Big Hallmark Premiere Drops Early on Streaming

Fans of “The Way Home” were in for a surprise on Thursday, January 2. The season 3 episode 1 premiere accidentally dropped early for Hallmark+ subscribers on Roku.

‘It Was So Good!’ One Fan Shared

The news of the premiere first broke in a public “The Way Home” Facebook group for fans, where multiple people shared the news. One person shared a screenshot showing the new episode, called “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet,” on Hallmark+ via Roku. Others who were subscribed to Hallmark+ on different platforms said that it was not available to them, so this appears to be something that only happened on Roku. EntertainmentNOW reached out to Hallmark for comment but has not yet heard back.

A few people who saw the episode shared their reviews in posts that are no longer online, but which EntertainmentNOW took screenshots of. One person commented, “I watched it this morning and will probably watch it again because it was so good!”

Another person wrote, “my husband was laughing at me because I was rewinding and pausing it!”

Another person commented, “I want to watch again but am going to wait and watch with everyone else.”

EntertainmentNOW also reached out to Roku for comment.

The Episode Was Supposed to Drop on Streaming on Saturday After Premiering Friday Night

The glitch might be related to how Hallmark changed the schedule for “The Way Home” in recent weeks.

On November 25, Hallmark had originally announced that “The Way Home” season 3 would air exclusively on Hallmark+, its premium streaming platform, beginning January 2. It would then air on the Hallmark Channel later in the fall of 2025.

However, after fans were upset by the news and reached out to Hallmark about it, the network changed its mind. They announced in mid-December that instead, season 3 would air new episodes on the Hallmark Channel on Friday nights, beginning January 3. Then each new episode would begin streaming on Hallmark+ starting Saturday, January 4, instead of the original Thursday night plan when most new premieres drop on the streaming service.

Hallmark posted: “Due to overwhelming demand, the entire season 3 of The Way Home will premiere on Hallmark Channel starting Friday, January 3rd at 9/8c and then you can stream it next day on @HallmarkPlus!”

In a public “The Way Home” Facebook group, fans were elated by the news.

One person wrote: “Awesome. I was afraid I was going to miss it. I love this show. It is the best ever.”

By dropping the premiere on its streaming service on January 2, it appears that Roku was following the original schedule rather than the revised schedule. It’s not clear as of the time of this article’s publication exactly what happened or how long the episode will remain on the streaming service. EntertainmentNOW reached out to Roku for comment but we have not heard back yet.