Hallmark Channel unveils Bills-themed holiday movie trailer for 'Christmas in July'

The Buffalo Bills are the inspiration behind Hallmark Channel's latest collaboration with the NFL, and there are some well-known actors in the film's cast

Buffalo Bills fans during the first day of the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 24, 2025, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The draft begins at 7 p.m. CT April 24 and runs through April 26. | Sarah Kloepping/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It promises to be a holiday season unlike any other for Buffalo Bills' fans.

While hopefully jockeying for the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs race, the Bills will be playing their final December games in Highmark Stadium's 52-year history.

Additionally, for the first time, the stadium and Bills Mafia will be featured during Hallmark Channel's Countdown to Christmas. Multiple Bills' players and Western New Yorkers are slated to appear in "Holiday Touchdown: A Bills' Love Story."

Hallmark, which began filming in May, released a trailer for the Bills-themed holiday movie while celebrating Christmas in July programming on the network.

The 30-second video promo seemingly targets NFL fans as it opens with the Monday Night Football intro music playing as the narrator proclaims, "Hallmark Channel and the NFL are back on the field with more joy, more romance and more football."

The footage includes a breathtaking overhead view of Highmark Stadium, and a hint about the film's plot.

"Two lifelong friends search for a Secret Santa, but what they uncover, changes the game," said the narrator.

One face in the trailer should be immediately recognizable to any "Sopranos" enthusiast potentially watching. Steve Schirripa, who played the affable Bobby Baccala in HBO's hit series that ran from 1999 through 2007, appears wearing a Bills' jacket in the 30-second promo.

Former "Sopranos" star Joe Pantoliano, also known as Joey Pants, joins Schirripa as in the cast of the Hallmark holiday special. Amongst the many roles played during an impressive career, Pantoliano aced the part of Ralphie Cifaretto in the legendary HBO drama series.

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Tony Danza, from the famed 1980s sitcom "Who's the Boss," is another recognizable name in the cast. In addition to head coach Sean McDermott, seven current Bills' players are slated to appear on screen. Five franchise legends, including Hall-of-Fame quarterback Jim Kelly, were also cast in the film.

Further differentiating this year from any other in club history, the Bills' organization will be in the spotlight long before Countdown to Christmas. The NFL selected Buffalo as the featured team for HBO's "Hard Knocks," meaning the cameras will be rolling when the players report to training camp on July 22. The first episode will be available on August 5.

Sopranos night at the Brockton Rox on Saturday, June 21, 2025, Robert Baccalieri Jr., portrayed by Steve Schirripa on the HBO series the Sopranos signed autographs and did a question and answered with fans. | Marc Vasconcellos/The Enterprise / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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