Kansas City Fans Will Probably Recognize The Locations in ‘Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story'

Throngs of folks love indulging in Hallmark movies around the holidays in order to help bolster sentiments of merriment and cheer. And it's hard to argue with the network's results: It seems like they can't produce enough new flicks. In fact, the network is debuting 32 new titles for the 2024 Christmas season.

This includes ones Kansas City fans will appreciate: Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story.

Hallmark often shoots in Canada for its movies, but is that where this sports-centric flick was filmed?

It's true that many of the production networks that create content for Hallmark move up to the USA's neighbors to the north (or America's hat, depending on who you ask).

But it just wouldn't seem right to make a movie about the Kansas City Chiefs and then shoot in a place other than the Midwestern football mecca that is split across two separate state lines.

But rest assured that it was. The Kansas City Star highlighted that the Hallmark Christmas flick was indeed filmed in numerous locations throughout Kansas City, including Independence Square and GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

The outlet goes on to write that both of these distinct areas were gussied up with Christmas regalia to reflect the tone and plot of the movie. And depending on how deep you are into the personal lives of the Chiefs' squad, you might recognize that Travis Kelce's mother, Donna, has a speaking role in the movie.

The Chiefs tight end discussed the role with his brother, fellow NFL star for the Philadelphia Eagles, Jason Kelce (he plays center) during an episode of their podcast, New Heights.

Donna plays the manager of a barbecue joint in town, and while they conceded that their mother can cook a meal, she's not really known for her barbecue.

That, they say, is mostly in their father's wheelhouse. Jason added that although he hasn't watched a lot of Hallmark's offerings, he's obviously excited to catch his mother in the feature.

Believe it or not, according to The Kansas City Star, Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story was inspired by a sketch created by Funny or Die director Parker Seaman and Ryan Spears, a Saturday Night Live digital shorts editor.

The two created a spoof trailer for a movie titled Falling for Football that was commissioned by the Chiefs. It's evident from the video that both Seaman and Spears lifted a lot of their inspiration from Hallmark movies, and right off the bat, it's easy to confuse the video for an actual trailer produced by the network.

Kansas City Chiefs president said that about a month after the Chiefs posted the video as a means of promoting the Chiefs' upcoming season, they received a call from Hallmark expressing interest in the idea. "It’ll be on Hallmark and really capture the excitement of the season, capture the playoff season and everything we’ve done as a franchise," Donovan told the Star.

The film follows the love story between Alana, who comes from a long line of Kansas City Chiefs devotees, and Derrick, Director of Fan Engagement for the franchise.

Alana wants to ensure that her family wins the "Fan of the Year" contest and Derrick has to assess which fans deserve this distinction.

While they realize there's instant chemistry between the two of them, tragedy strikes. Alana's grandfather's vintage Chiefs winter hat goes missing, which has her questioning the spark she once felt and her family's placement as the ultimate Chiefs die-hards.

Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story premieres on Saturday, Nov. 30th at 8 p.m. EST on the Hallmark Channel. Will you be tuning in?