How to watch the new Hallmark Countdown to Christmas movies this weekend (11/18-11/19)_INSIGHT

Hallmark movie fans will travel to Scotland and Ireland with the debut of “A Merry Scottish Christmas” on Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023.

The movie stars Lacey Chabert and Scott Wolf as siblings who travel to Scotland to reunite with their mother at Christmas.

There are 31 new Hallmark “Countdown to Christmas” movies this year that debut on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays plus nine new Hallmark Movies & Mysteries “Miracles of Christmas” movies that debut on Thursdays.

• LIVE STREAM: Fans can watch the Hallmark movies without cable on Philo (free trial), fuboTV (free trial), DirecTV Stream (free trial), Sling and Peacock

“A Merry Scottish Christmas,” 8 p.m. Nov. 18, 2023

Stars – Lacey Chabert and Scott Wolf

Storyline – “Once-close siblings Dr. Lindsey Morgan (Chabert) and Brad Morgan (Wolf) have grown apart over the past few years, and it is with great reluctance that they agree to visit – for the first time ever – their mom’s girlhood home in Scotland for Christmas.

“Once there, they both fall in love with the idyllic Glencrave and its beautiful 15th century castle, unique and bountiful Christmas traditions steeped in history, and warm and friendly townspeople. The holiday visit becomes complicated for everyone, however, when the Morgan siblings discover a colossal family secret that their mom has been keeping from them until now.

“As the siblings work hard to restrengthen their relationship, and Lindsey becomes smitten with Glencrave’s handsome estate manager (James Robinson), they must each decide what is important to them to determine their own futures.”

“Holiday Hotline,” 8 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023

Stars – Emily Tennant and Niall Matter

Storyline – “Abby Mitchell (Tennant) has always had a passion for cooking and helping others, so this holiday season, when her career prospects fizzle and she temporarily moves to Chicago from London, she takes a job with ‘Holiday Hotline,’ a help line dedicated to helping struggling cooks make perfect Thanksgiving – and Christmas – turkeys.

“When she first starts at the hotline, Abby realizes that her British accent may not connect with callers, so she creates a character, ‘Peggy,’ an American version of herself, to handle her mountain of calls. One of her first callers is ‘John’ (Matter) a widower who’s trying to prepare a big holiday meal at home to make his young daughter happy.

“Shortly after, Abby meets Jack – aka ‘John’ – in the ‘real world.’ Neither recognizes the other, so she sees no issue starting to see him more often. As ‘John’ continues calling the hotline ‘Peggy’ helps him and they develop a connection over the phone.

“At the same time, Abby becomes drawn into Jack’s family and starts feeling guilty because ‘Peggy’ is also making a connection with a stranger, leading her to feel like she’s dating two people. When Abby finds out that her two love connections are with the same person, she’s conflicted.

“As Christmas approaches, Abby’s two identities come to light – will Jack think she’s been lying to him and – most importantly – does he have feelings for the ‘real’ her?”

What is Philo?

Philo is a streaming service that offers more than 60 live channels and more than 50,000 titles on demand for $25 a month. Philo has a free seven-day trial. Channels include AMC, A&E, MTV, BET, Discovery, VH1, Food Network, History, Nickelodeon, OWN, TLC, Lifetime, Hallmark, Paramount and TV One. Add-on packages include EPIX, STARZ and “Movies and More.” Philo can be watched on web browsers, mobile Apple or Android device, FireTV, Samsung Smart TVs (2018+) Roku, GoogleTV and Chromecast via Android devices.

What is fuboTV?

FuboTV is a streaming service that offers more than 100 live and on-demand channels and includes cloud DVR. FuboTV has a seven-day free trial. Channels include AMC, E!, HGTV, ESPN, NBC Sports, NFL Network, FS1, MSNBC, Food Network, Great American Living, Magnolia Network, Animal Planet, Bravo, FX, CMT, Comedy Central and Hallmark. The Pro plan is $69.99 a month, Elite is $79.99 a month and Ultimate is $99.99 a month. Add-ons include EPIX, Showtime and Starz.

What is DirecTV Stream?

DirecTV Stream provides access to more than 100 channels, hundreds of on-demand titles, the ability to stream through three devices at once, and unlimited Cloud DVR storage. Channels include ABC, HGTV, Hallmark, Bravo, BET, Discovery, Food Network, AMC, Animal Planet, CMT, Comedy Central, FX, ID, Disney, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon and PBS Kids. DirecTV offers the first three months of premium networks such as Max, Showtime, Starz, Cinemax and MGM+ for the first three months free. There are four packages ranging from Entertainment at $64.99 a month to Premier for $154.99 a month. The streaming service offers a five-day free trial.

What is SlingTV?

Sling streaming service is $40 a month for the Orange (31 channels) or Blue (41 channels) Levels. Premium subscribers also can get a month of Showtime, STARZ and EPIX for free. Channels include CMT, Bravo, BET, Comedy Central, A&E, AMC, Animal Planet, Discovery+, Hallmark, History, National Geographic, Lifetime, TLC and USA.

What is Peacock?

Peacock plans start at $5.99 a month for Premium. The Premium Plus plan is $11.99 a month. Premium Plus includes ad-free content as well as your local NBC affiliate. Peacock includes more than 80,000 hours of content from NBC, Bravo and Telemundo, movies, TV shows, originals, sports and news.