When you care enough to watch the very best

Hollywood is not a nostalgic town. The TV stars of yesteryear might get a star on the sidewalk, but they are often shunned when it comes to what they truly covet: another juicy role.

But in recent years, veteran actors have thrived on the Hallmark Channel, television's most popular "retirement" center. The marquee names -- Ed Asner ("Lou Grant"), Corbin Bernsen ("L.A. Law"), Meredith Baxter ("Family Ties") and Greg Evigan ("My Two Dads") -- may not get invitations to the Teen Choice Awards, but they're big draws for viewers of a certain age who still think Patrick Duffy is dreamy.

"I think the people watching the Hallmark Channel are happy to see us," said Donna Mills, best known for her role as Abby Ewing on the hit '80s soap opera "Knots Landing."

Mills appears in the upcoming Hallmark movie "Ladies of the House," alongside Florence Henderson and Pam Grier. "Other networks don't always have places for us, but Hallmark provides a comfort zone for viewers who want to see people they know."

Henderson, who ruled the Brady bunch in the early '70s, said the channel serves an underrepresented, yet valuable, demographic.

"I feel very strongly about the baby boomer generation, and they're sorely neglected on TV," she said. "We're the fastest-growing segment of the population and I think advertisers forget that we are the ones with the most money. For that reason, I'm very grateful to Hallmark."

The strategy appears to be working.

The operation has gone from a platform for tired reruns and recycled CBS movies to a well-oiled machine that churns out 30 movies a year, by far the most productive output of any cable or network organization. The channel currently reaches 85 million homes, has finished in the top 10 for more than two years and, for the first time in its seven-year history, is turning a profit.

"We're very lucky because our audience is not teenyboppers," said David Kenin, Hallmark's executive vice president of programming. "They have assets, not allowances. This demographic spends $17 trillion annually. They're loyal television viewers and they remain a consumer force to be reckoned with."

A significant chunk of Hallmark's recent success has to do with Kenin's embrace of westerns. When he came on board in 2002, he immediately started airing "Gunsmoke" reruns, which turned out to be a big hit among the channel's target demographics, women 25-54 and all adults 25-54. He's since built on those encouraging numbers. In July, the premiere of two original oaters, "A Gunfighter's Pledge," starring Luke Perry, and "Every Second Counts," with Stephen Collins, helped Hallmark finish seventh overall in prime-time ratings for the month.

Another part of Kenin's philosophy is to encourage his stars to bask in their past glories. At the summer conference for TV critics, he showcased two dozen of the channel's stars, including Daphne Zuniga ("Melrose Place") and Ben Vereen ("Roots"), freely and wisely, allowing them to chat as much about their established hits as they did about their upcoming projects.

"There's a built-in following for so many of these actors, and that allows us, with our resources, to be able to get publicity," Kenin said.

That kind of open exchange with reporters led "Dr. Quinn" veteran Jane Seymour to wax on about why she loves Hallmark.

"If I miss myself, I just turn on Hallmark," said the actress, who stars in the upcoming mystery movie "Dear Prudence." "I'm usually there."

njustin@startribune.com • 612-673-7431