As one of Hallmark‘s most prolific actresses, filming rom-coms and mysteries for the network has become second nature for Lacey Chabert, who starred in her first of nearly 40 Hallmark movies — “Elevator Girl” — in 2010. But with her latest project, Chabert admits she felt like a fish out of water.
On September 10, 2024, Chabert’s first-ever unscripted series, “Celebrations With Lacey Chabert,” will debut as part of Hallmark’s launch of its rebranded streaming service, Hallmark+.
“It was a challenging transition,” Chabert admitted to Collider days before the show’s debut. “I’ve never done unscripted before, and I’m used to a script and a character, and to be myself and to not have a script was a completely different experience.”
But getting Chabert to just be herself while throwing surprise parties for real-life heroes in the 10-episode series is exactly what Hallmark execs were hoping for. Chabert’s series is just the first of several unscripted shows debuting on Hallmark+ in 2024 that place some of Hallmark’s biggest stars in real-life, feel-good situations — an extension of Hallmark’s “whole mission,” the company’s new head of unscripted content, David Stefanou, told RealScreen in August.
Lacey Chabert Says Plans Sometimes Went Awry While Filming New Series
In “Celebrations With Lacey Chabert,” the actress works with event planners Lisa Friedman and Marisa Laine to create over-the-top surprise parties in just three days for real-life heroes.
To grow comfortable with filming a series without a script, Chabert leaned on her love of socializing and event planning, telling Collider, “I love talking to people. I love getting to know people. I love hearing people’s stories. And I got to do that in this show.”
But things still went awry at times, Chabert told Us Weekly, from weather issues to scheduling hiccups.
“It’s unscripted and so while there is a plan, things don’t always go according to that plan,” she told the outlet. “You just go with the flow and make the best of it, and everything worked out just as it was meant to be.”
Over the years, Chabert has given fans peeks on social media into her prowess as an event planner in her personal life, from decorating for her seven-year-old daughter’s birthday parties to planning a bridal shower for best friend and Hallmark alum Kimberly J. Brown. So heading into her new series, she was fully aware how much work would go into each surprise party.
“There’s so much work that goes into throwing a party,” she told The Screen Chatter. “But the biggest thing I took away from the show is when you want to make a party personalized for someone, it really isn’t about spending money or you don’t have to make everything so grand.”
Chabert continued, “It’s just about making it feel like it was tailor-made for them — their favorite food, their favorite color, their favorite flower … personal touches that can really make someone truly feel celebrated.”
Lacey Chabert Says She Got Teary-Eyed Filming Every Episode of New Series
HallmarkLacey Chabert looks on during a touching moment on her new unscripted Hallmark+ show, “Celebrations With Lacey Chabert”
What Chabert didn’t expect was how emotional each celebration would be for her, admitting to Us Weekly that she “cried” at some point in each episode.
“Every time we surprised a hero,” she also told Collider, “I would get teary-eyed because it was just such a beautiful and poignant moment.”
“I don’t think I quite understood the impact it would have on me,” she told CNN. “Standing there, meeting them for the first time, meeting these heroes, seeing their hearts and how beautiful their hearts are, seeing the joy on their faces when they walk into these surprise parties, and they look around and their friends and family who have come there to celebrate them. Every time, it was a beautiful moment.”
After speaking with the people impacted by those real life heroes the show celebrates, Chabert told The Screen Chatter, “You realize that one person really can make a difference, and that kindness and goodness has a true ripple effect.”
The first episode of “Celebrations With Lacey Chabert” debuts on Hallmark+ on September 10. Another one premieres on September 12, with new episodes available to stream each Thursday after that.
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