Skip to main content

TL;DR: 

  • Lori Loughlin will star in a new movie for Great American Family. 
  • Fall Into Winter is Loughlin’s first major TV movie role since her involvement in the 2019 college admissions scandal. 
  • Last year, she appeared in the When Hope Calls Christmas special, also for Great American Family. 
Lori Loughlin at an event in 2022
Lori Loughlin | Paul Archuleta/GC Images

Lori Loughlin’s comeback is in full swing. The disgraced Fuller House star will star in a new movie for Great American Family. Fall Into Winter is her first major TV role since her involvement in the 2019 college admissions scandal. 

Lori Loughlin to star in ‘Fall Into Winter’ for Great American Family 

Fall Into Winter will air in January 2023 as part of Great American Family’s winter programming event. Loughlin plays Keely, who is aghast when her brother sells his half of their family-owned candy shop to his high school best friends (and her nemesis) Brooks. 

The development forces “a sudden urgency to find connection and common ground,” according to a description of the movie shared by Great American Family. “Keely has been hurt before; change is her new nemesis. Brooks’ past is a mirror of Keely’s. He, too, has a fortress around his heart. Fate brings the pair together. Might it also offer new beginnings?”

“Lori is a genre-defining star that I have had the honor to call a close friend and collaborator for more than 15 years,” said Bill Abbott, Great American Media’s president and CEO. “We have a shared vision for creating meaningful and memorable movies that resonate with our passionate fans, and I look forward to welcoming her back to Great American Family to anchor our 2023 winter programming slate.”

Loughlin previously appeared in the ‘When Hope Calls’ Christmas special 

Related

Lori Loughlin Didn’t Deserve Prison in College Admissions Scam, Danica McKellar Says

Fall Into Winter is actually Loughlin’s second project with Hallmark Channel rival Great American Family. Last year, she reprised her role as When Calls the Heart’s Abigail Stanton in the When Hope Calls Christmas special, which also aired on Great American Family. 

Loughlin’s appearance in the When Calls the Heart spinoff marked her return to television after serving two months in federal prison on fraud charges in 2020. The actor and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, both pleaded guilty to paying bribes to ensure that their two daughters were admitted to the University of Southern California. 

Prior to the Varsity Blues scandal, Loughlin starred in the Garage Sale Mysteries series and When Calls the Heart for Hallmark. The network fired her after her role in the scheme came to light and has indicated they have no plans to work with her in the future. 

Is Loughlin still ‘America’s sweetheart’? 

Abbott – who was previously a Hallmark exec before founding Great American Family in 2021 – believes viewers want to see Loughlin back on their TV screens. 

“She’s America’s sweetheart, regardless of whatever happened,” he recently told Variety. But has her stint in prison permanently changed how audiences see the actor, who got her start in the early ‘80s with a memorable role on the soap The Edge of Night? Response to Loughlin’s casting from followers of Great American Family’s social accounts has been largely positive. But others may not be so quick to forgive and forget. Whether she’ll draw new viewers to the channel remains to be seen. 

For more on the entertainment world and exclusive interviews, subscribe to Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s YouTube channel.

Best in Entertainment