The former 'Full House' star and Hallmark Channel darling is acting in her first TV show since the college admission scandal ... which implicated Lori and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli - both whom eventually pleaded guilty and served time behind bars.

The dust has mostly settled on that front -- and, so, here's a first look at Lori getting back to normal with the upcoming holiday series "When Hope Calls: A Country Christmas" ... a 2-part premiere that'll be airing on the GAC Family network in December.

This series is a spinoff of Lori's old Hallmark show, "When Calls the Heart," and she's reprising her longtime role of Abigail Stanton. The difference now ... this new show is NOT on Hallmark and was picked up by GAC, which is a lot like THC in the content department.

You'll recall ... Lori got dropped by Hallmark on the heels of being charged in the college admission scandal in 2019 -- and they made it quite clear she wasn't welcome back.

With that said, it's bizarre that a Hallmark-linked show got greenlit elsewhere ... with Lori's character being brought back, and folks making the Hallmark connection. Still, it's not technically being carried on their airwaves -- maybe they think their hands are clean. 🤷🏽‍♂️

In any case ... she's not the only one getting a second chance -- Felicity Huffman, too, is going back to work. She's set to star in a comedy series on none other than ABC.