Lifetime Channel Film Features First-Ever Sex Scene in a Holiday Movie for the Network

Lifetime Channel is featuring a first in their holiday programming.

The “It’s a Wonderful Lifetime” slate of 12 new movies features a film called A Cowboy Christmas Romance, and the movie features the franchise’s first sex scene.

“We think that there’s an audience out there that’s hungry for grown-up romance, and we’re looking forward to adding some smolder to the usual holiday sugar and spice,” Tia Maggini, SVP of scripted content at Lifetime, said to Variety.

“We love trying new things, and we’re excited about this new ‘first’ for us for a holiday movie.”

Keep reading to find out more…

The movie stars Jana Kramer and Adam Senn and premieres on Saturday, December 9 at 8 p.m.

Here’s a synopsis: One week before Christmas, a huge business deal sends real estate “closer” Lexie Crenshaw (Kramer) back to a place she swore she’d never return to: her hometown of Tubac, Arizona. Back on the range, Lexie must convince Coby Mason (Senn), a horse-whispering rancher, to part ways with his family’s land, while navigating her relationship with her father and brothers she left behind, leading her to reconsider the life she gave up 10 years ago.

Jana teased the scene during the latest episode of iHeartRadio’s Whine Down podcast as well.

“Spoiler alert — he lays me down on some hay, and then we, you know,” she said during the episode. “Obviously, it’s still Lifetime, it’s still family. But it was pushing limits there, too… They didn’t cut anything. I was so happy that they really left it all in there.”

“We barely mention the word ‘Christmas.’ There’s no gingerbread bake-off, there’s no festival, that town that’s going to hell and you gotta save it. The only thing was, like, [my character] coming back and seeing Adam or his character… Those cozy feelings happen, but it’s all mixed up with real family stuff and identity stuff and relationship stuff,” she added of how the movie is different from other holiday programming.

Guest Sarah Drew, who wrote the film, was happy with how the scene came out.

“It all came out so beautifully, but especially the scene in the kitchen. I had written into the stage directions, ‘He pulls her up onto the counter, he shoves things off the table.’ I put it all in there, so I was like, ‘Don’t take the steam and the sex away from me. I wrote it on purpose, I want it in there,’” she explained.

Check out the full 2023 Lifetime holiday slate of programming!