Film
Watch Lifetime's Sweet, Gay Holiday Trailer for 'The Christmas Setup'
The film is the network's first LGBTQ+ Christmas movie.
November 23 2020 4:10 AM EST
November 04 2024 9:45 AM EST
MikelleStreet
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The film is the network's first LGBTQ+ Christmas movie.
We've said it before and we'll say it again: 2020 is the year of the gay yuletide. Last night, Hallmark Channel debuted their first holiday film featuring an LGBTQ+ lead storyline with The Christmas House. Later this week, Hulu is getting into the fair with the much-anticipated lesbian romcom Happiest Season. And today, we've found the trailer for Lifetime's The Christmas Setup.
Starring Fran Drescher as well as the real-life married couple Blake Lee and Ben Lewis, The Christmas Setup follows Hugo (Lewis) who is heading home to Milwaukee to see his mother (Drescher) and brother Aiden (Chad Connell). He's brought his best friend Madelyn (Ellen Wong) along for the trip and when he finally arrives home he finds his mom is hoping to play matchmaker. The singles she has her sights on? Hugo and Patrick (Lee) who were high school friends and secret crushes. While the sparks begin to fly in what the trailer reveals to be a slight comedy, Hugo eventually must decide between love and career by the film's end.
Like most of the other queer holiday films being released, The Christmas Setup cast two queer actors in queer roles (moreover, it cast actual husbands). In fact, the only aforementioned project that deviates from this is Happiest Season. That film has Mackenzie Davis, who is not publicly known to be queer, playing the girlfriend of Kristen Stewart -- it's worth noting though that the film also cast Victor Garber as her straight father. This comes within an ongoing conversation about whether or not it is appropriate for straight characters to take on queer roles, given that some queer actors become pigeonholed as a result of coming out publicly.
The Christmas Setup premieres Saturday, December 12 at 8 p.m. ET on Lifetime.
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Mikelle is the former editorial director of digital for PrideMedia, guiding digital editorial and social across Out, The Advocate, Pride.com, Out Traveler, and Plus. After starting as a freelancer for Out in 2013, he joined the staff as Senior Editor working across print and digital in 2018. In early 2021 he became Out's digital director, marking a pivot to content that centered queer and trans stories and figures, exclusively. In September 2021, he was promoted to editorial director of PrideMedia. He has written cover stories on Ricky Martin, Miss Fame, Nyle DiMarco, Jeremy O. Harris, Law Roach, and Symone.
Mikelle is the former editorial director of digital for PrideMedia, guiding digital editorial and social across Out, The Advocate, Pride.com, Out Traveler, and Plus. After starting as a freelancer for Out in 2013, he joined the staff as Senior Editor working across print and digital in 2018. In early 2021 he became Out's digital director, marking a pivot to content that centered queer and trans stories and figures, exclusively. In September 2021, he was promoted to editorial director of PrideMedia. He has written cover stories on Ricky Martin, Miss Fame, Nyle DiMarco, Jeremy O. Harris, Law Roach, and Symone.