The Steamy Lifetime Holiday Film All Yellowstone Fans Should Watch

Lifetime has earned quite the name for itself in the made-for-TV holiday movie sphere thanks to fan-favorite flicks such as "Snowed-Inn Christmas" and "Reba McEntire's Christmas in Tune." For the 2023 holiday season, the network provided a slightly steamier take on the feel-good genre, releasing "A Cowboy Christmas Romance" starring Jana Kramer and Adam Senn.

Actor and screenwriter Sarah Drew took to Instagram to promote the film, advertising it as the perfect pick for fans of the cowboy-centric drama "Yellowstone." She wrote, "Buckle up for a steamy, sexy Christmas flick written and executive produced by yours truly," adding, "Do you like 'Yellowstone?' Sexy Cowboys? Family drama? Christmas? Do you like to cry and gush? Then you'll love #acowboychristmasromance."

The movie follows real estate agent Lexie Crenshaw (Kramer) as she returns to her Arizona hometown. Intent on closing the deal on a local ranch before Christmas, she must tackle lingering family drama and deal with the stubborn but irresistible cowboy Coby Mason (Senn). While "A Cowboy Christmas Romance" remains generally family-friendly, it notably includes some steamier scenes that set it apart from other Lifetime Christmas fare.

During a November episode of the "Whine Down with Jana Kramer" podcast, the Lifetime star spoke with screenwriter Sarah Drew about "A Cowboy Christmas Romance," with the two dishing about the spicier scenes featured in the festive made-for-TV movie. "It's the first [Lifetime] Christmas movie that has a sex scene," Kramer pointed out. "When I read it, I was like, 'Well, this is gonna be interesting.'"

Kramer, in addition to juggling mom life, was pregnant with her third child during filming, but that didn't stop her from throwing her all into the steamier scenes. "Spoiler alert. He lays me down on some hay, and then we, you know," the "One Tree Hill" star said. "Obviously, it's still Lifetime, it's still family. But it was pushing limits there, too." While Kramer highlighted the provocative romp in the hay, Drew referenced another sexy scene.

"It all came out so beautifully, but especially the scene in the kitchen," she stated. "I had written into the stage directions, 'He pulls her up onto the counter, he shoves things off the table.'" While Drew wasn't initially sure if all the sexiness would make it to the screen, she was pleased with the end product. As for why the screenwriter wanted to explore the racier side of Christmas in the first place, it all came down to representing the grittier parts of the holidays.

Having been in plenty of feel-good flicks over the years, including "Twinkle All the Way" and "Reindeer Games Homecoming," Sarah Drew is very familiar with the lighthearted tone and family-friendly nature of the genre. However, beyond the unexpected holiday spice of "A Cowboy Christmas Romance," the screenwriter wanted to push the Lifetime envelope by exploring more tense family dynamics. 

"I do think holidays can be so stressful and hard because of so much dysfunction in families, and I think everybody has a taste of that in some piece of their family," Drew told Entertainment Weekly, adding that she wanted viewers to be able to relate to the on-screen conflict while finding hope in it's happily-ever-after. "That is so real and so grounded to me, which is what I think sets this movie apart from a lot of other Christmas movies." 

The "Yellowstone"-esque horse ranch setting actually played an important role in breaking down the volatile family connections seen on-screen, as Drew explained that she took inspiration from what she learned about horse training and whispering while filming a Western. As she shared, "I was like, 'This could be a really interesting way to talk about how we handle and heal in our own relationships and family dynamics.'" In this way, Lifetime viewers should expect to see some emotional, interpersonal drama alongside the hot and tender holiday moments of "A Cowboy Christmas Romance."