a star-studded cast that includes rising Hallmark star Holland Roden, “Shadowhunter” heartthrob Matthew Daddario, and “Who’s the Boss” alum Tony Danza.

Sharing a screenshot of an afternoon press release about the movie’s cast, Murin wrote, “Can’t wait to head to Buffalo tomorrow to be part of this INCREDIBLE project! As a lifelong @nfl fan and a @hallmarkchannel fangirl, I could not be happier or more grateful. Also, I get to eat a lot of wings. WOOHOO!!!”

Fans Thrilled by Addition of Patti Murin to Hallmark Channel’s Buffalo Bills Movie Cast

The new movie, which just kicked off filming in the Buffalo area, is a follow-up to the 2024 smash hit “Holiday Romance: A Chiefs Love Story,” starring Tyler Hynes and Hunter King. After the success of that project, which became the most-watched cable movie of the year, Hallmark and the NFL decided to team up again — this time for a movie centered around the Bills.

The original movie featured an all-star supporting cast that included Ed Begley Jr., Diedrich Bader, Megyn Price, Richard Riehle, Christine Ebersole, and Richard Christie along with cameos by Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid, multiple players, “Today Show” anchor Jenna Bush Hager, NFL mom Donna Kelce, and Hallmark star Wes Brown.

For the Bills-themed movie, Murin will be part of another all-star supporting cast that includes “Family Ties” alum (and wife of Michael J. Fox) Tracy Pollan, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” cast member Caroline Aaron, and “The Sopranos” alum Steve Schirripa, whose first Hallmark movie was February’s “Sisterhood Inc.” Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott and many players will also appear.

After a steady string of Hallmark movies, Murin didn’t appear in one in 2024, so fans were thrilled to see her return, flooding her post with excited comments including one who wrote, “THIS IS THE BEST NEWS!!!” and another who commented, “Yay! Love seeing you in Hallmark movies!!!!”

Murin, who played the original Anna in Broadway’s “Frozen,” has co-starred in Hallmark movies including 2023’s “Mystic Christmas,” 2022’s “In Merry Measure,” 2021’s “To Catch a Spy,” 2020’s “Love on Iceland, and 2019’s “Holiday for Heroes,” per IMDb. Her 2020 and 2021 movies co-starred her husband, actor Colin Donnell.

What Will Hallmark’s New ‘Holiday Touchdown’ Movie Be About?

Like the original “Holiday Touchdown” movie, the “Bills Love Story” version is produced by Skydance Media, which has begun filming in the Buffalo area, including inside Highmark Stadium and at Oishei Children’s Hospital.

According to the logline for the movie, Roden will star as pediatric doctor Morgan Quinn and Daddario will play the Bills’ VP of Stadium Development, Gabe DeLuca. The characters grew up next door to each other, per the movie’s description:

“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)…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.”

“Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story” will premiere during Hallmark Channel’s 16th annual Countdown to Christmas programming slate, which kicks off in October 2025.