Hallmark/Heavy
Ashley Williams
Ashley Williams is hosting a new dating reality show for Hallmark that takes a common Hallmark movie plot point and tries to apply it to real life. In “Small Town Setup,” hometown neighbors will set up their “big city” adult children with some small town matches, in the hopes that a love connection might encourage the adult child to move back home.
The Show is a Remake of an Israeli Series
Williams’ dating series is a U.S. version of Keshet Broadcasting’s Emmy-nominated Israeli series “Dear Neighbors,” C21Media reported. In a statement on Keshet International’s website, they noted that their original series is about “the good old days when parents, relatives and neighbors would play matchmaker, helping young people find love…”
The original series, advertised as a docu-drama, aired more than 10 years ago. A trailer for season 2 can still be seen on Facebook.
Hallmark’s synopsis of the new series, shared in a press release, reads:
Explore the unique charm of small-town America and its welcoming community in this heartwarming unscripted, romantic comedy docu-style dating series, Small Town Setup hosted by Ashley Williams. In each episode, we meet different hometown parents with a big problem – their successful adult child is living far away in a big city – and is still single. The couple gathers their neighbors and asks for help to find a match for their them to go out with. Now, the entire community is on the hunt to find the best three daters for the “city single” to go on dates with, in the hopes that they will fall in love, move back home and live happily ever after.
Rebecca Mayer, Keshet Studios’ EVP of Unscripted, said about the series: “It is exciting to produce an aspirational series like Small Town Setup and it is an honor to be a part of Hallmark’s first Unscripted slate. Small Town Setup has all the elements that truly make it a Hallmark movie come to life – from heartwarming stories to genuine laughter, to the importance of love, family, and community.”
The Series Will Premiere in 2025 & Have 6 Episodes
In a first-look video posted on Facebook, Williams said: “We’re going to be visiting small town communities to help their neighbors find true love and create the perfect Hallmark love story.”
The post also revealed that the series will premiere on Hallmark+ in 2025.
The first season will have six 60-minute episodes on the streaming service, C21Media reported.
Williams Said She’s Her ‘Authentic Self’ on the Show
In an Instagram post about the series, Williams said that she always tries to be her “authentic self” in her projects, and this one is no exception.
“My entire life all I’ve wanted to do was be able to bring who I am, my own authentic self, to the screen,” she wrote. “I’ve spent years infusing myself into my characters.”
But, she added, she also had an “Inner Kelly Ripa” that she didn’t have a chance to express.
“Deep down I had a secret: I wanted to be a host,” she wrote.
She continued, writing: “I will be hosting a new dating show on the Hallmark streaming service, Hallmark+. I could not be more excited about helping people find each other and fall in love. We are going to laugh. We are going to cry. I’m going to be my authentic self, and I can’t wait to hug all the incredible people I’m going to meet.”
The new show was first announced during the 2024 TCA (Television Critics Association) Summer Press Tour.
During the TCA event, Hallmark also announced that its streaming service Hallmark Movies Now will be transformed into the new streaming platform, Hallmark+ (or Hallmark Plus), Variety reported. The new plans will start at $79.99 a year or $7.99 a month.
