Yahoo Lifestyle Chili’s Hopes Heartwarming Margarita Drama on Lifetime is a Rib-Tickler
The star of Lifetime’s next big sudsy movie may be the drink at the center of the plot.
When Maria Menounos’ character gets tired of paying for high-priced margaritas in the big city, she high-tails back to Ferguson Falls, her hometown, where National Margarita Day is a big deal at the local Chili’s — and so is an encounter with a former significant other, played by actor Taye Diggs.
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Menounos isn’t going to throw one of the tequila-based concoctions in anyone’s face, but audiences will be hard-pressed to miss the message about celebrating at the well-known chain eatery. And that’s just the way Chili’s wants it, since it is, after all, paying for the project, which is titled “I’ll Be Home for National Margarita Day” and is 15 minutes long. It will debut on Lifetime on February 19.
The hope is that viewers will feel like they’re being entertained, not cajoled to buy something, says Menounos., “There’s no wink, no margarita in the face of the camera, or that kind of thing,” she says, adding: “I played it seriously.”
The short film on Lifetime will look a lot like the stuff to which its fans might typically tune. Both Menounos and Diggs are regular participants in Lifetime’s real movies, , which are known for mixing high emotion and drama. says Dave DeSocio, executive vice president of ad sales and marketing at A+E Networks, which operates Lifetime. “This is a relatable, irreverent comedy about something that’s a real life thing, but it is told in a twist,” he says.
There is a growing push on Madison Avenue to foil the increasing disdain the average TV viewer has for traditional commercials, by devising content that is as interesting or entertaining as the shows people like to watch and binge. A handful of commercials on display at the Super Bowl this past weekend featured elements of the Fox Sports broadcast. Duracell, for example, made viewers think that Fox announcer Tom Brady had fun out of energy. A Disney ad for “Lilo & Stitch” created the impression that the alien character in the title had run out on to the field.
“We certainly do our fair share of traditional advertising,” says George Felix, chief marketing officer of Chili’s. “But we also want to make sure we’re doing things that are showing up in different and unexpected ways.”
Others have tested these waters. In 2020, Yum Brands’ KFC and Lifetime collaborated on the 15-minute program “A Recipe for Seduction,” which starred actor Mario Lopez as a amorous version of the chain’s founder, Col. Harland Sanders.
Chili’s has a long history with the margarita, says Felix, and sold more than 25 million of them in 2024. “Even if you go back to the very first menu, you will find burgers, cold beer and margaritas,” he says, with servers rattling a signature blue shaker. The chain has begun offering premium tequilas at its bars and features a margarita of the month for six dollars.
Following its premiere on on Lifetime, the full 15-minute film will air for a second time on the afternoon of Feb, 22, and wil stream for a limited time starting Feb. 20 on mylifetime.com, the Lifetime app, YouTube, social and VOD plaforms.
Menounos says she didn’t need the lure of good drink to get her to Chili’s. She has frequented it for years and often gets a plate of mozzarella sticks. In the movie, there is a strong incentive for her to order more. Her husband plays the bartender.
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