February is finally here and six new movies are coming to Hallmark. The “Loveuary” lineup includes a new installment in the Curious Caterer Mysteries, as well as a romantic comedy set in Paris.
New movies coming to Hallmark
Sweeter Than Chocolate
First up is Sweeter Than Chocolate, starring Eloise Mumford, Dan Jeannotte, and Brenda Strong. In the movie, an investigative reporter visits a bakery in a small town that is rumored to have found the secret recipe for love.
A Paris Proposal
Next up is a romantic comedy set in Paris. In A Paris Proposal, Alexa PenaVega stars as Anna, an account manager for a New York advertising agency. She is thrilled when she gets the chance to land a major account in Paris for her company, but annoyed when she finds out she must make the pitch with her annoying co-worker Sebastian (played by Nicholas Bishop).
When they arrive in Paris, a misunderstanding leads the clients to believe Anna and Sebastian are married. The clients are so excited by the prospect of having a real-life couple in charge of the creative vision for their brand that Anna and Sebastian are forced to play along.
Valentine, Nebraska
Next up is Valentine, Nebraska, starring Kathryn Davis and Markian Tarasiuk. It’s a week away from Valentine’s Day and Olivia (Davis) loses both her boyfriend and her job in the same week. Her sister convinces Olivia to come home for an extended trip. Olivia’s roommate in New York has a friend, George (Tarasiuk), who’s driving out to Los Angeles and agrees to take Olivia to her destination – which is exactly halfway between New York and California – in exchange for a free night’s stay in her hometown.
According to a synopsis from Hallmark, “The two strangers set out on the open road, both on their way to being who they think they’re supposed to be. When George’s car breaks down mere miles from Olivia’s hometown, he has to stay a few more days in Valentine, Nebraska with Olivia and her sister. After spending so much time together, the two realize that their priorities might have changed, and love is what truly matters.”
Made For Each Other
In Made For Each Other, Alexandra Turshen plays a sculptor who uses magic to create her ideal man. Things are going well until she realizes she is falling for her friend (played by Matt Cohen). The movie also stars Aaron O’Connell and Ileana Douglas.
Curious Caterer: Grilling Season
The second movie in the Curious Caterer Hallmark mystery series will also premiere. In Curious Caterer: Grilling Season, Nikki DeLoach returns as caterer Goldy Berry. After her friend Susie dies under mysterious circumstances, Goldy teams up with detective Tom Schultz (played by Andrew Walker) to figure out who killed her. As they weed through manipulative party guests, heated gossip, and dark secrets, the suspect list grows with familiar names, ranging from business partners to ex-spouses. Goldy and Tom realize that the murderer might be closer to them than they initially imagined.
A Nashville Legacy
A Nashville Legacy is the latest in Hallmark’s Mahogany series. (You can read about the series here.)
Andrea Lewis stars as Naima, a museum curator and Ph.D. candidate who is fascinated by her grandmother’s stories of Nashville in the 1950s. While doing her research, Naima meets a handsome volunteer, who turns out to be the heir to a music company fortune.
The schedule
Sweeter Than Chocolate will premiere on Hallmark Channel on Saturday, February 4 at 8/7c.
Curious Caterer: Grilling Season will premiere on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries on Sunday, February 5 at 9/8c.
A Paris Proposal will premiere on Hallmark Channel on Saturday, February 11 at 8/7c.
Valentine, Nebraska will premiere on Hallmark Channel on Saturday, February 18 at 8/7c.
Made For Each Other will premiere on Hallmark Channel on Saturday, February 25 at 8/7c.
A Nashville Legacy will premiere on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries on Sunday, February 26 at 9/8c.
10 things you didn’t know about Signed, Sealed, Delivered star Eric Mabius
POstables have been on edge ever since Hallmark dropped a hint that a new Signed, Sealed, Delivered movie might be in the works. Fans of the series have been waiting since 2021 for a new film.
With that in mind, here are some seriously cool facts about Eric Mabius, who plays Oliver O’Toole in the series. Here they are, in no particular order:
1. He grew up in New England
Mabius was born in Harrisburg, Pa., but grew up in the small town of Warren, Mass.
“We didn’t have much money, so we baked our own bread and picked blueberries to make jam,” he said in an interview with HGTV. We heated our house with a wood stove and cut our own wood.
The family moved to New Jersey for a few years, where his father worked as a historical preservationist at the living history museum Allaire Village. They eventually moved back to Massachusetts. Mabius graduated from Amherst-Pelham Regional High School and earned his degree from Sarah Lawrence College.
2. He’s a nature boy at heart
Mabius currently lives in what he describes as “the middle of nowhere.” (It’s actually Massachusetts.)
He regularly posts photos and videos of his trail runs and hikes on Instagram, showing fans everything from the waterfall on his property to the flora and fauna he sees on his regular hikes.
3. He married a girl he met in high school
Mabius wed interior designer Ivy Sherman in 2006. The two met in a health class at Amhert-Pelham Regional High School. Though they never dated in school, they reconnected years after graduation.
“If someone told me I was going to marry someone from high school, I would’ve told them they’re out of their minds!” he said during a 2008 interview with US Weekly.
But when Mabius was working on a project in New Orleans a friend put him in touch with Sherman.
4. His high school classmates voted him “Most Dramatic Girly”
We’re not even sure what that means.
5. He was voted one of the “sexiest men alive” by People magazine in 2006
‘Nuff said.
6. He used to compete in luge
If you’re unfamiliar with the sport, it involves a single athlete or a pair of athletes hurtling down a twisting, curving track using only their muscles to help steer. It’s a fast and furious sport: speeds on artificial tracks can reach 90 miles (140 km) an hour.
He was named an honorary captain for the US luge team for the 2010 Winter Olympics along with astronaut Scott Parazynski.
7. He’s an action-movie star
Though Mabius is known to Hallmark fans as the impeccably dressed, serious-minded Oliver on Signed, Sealed, Delivered, Mabius has played his fair share of shoot-em-up action dudes.
In the 2000 movie The Crow: Salvation, Mabius played a man who gets framed for his girlfriend’s murder and then executed. He is resurrected by the superhero The Crow and tracks down the men who killed his girlfriend. Pretty gritty stuff.
In 2002, he starred alongside Milla Jovovich in Resident Evil, an action movie based loosely on the video game of the same name. He reprised his role in the 2004 sequel Resident Evil: Apocalypse. There were zombies, commandos, shooting, and viruses. A far, far cry from the serenity of the Dead Letter Office.
8. He starred in the ABC series Ugly Betty
Okay, you probably already knew this one. But did you know that the show was based on Fernando Gaitán’s Colombian telenovela Yo soy Betty, la fea and that it won close to 30 major awards? Well, it did. Mabius starred as polished media empire heir Daniel Meade opposite America Ferrera’s adorable Betty Suarez in the series, which ran from 2006 to 2010.
9. In 2007, he was named Glamour magazine’s Man of the Year.
For obvious reasons.
10. He is on the Cameo app
On his Instagram, Mabius makes mention of the fact that he’s on the Cameo app. This means fans can order a personalized video message from him.
Is Rosemary having twins? Hearties weigh in after getting a look at Pascale Hutton’s baby bump
Is Rosemary having twins? That was the question many fans had after getting a look at actress Pascale Hutton’s (faux) baby bump. Hutton recently shared a clip to Instagram in which she and her co-star Kavan Smith held hands and walked into a field while the song “Baby Love” by The Supremes played. Hutton then turned to reveal a very large baby bump.
“A very special Christmas present to all those #Hearties out there!” Hutton wrote in the caption.
Fans were thrilled and responded on social media. But many had the same question: Could there be two babies on the way for Rosemary and Lee Coulter?
“Judging by the size of that bump, they are definitely have twins,” one fan wrote on Facebook.
“They’re having twins: a boy and a girl,” wrote another Heartie. “That way Hope Valley gets a mini Lee and a mini Rosemary.”
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Is Rosemary having twins?
Fans were thrilled when Hutton’s When Calls the Heart character, Rosemary Coulter, discovered late in Season 9 that she was pregnant. In a hilarious scene, she shared the news with her husband, Lee (played by Smith), who was so excited he ran outside in his pajamas shouting with excitement.
The Coulters married in Season 3 and have been hoping to become parents ever since. In a devastating scene, a tearful Rosemary apologized to Lee for not giving him a child. Lee replied, “No matter how much I want to be a father the only thing in the whole world I really need is you.”
A long-awaited blessing
Fans and cast members alike have speculated that Rosemary and Lee will be fun to watch as parents.
“I think it would be hilarious to see Rosemary pregnant,” Hutton said in an interview with Entertainment Tonight.
“For Lee and Rosemary, with the two quirky characters that they are to go through [a pregnancy] together?” Smith added. “It’s just a gold mine of fun to be had.”
Fans also said the pair will apply their own unique style to having a family.
“Their kids are going to be the best-dressed kids in Hope Valley,” one wrote on Facebook.
When can we see Season 10?
Hallmark has kept the Season 10 premiere date for When Calls the Heart under wraps. At a press event in the summer of 2022, a network exec said fans could expect to see the show sometime “in the middle” of 2023. Typically, the series premieres in February. However, Season 9 didn’t hit the air until March 2022, which made some Hearties pretty upset.
The mystery deepens in Episode 2 of Hallmark’s new show
Hallmark’s new show The Way Home continues with Episode 2. For a full recap of Episode 1, click here.
The Way Home, “Scar Tissue”
When the episode opens, Kat is driving around looking for Alice, who disappeared earlier that day.
Alice is in 1999, talking to a teenage Elliot. He refuses to believe she is from the future. She leads him to the pond and tells him that when she jumps in, she’ll disappear. She then leaps into the water, and when she doesn’t resurface, Elliot begins to panic. He jumps in to find her but she is gone.
In the present day, Kat arrives home and finds a dripping-wet Alice. When Alice tells her she was trying to find her way home, Kat thinks she means she was trying to go back to Minneapolis and begins shouting. Alice tells her mother that she was a much happier person as a teenager. Kat grounds her daughter.
Denial
Del is talking to her friend Rita and tells her about Alice going missing. Rita becomes concerned. She tells Del that it might be too difficult to have her daughter and granddaughter staying with her. She has been through so much with the loss of her husband and son. Del asks Rita about the letter Kat received. Rita denies that she’s the one who sent it.
Brady calls Kat to tell her that a publisher is interested in having her write about the Landry family tragedy. She is reluctant but Brady urges her to think it over.
Time travel
At school, Elliot explains to Alice that she is the only one who can time travel and tells her to be careful how much time she spends away from the present day as it will worry her mother.
Kat goes to Jacob’s room and looks through his things. When Del finds her there, she becomes irritated. She says if she is going to stay at the house, she can at least make herself useful. She sends Kat to drop off some honey at The Point Cafe, where she runs into her old friend Monica. It turns out that Del arranged a job interview for Kat. Embarrassed, Kat says she doesn’t need a job as she is about to start writing a book.
Mother vs Daughter
At dinner, Kat tells Del about her book deal. Del is furious and forbids Kat from writing about the family. Alice demands to know exactly what happened to Jacob, but her mother and grandmother refuse to answer.
Kat goes over to see Elliot and they talk. She asks if he remembers their friend Alice from high school. Kat says she found an old picture but that Alice’s image was blurry.
Alice goes online to find information about her uncle. Her dad calls and tells her she can come back to Minneapolis if she wants. Alice hangs up. Her Google search about Jacob refuses to load.
Alice goes to the pond and jumps in. But when she surfaces, she is still in the present day. She begins to cry.
Trip to town
When Alice arrives home, Del is loading up produce to take to the farmers market and invites Alice to come along. In town, Alice is surprised to see how well-known and well-liked her grandmother is. She also seems happier.
Kat wakes up and finds a note Alice left for her. On her way to the farmers market, she remembers making the trip with Colton to hand out flyers to help find her missing brother. When she arrives, she yells at Del for allowing Alice out when she is supposed to be grounded. Alice begs Rita to tell her what happened to Jacob, but she refuses.
Kat goes to visit her father’s grave at the cemetery and is shocked to find a grave for her brother, also. She had no idea that Del had finally declared Jacob dead.
Look to the past
Alice goes to the local newspaper office and searches for information about Jacob. She finds an article about her uncle going missing. Del arrives at the office and tells Alice it is time to go home. On the drive back to the farm, Del explains that she lost her son and husband within three months of each other. She says if she tells Alice what happened, Alice can never speak of it again.
They arrive home and Kat confronts Del about having Jacob declared dead. Del says it was time. She says that she wrote the letter Kat received right after she had Jacob declared dead, but that she never mailed it. She explains that she has planned a memorial service for him.
Kat leaves the house to take a moment to herself. When she returns, Alice is sitting at the kitchen table. She tells Kat she wants to stay in Port Haven and learn about her family.
The family list
As Del gets ready for the memorial service, Kat shows Alice a list kept by the family. Every time someone is born, their name is added to the list. When they die, the date is noted next to their name.
At the memorial service, Del gives a moving eulogy. When they return to the farmhouse, Brady is waiting on the porch. Kat says she is not returning to the city because she needs to spend time with her family.
Alice goes to the pond and jumps in. When she surfaces, it is 1999.
All the details from the first episode of Hallmark’s new show
The Way Home, “Mothers and Daughter”
When the first episode started, it was 1814 in the small town of Port Haven, New Brunswick. A young woman is running through the woods, pursued by an angry mob. When she reaches a pond in a clearing, she murmurs a few words and jumps in. She comes to the surface and her pursuers are gone.
The story then jumps to the present day in Minneapolis, Minn., where a teenage girl named Alice is waiting to perform in her high school’s talent show. When she looks out at the audience, her mother is nowhere in sight and her father is busy looking at his phone. She runs from the auditorium, pulling a fire alarm before she leaves the building.
Her mother, Kat Landry (Chyler Leigh), is running up the front steps of the school when she sees her ex-husband, Brady, and the school’s principal. The principal tells them that Alice has been expelled from school. Kat tells her ex-husband that she has just been fired from her job as a reporter. To add insult to injury, he tells her his girlfriend has moved in with him.
Big trouble
Brady receives a text message from his girlfriend letting him know that Alice is at home. When Brady and Kat arrive, they find she is throwing a full-on house party with the kids from school. They break up the party and Alice tells her mom that their family is “a mistake.”
That evening, Kat finds a letter from her mother, Del Landry (Andie MacDowell) with only two words: “Come home.” She picks up the phone and calls her mother.
Return to Port Haven
Kat takes an unwilling Alice to Port Haven to meet her grandmother for the first time ever. Del is thrilled to meet Alice but practically ignores Kat. When the two finally get a moment alone together, Kat asks her about the letter but Del says she never sent a letter and walks away.
The next morning, Kat overhears her mother talking with Kat’s childhood friend Elliot Augustine, asking him if he sent the letter. Before he can answer, Kat gives him a hug, thrilled to see him again. He has moved back to Port Haven to teach science at the local high school.
The new girl
At school, Alice is the center of attention, with some of the students claiming she burned down her school in Minneapolis. When she runs into Elliot, he tells her that if she needs any help, at any time, she can come to him.
At the house, Kat goes into the basement to look through the things that belonged to her father, Colton, and her brother, Jacob, who passed away within three months of each other when she was a teenager. Del finds her there and tells her that Alice has skipped school.
When Kat confronts Alice, Alice says she never wanted a fresh start and that she wants their family to go back to the way it was. Kat tells her that Brady’s girlfriend has moved in with him. Crushed, Alice runs away into the woods. When she reaches the pond, she throws her bracelet into the water then changes her mind and tries to fish it out. She falls in and is rescued by a teenage girl who introduces herself as Kat Landry. It takes Alice a while to realize that she has traveled through time and she is talking to a teenage version of her mother.
It’s 1999
She goes to the Landry house and meets her uncle Jacob, who is still a little boy, and her grandfather. The family seems happy and close. When dinner is over, she says goodbye and gives her teenage mother a hug. Jacob snaps a Polaroid picture of the two. Alice then goes to Elliot’s house and tells him he once told her she could ask for help at any time. Teenage Elliot is mystified.
Meanwhile, in the present, Kat is frantic because Alice is still missing. When she finds that Alice has been looking through Jacob’s belongings, she finds the Polaroid picture he took of her and Alice in 1999. Alice’s image is blurred. Elliot then texts her, telling her not to worry about Alice, that she will find her way home.
A new Signed, Sealed, Delivered movie? Hallmark drops a hint
A new Signed, Sealed, Delivered movie may be in the works. Hallmark dropped an exciting hint on social media suggesting that Shane, Oliver, Rita, and Norman may be back for another installment.
When fans saw that Hallmark Movies and Mysteries would be running a Signed, Sealed, Delivered marathon this weekend, many took to social media with the same question: When will Hallmark make a new movie in the series?
A new Signed, Sealed, Delivered movie
The last time Signed, Sealed, Delivered fans got a new movie was in October 2021, when Hallmark Movies and Mysteries premiered Signed, Sealed, Delivered: The Vows We Have Made.
In the 12th movie in the series, Shane (Kristin Booth) and Oliver (Eric Mabius) prepared for their wedding, while Rita (Crystal Lowe) and Norman (Geoff Gustafson) prepared to start a family. Together, the team helped a boy with leukemia reunite with an old friend.
Fans have been clamoring for a new movie ever since.
The series
Signed, Sealed, Delivered originally started as a television series. Written by Martha Williamson — who also created the Touched by an Angel series — it starred Valerie Berinelli, Carol Burnett, Della Reese, Marilu Henner, and Valerie Harper.
After a successful first season, the show was changed from a 1-hour episode format to a 2-hour film format. Twelve films were released over the next seven years:
Signed, Sealed, Delivered For Christmas (2014)
Signed, Sealed, Delivered: From Paris With Love (2015)
Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Truth Be Told (2015)
Signed, Sealed, Delivered: The Impossible Dream (2015)
Signed, Sealed, Delivered: From the Heart (2016)
Signed, Sealed, Delivered: One in a Million (2016)
Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Lost Without You (2016)
Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Higher Ground (2017)
Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Home Again (2017)
Signed, Sealed, Delivered: The Road Less Travelled (2018)
Signed, Sealed, Delivered: To the Altar (2018)
Signed, Sealed, Delivered: The Vows We Have Made (2021)
New movie
When Hallmark Movies and Mysteries announced it was running a Signed, Sealed, Delivered marathon the weekend of January 20th, fans immediately took to social media.
“Wish they would make new movies,” wrote one fan on the Hallmark Movies and Mysteries Facebook page.
“Love these movies,” wrote another. “We could use some new ones though. They got married now take it to the next level.”
“Love these!” wrote another. “Any chance for new movies?”
The page administrator replied with, “We will definitely keep you posted!”
Season 10 premiere date for When Calls the Heart
Hearties have been waiting anxiously for news about the Season 10 premiere date for When Calls the Heart. The show, which is Hallmark’s longest-running original series, has thousands of fans on social media, and right now they all have the same question: When do we get to return to Hope Valley?
Season 10 premiere date
During a press event over the summer, Lisa Hamilton Daly, executive vice president of programming for Hallmark Media, said Hearties can expect a premiere date “in the middle of 2023.” Not exactly helpful, as “the middle of 2023” encompasses a pretty vague (and lengthy) chunk of time.
Last season, When Calls the Heart premiered on Sunday, March 6. This was disappointing to fans, who had become accustomed to the season starting in February. (Season 8 kicked off on Sunday, February 21.)
Filming on the series takes place in the summer months. Hallmark has constructed a set on MacInnes Farms in Langley, British Columbia, about an hour south of Vancouver. (The farm’s Facebook page can be seen here). The actors live in accommodations nearby and shoot for several months before beginning post-production work.
Here’s what we know
The actors have been posting cute photos and videos from the set, including several TikTok challenges.
They have also been giving shout-outs to Jaiven Natt, who plays Robert on the show and has pretty much grown up onscreen.
Hutton also shared a video revealing her baby bump for the series. In Season 9, Hutton’s character, Rosemary Coulter, found out she was pregnant. It came as a surprise as she and her husband, Lee (played by Kavan Smith) didn’t think they would be able to have children.
In an adorable scene, she shared the news with Lee, who ran outside in his pajamas yelling with joy.
Is the Way Home in the way?
Some fans have speculated that Hallmark has been holding off on an announcement about When Calls the Heart in order to promote its new series, The Way Home. The show, which you can read about here, had its premiere on January 15, which means there shouldn’t be anything standing in the way of Hallmark making an announcement about When Calls the Heart.
UPDATES: We will be updating this story as more news becomes available. Have any tips? Seen anything? Let us know at editor@tvcheddar.com!
Six key takeaways from the new Hallmark show The Way Home
The new Hallmark show The Way Home premiered on Sunday amid a lot of fanfare from the network. The multigenerational drama stars Andie MacDowell in her first role for Hallmark since she headlined the show Cedar Cove (2013-2015).
New Hallmark show
In the series, Kat Landry (played by Chyler Leigh) is living in Minneapolis with her husband and her rebellious teenage daughter, Alice (played by Sadie Laflamme-Snow). She receives a letter from her mother, Del (played by Andie MacDowell) urging her to return to her small hometown of Port Haven, New Brunswick.
Though Kat is reluctant to respond — she hasn’t spoken to her mother in years — a series of events push her to accept the invitation. First, she loses her job and then she and her husband decide to split. (He is already seeing someone else.) She then drags a reluctant Alice to Port Haven to meet her grandmother for the first time.
The mystery starts almost as soon as they arrive home. Del insists she never sent a letter. When Alice finds out she can’t return to Minneapolis because her father’s girlfriend has moved in with him, she runs off into the woods. She is looking into a pond when she falls in.She is pulled out by a teenage version of her mother, who takes her home and introduces her to her family.
Six key takeaways:
1. This isn’t your typical Hallmark fare
Hallmark has made a name for itself by producing predictable rom-coms with happy endings. It’s a popular formula for a reason — audiences respond well to it.
The Way Home certainly has some of those feel-good moments, but it is, at its heart, a mystery. The pilot episode raises so many questions it will be hard for viewers to figure out the ending ahead of time.
Some fans even said as much on social media.
“Enjoyed first episode — this is one Hallmark show that I cannot guess the ending!!!” wrote a fan on Hallmark’s Facebook page.
2. The show puts a spin on the traditional multigenerational trope
The fact that Del and Kat haven’t spoken in 20 years automatically makes the series intriguing. Sure, everyone has spats with their parents, but few have gone that long without at least having an occasional chat on the phone.
The fact that Kat is at odds with both her mother and her daughter makes her a sympathetic focal point. Alice’s adventures (yeah, the name had to be deliberate) add a fascinating dimension to the story. Seriously, who wouldn’t want to see what their mom was like as a teenager?
3. Hallmark hasn’t abandoned its love of magic and witches
Though the show isn’t a feel-good rom-com, it does bear a striking resemblance to another Hallmark series: Good Witch. The movies and 7-season TV show also featured a mysterious beauty living in a small town, family secrets, and magic.
The Way Home’s opening scene takes place in 1812. A young woman is being chased by a mob accusing her of witchcraft. She jumps into a pond and disappears.
The fact that Alice is able to time travel by falling into the pond makes it clear that magic will play a big part in the show. That the series was filmed in the same area as the Hallmark show Good Witch, has some fans claiming that the network is recycling old themes.
4. Heather Conkie and Alexandra Clarke need to work together more often
The series was written by mother and daughter Heather Conkie and Alexandra Clarke. The pair, who wrote the script for the Disney Channel movie Harriet the Spy: Blog Wars, have also collaborated on the award-winning series Heartland.
They apply a light touch to The Way Home, which could easily devolve into melodrama with everything going on.
They also know how to spin a mystery. The first episode ended on a cliffhanger. Though Alice is alive and well in the 1990s, her mother thinks she has run away and has no idea where to find her. Meanwhile, Alice gets a glimpse of what her mother’s family used to be like until a defining moment changed their lives forever.
5. Sadie Laflamme-Snow is one to watch
A relative newcomer to Hollywood, Laflamme-Snow is nonetheless a skilled artist who turns in a winning performance as Alice.
Laflamme-Snow has a difficult job portraying Alice, who keeps acting out and making life difficult for her parents. Thanks to good writing and Laflamme-Snow’s capabilities, viewers are able to have sympathy for the character and follow her on her journey.
6. The pilot episode left fans divided
Some Hallmarkies made it clear they weren’t interested in the show from the beginning.
“I watched HGTV instead,” wrote one Hallmark fan on the network’s Facebook page.
Others are all in and can’t wait to see more.
“After seeing a bajillion commercials for this I was certain it wouldn’t be as good as it looked. But…it was better! I loved it!” wrote one viewer.
The next episode of The Way Home will air on Hallmark Channel on Sunday, January 22 at 9/8c.
Lori Loughlin is returning to TV in new movie
Former Hallmark star Lori Loughlin is returning to TV in a new movie. Fall Into Winter will premiere on Great American Family, a new network started by former Hallmark CEO Bill Abbott.
It is her second role on television following a college admissions scandal that sent the former Full House actress to prison.
“Lori is a genre-defining star that I have had the honor to call a close friend and collaborator for more than 15 years,” Abbott said. “We have a shared vision for creating meaningful and memorable movies that resonate with our passionate fans, and I look forward to welcoming her back to Great American Family to anchor our 2023 winter programming slate.”
New movie
In Fall Into Winter, Loughlin plays Keely, a woman whose brother tries to sell his half of their family-owned, upscale candy shop to his best friend from high school (who happens to be her nemesis from high school). According to a synopsis from Great American Family, “Fate brings the pair together. Might it also offer new beginnings?”
The movie is her second role for the network. In 2021, she reprised her role of Abigail Stanton on a Christmas special for When Hope Calls, a spinoff of the popular Hallmark series When Calls the Heart.
Hallmark cuts ties
Loughlin was filming Season 6 of When Calls the Heart when news broke of her involvement in a college admissions scandal.
In March 2019, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts charged 50 people with falsifying their children’s test scores and athletic abilities to gain admission to top universities. Both Loughlin and her husband, J. Mossimo Giannulli, pleaded guilty to charges of wire and mail fraud. She served two months in prison, paid a $150,000 fine, and was ordered to complete 150 hours of community service.
Loughlin completed her prison sentence in December 2020. She also performed 100 hours of community service. According to reports from US Weekly, Loughlin also paid $500,000 to put two students through college.
When news of the charges broke, filming on When Calls the Heart was brought to a halt. Hallmark decided to write her character, Abigail Stanton, out of the show.
Fans sound off
Fans have been vocal on social media about her return to TV. Some are happy for the star.
“Lori served her time and is now back, happy for her,” wrote one on Great American Family’s Facebook page.
Others are unhappy with the network’s decision to let her star in a feature film.
“Not ready to see her again,” another one wrote. “Will probably skip this one.”
Fall Into Winter will premiere on Great American Family on Saturday, January 28 at 8/7c.
Spotlight on the new Hallmark show The Way Home
The new Hallmark show The Way Home will premiere this weekend. It’s the first new original series to debut on Hallmark since the Chesapeake Shores first aired in 2016.
The Way Home is a multi-generational drama about an estranged mother and daughter who are brought back together under mysterious circumstances and the granddaughter who helps them mend their relationship.
The show stars Andie MacDowell in her first Hallmark role since headlining the network’s show Cedar Cove. Grey’s Anatomy alum Chyler Leigh and newcomer Sadie Laflamme-Snow round out the cast. The show is being executive produced by Heather Conkie and Alexandra Clarke, the mother-daughter team behind the series Heartland.
Basic plot
When the show starts, Kat Landry (played by Chyler Leigh) receives a letter from her mother, Del (played by Andie MacDowell), urging her to come home. The letter comes as a shock as the two haven’t spoken in years. But with her marriage coming to an end and the loss of her job, Kat decides to return to her small hometown of Port Haven, New Brunswick, with her 15-year-old daughter, Alice.
Once home, she realizes that there are mysteries in her past she needs to solve to move forward.
Meet the cast
Andie MacDowell as Del Landry
No stranger to Hallmark audiences, MacDowell played Judge Olivia Lockhart on the Hallmark series Cedar Cove from 2013 to 2015. Based on the books by Debbie Macomber, the show followed the residents of a small town on Puget Sound in Washington State. The ensemble cast also included Sarah Smyth, Dylan Neal, Teryl Rothery, Brennan Elliott, Barbara Niven, Cindy Busby, and Jesse Hutch.
A native of Gaffney, South Carolina, MacDowell worked as a model before being cast in the 1984 movie Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes. Audiences never got to hear her voice in the movie as the producers decided her South Carolina accent was too pronounced and dubbed her lines using Glenn Close.
She had a small role in St. Elmo’s Fire but her breakout role was in Steven Soderbergh’s 1989 film Sex, Lies, and Videotape. MacDowell’s performance was so impressive she was nominated for a Golden Globe. She went on to star in Green Card with Gerard Depardieu, Groundhog Day with Bill Murray, and Four Weddings and a Funeral with Hugh Grant.
Chyler Leigh as Kat Landry
A native of Charlotte, North Carolina, Chyler Leigh began modeling as a teenager. Her breakout role was in the 2001 comedy Not Another Teen Movie. In 2007, she joined the cast of the hit series Grey’s Anatomy as Dr. Lexie Grey, the half-sister of Ellen Pompeo’s character, Dr. Meredith Grey. From 2015 to 2021, Leigh appeared in the DC comics superhero series Supergirl.
Leigh has been an outspoken advocate for people affected by mental illness. At the age of 29, she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and has used her social media platform to help others struggling with mental health issues.
Soon after Hallmark announced that The Way Home was coming to TV, Leigh shared an Instagram post saying she was excited about the show.
“Took time off to work hard on myself,” she wrote. “It’s not been easy. Letting go of the past can be quick or a lifelong journey. But it’s a journey that is so so worth the climb. My thanks to those who have helped me along the way. I’m standing on a new mountain top and am so excited for what’s on the horizon. @hallmarkchannel #TheWayHome #KatLandry … here we go.”
Sadie Laflamme-Snow as Alice
Newcomer Sadie Laflamme-Snow will portray Alice, a rebellious teen who becomes enthralled by the mystery she finds in her mother’s hometown.
A graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada’s acting program, Laflamme-Snow has appeared in the TV series Game On and the movies Love Triangle Nightmare and Sinister Switch.
Evan Williams as Elliott
Actor Evan Williams will portray the role of Elliott Augustine, Kat’s childhood friend who teaches science at the town’s high school. Though he is not in many of the promotional materials Hallmark has released for the show, Elliott plays a crucial role in helping the Landry women deal with past circumstances.
He also has a major crush on Kat, meaning there’s a potential for romance. (Yay!)
Hallmark audiences might recognize Williams as Corey from the Full House re-boot Fuller House. He also starred in the romantic comedies A Date by Christmas Eve and Christmas Takes Flight.
The Way Home will premiere on Hallmark Channel on Sunday, January 15 at 9/8c.
Five fascinating facts you didn’t know about When Calls the Heart star Erin Krakow
For the past 10 years, Erin Krakow has starred on Hallmark’s longest-running original series When Calls the Heart. The Philadelphia native has also starred in the Hallmark movies A Cookie Cutter Christmas, Sense, Sensibility & Snowmen, Finding Father Christmas, Engaging Father Christmas, and Marrying Father Christmas. Here are a few fascinating facts about the actress:
1. Erin Krakow is a graduate of the prestigious Juilliard School in New York City
Krakow became serious about acting at a young age and attended the Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts in West Palm Beach, Florida. After graduation, she moved to New York to study drama at Juilliard, which has trained many of the country’s finest actors. Fellow graduates include Robin Williams, Kelsey Grammer, Jessica Chastain, Patti LuPone, Kevin Kline, and Adam Driver.
2. When Calls the Heart was not her first television show
Before she took on the role of Elizabeth Thatcher Thornton, Krakow played Army Specialist Tanya Gabriel in the television series Army Wives.
The show also starred Catherine Bell, who played Cassie Nightingale in Hallmark’s Good Witch film and television series.
Krakow told a reporter that she considers Bell a good friend.
“I LOVED working with Catherine Bell on ARMY WIVES,” Krakow said. “She was so kind to me and has become a dear friend! She’s also incredibly talented!”
3. She wasn’t the original Elizabeth
It’s hard to imagine anyone other than Krakow playing the role of Elizabeth (Thatcher) Thornton. However, the actress wasn’t originally cast as in the part.
When Hallmark Media (then called Crown Media) decided to make a film version of the first book in Janette Oke’s Canadian West series, the director chose actress Poppy Drayton to play the role of Elizabeth. The British actress did a great job, but when it came time to cast the TV series, the director went with Krakow.
In an interview, Krakow said she hopes to work with Drayton at some point.
“I’ll always feel connected to Poppy through Elizabeth,” Krakow said. “Hopefully we’ll get to work on something together soon. That would be special.”
4. She has played a bride onscreen three times (so far…)
The first time Krakow got married onscreen was during Season 5 of When Calls the Heart, when her character, Elizabeth, married Mountie Jack Thornton (played by Daniel Lissing). In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Lissing said the pair made a request to write the vows themselves.
“Erin and I had sat down together… and I talked to her about the potential of writing our own vows, as Jack and as Elizabeth,” he said. “So we took that to the producers and they were like, ‘Well, yeah, you guys know the characters better than anyone else does,’ and so we actually wrote our vows.”
Later that year, Krakow played a bride in the Hallmark Channel movie Marrying Father Christmas, when her character, Miranda Chester, married Ian McAndrick (played by Niall Matter).
Krakow also played a bride in the 2021 Hallmark movie It Was Always You, though her character ended up not getting married to her original fiancé. In the romantic comedy, Krakow’s character, Elizabeth, realizes she has feelings for the groom’s brother (in a tasteful, Hallmark-y way), who was played by Tyler Hynes.
The actress requested Hynes for the part, and the two became good friends.
“…You work with some people and it feels very natural and like you’ve known that person or have been working with them for a long time,” Krakow said in an interview with Entertainment Tonight. “And that was the case between the two of us. Tyler is an incredible actor. He’s very collaborative. He’s always wanting to elevate the work.”
5. The first scene she ever filmed for When Calls the Heart was with Lori Loughlin
In the pilot episode of When Calls the Heart, Elizabeth accidentally burned down the teacher’s cottage where she was supposed to live. A local widow named Abigail Stanton (played by Loughlin) took Elizabeth in, and the two soon became good friends.
Her second scene was with Daniel Lissing, and Krakow said she had a feeling that it was the start of something special.
Hallmark Channel has not yet released a premiere date for Season 10 of When Calls the Heart. In 2022, Season 9 premiered in March.
Janel Parrish calls Hallmark’s new mystery high stakes and exciting
In an exclusive interview with TV Cheddar, actress and singer Janel Parrish called Hallmark’s new mystery high stakes and exciting.
“You meet and fall in love with these characters, and when one of them is in trouble and there’s a ticking clock, you can’t stop watching unless you know it’s all going to be okay,” she said.
Family History Mysteries: Buried Past is a brand new mystery that stars Parrish and her fellow Hallmark veteran Niall Matter. The movie features a twist on the typical “whodunit” formula employed by most cozy mysteries. Instead of trying to solve a murder, Parrish’s character, genealogist Sophie McClaren, must keep a man from dying by tracking down his biological father. The result is a race-against-the-clock thriller with filled with suspense and surprises.
Janel Parrish in Hallmark’s new mystery
A native of Hawaii, Parrish became enamored with musical theater at the age of 6 after seeing a production of The Phantom of the Opera at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu. She started piano, singing, and dancing lessons and was soon a regular on the talent show circuit.
Within two years she had booked the role of Young Cosette in the National Touring Company production of Les Misérables, a role she also played at the Imperial Theatre on Broadway.
In 1999 she booked her first television role on the series Baywatch. She starred in several movies for the Disney Channel and in the Nickelodeon series Zoey 101 before being cast as Mona Vanderwaal in the show Pretty Little Liars. In 2007, she was signed to Geffen Records and produced her first solo album.
Hallmark Connection
Parrish made her Hallmark debut in the 2020 Christmas drama Holly & Ivy. In an interview to promote the movie, she said her mother was thrilled that she was working with Hallmark.
“My mom is Hallmark Christmas movies’ No. 1 fan,” she told Entertainment Tonight. “It’s on all day, every day, no matter what we’re doing. She’d always ask me, ‘When are you going to do one?’ I’d said, ‘Whenever they call me, I will do one.’ So she’s over the moon about me doing this movie.”
She also starred in the 2021 Countdown to Christmas movie Coyote Christmas alongside Ryan Paevey.
Exclusive interview
In a recent interview with TV Cheddar (woot woot!), Parrish talked about her new movie, her love of musical theater, and her fascinating hobby: aerial silks.
TVC: Family History Mysteries puts an interesting twist on the typical Hallmark mystery: Instead of solving a murder, your character, Sophie McClaren, is trying to prevent a man’s death. How does this add to the suspense in the story?
JP: Yes! I think it ups the stakes. You meet and fall in love with these characters, and when one of them is in trouble and there’s a ticking clock, you can’t stop watching unless you know it’s all going to be okay. I love that this film is so character and relationship driven. This one is so heartfelt and I think ultimately that’s what’s gonna keep the audiences on the edge of their seat.
TVC: What drew you to the character of Sophie? What do you think audiences will like about her?
JP: Sophie is BRILLIANT. She thinks outside of the box and trusts her instincts…she never takes no for an answer which makes her very endearing. She loves fiercely and would do anything for the people she loves. I also think fans will love her own personal mystery of where she came from and will love going on that self-discovery journey with her.
TVC: You mentioned in a previous interview that your mother is a big Hallmark fan. What do you think makes Hallmark movies so appealing to audiences?
JP: Hallmark never lets you down. With Hallmark, you know you’ll always get a feel-good ending with characters you’ll fall in love with. But it’s true…no one is a bigger Hallmarkie than my mom!
TVC: Completely off-topic but you have a really cool hobby: aerial silks. How did you get started? What do you like about it?
JP: Yes! After Dancing With The Stars, I needed a fun way to keep moving. I fell in love with the art of it, and then realized what an amazing core and upper body workout it is! Now it’s like my church…it feels like meditating and is so calming and a wonderful outlet for me.
TVC: You got your start in musical theater. Any plans to do any live theater in the near future?
JP: Yes, I’ll forever be a broadway baby! I love returning to the stage whenever I can! I may have something fun in the pipeline…stay tuned! 😉
Family History Mysteries: Buried Past will premiere on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries on Sunday, January 8 at 7/6c.
A behind-the-scenes look at Season 10 of When Calls the Heart
Cast members of Hallmark Channel’s longest-running original series When Calls the Heart have been sharing hilarious photos and videos from the set of Season 10.
“When you leave your phone unattended on set…” wrote Ben Rosenbaum, who plays Mike Hickam on the series, in an Instagram post featuring a group selfie of his co-stars Erin Krakow, Kavan Smith, and Pascale Hutton.
“I just don’t know how you could have thought this WOULDN’T happen ??!!” Hutton wrote in response.
Season 10
Filming has finished for Season 10 of the show and cast and crew are currently doing post-production work. Cast members have been posting hilarious photos and videos from the set. In addition to a TikTok dance-off (which can be seen here) that pitted Ben Rosenbaum and co-star Kayla Wallace against Pascale Hutton and Erin Krakow, Rosenbaum shared a selfie doctored with editing tools that made him look 30 years older.
“Hello from the set of WCTH Season 40!” he wrote. “@hallmarkchannel give us 30 more years and let’s see how accurate this turns out to be #hearties @wcth_tv. p.s. any other WCTH cast members wanting to look into the season 40 … send me a character selfie. You have my number.”
Chris McNally, who plays businessman Lucas Bouchard on the show, sent Rosenbaum a selfie, which he promptly altered.
“@ben_rosenbaum fixed me up for WCTH season 40,” McNally wrote in an Instagram post featuring the photo.
When Calls the Heart
When Calls the Heart premiered on Hallmark Channel in 2014. Based on a series of books by Canadian author Janette Oke, the show centers on a small Canadian mining town at the turn of the 20th century.
Hallmark had not given a date for the Season 10 premiere. In 2022, the season premiered in March.
A baby is part of the magic in the long-awaited follow-up to Hallmark’s Wedding Veil trilogy
The long-awaited follow-up to Hallmark’s Wedding Veil trilogy premieres this weekend, and if the previews are to be believed, a baby is on the way for Lacey Chabert’s character Avery.
“The story continues Saturday night! Please let me know if you’ll be watching!” wrote Chabert in an Instagram post that featured a preview of the movie.
In the brief clip, Avery eats pizza with abandon, looks nauseated when offered a cup of coffee, and gazes down at her stomach, suggesting that she might be pregnant. The tagline reads, “The veil is working its magic again.”
Hallmark’s Wedding Veil trilogy
Hallmark introduced audiences to the magic of The Wedding Veil last year with the release of three movies in 2022. The trilogy starred Chabert, Alison Sweeney, and Autumn Reeser, as three college friends who meet up every year for a weekend in a different city.
While in San Francisco, Avery (played by Chabert) comes across a beautiful lace wedding veil in an antique store. The store owner claims the veil is enchanted and will bring true love to its owner. Though her friends are skeptical, Avery is smitten, and she buys the veil. The next thing she knows, a handsome stranger (played by Kevin McGarry) enters her life, and she soon falls in love.
In the sequel, The Wedding Veil Unveiled, it was Reeser’s turn to meet a handsome stranger. And in The Wedding Veil Legacy, Sweeney found her happily ever after. The movies were among the network’s most-watched films of the year.
A story of friendship
In a Facebook Live event to promote the movies, Chabert, Reeser, and Sweeney said that friendship is the true love story in all three Wedding Veil movies.
“I think sisterhood is at the heart of these stories,” Chabert said.
Reeser agreed, saying that the relationship between the three characters reminded her of her own friendships in real life.
“The love stories that have meant the most to me in my life are the love stories between me and my friends,” she said. “I think friendship gets put in a second-place position and for so many of us, those are the relationships that carry us through our life.”
Three new movies
Chabert shared the news that three more Wedding Veil movies were in the works during an appearance on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon. Soon after, co-star Alison Sweeney began sharing photos and videos from the set of the new movies, which were filmed in Greece and Bulgaria.
Fans were thrilled to find out about the new movies.
“So excited!!” wrote one fan in the comments section of Chabert’s post. “Loved this trilogy so much!!!”
The Wedding Veil Expectations will premiere on Hallmark Channel on Saturday, January 7 at 8/7c.
Everything you need to know about the new Hallmark movie Family History Mysteries: Buried Past
The new Hallmark movie Family History Mysteries: Buried Past will premiere this weekend as part of the January lineup on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries. The film stars Janel Parrish and Niall Matter and offers a new twist on the typical whodunit-cozy-mystery typically featured on the network. In this movie, the detective must solve a mystery to keep a man alive.
New Hallmark movie
In Family History Mysteries: Buried Past, Parrish stars as Sophie McClaren, a genealogist who is an expert at digging up the past and bringing families together. When her friend Jonathan (played by Morgan David Jones) urgently needs to find a bone marrow donor, it brings his twin brother (and Sophie’s old flame) Jackson (Niall Matter) back into her life. With Jackson’s help, Sophie must use her skills to track down the brothers’ long-lost birth father, a man they never even knew existed, in time to save Jonathan’s life. Ultimately, growing closer to Jackson on this search gives Sophie the push to finally explore the mystery of her own adoption.
The movie is based loosely on the Family History Mystery book series by author Brynn Bonner. It is being produced by Hallmark star Nikki DeLoach.
About the cast
Janel Parrish starred in movies for the Disney Channel and appeared in the TV shows Zoey 101, Pretty Little Liars, and Magnum, PI. She made her Hallmark debut in the 2020 Christmas drama Holly & Ivy. In an interview to promote the movie, she said her mother was thrilled that she was working with Hallmark.
“My mom is Hallmark Christmas movies’ No. 1 fan,” she told Entertainment Tonight. “It’s on all day, every day, no matter what we’re doing. She’d always ask me, ‘When are you going to do one?’ I’d said, ‘Whenever they call me, I will do one.’ So she’s over the moon about me doing this movie.”
She also starred in the 2021 Countdown to Christmas movie Coyote Christmas alongside Ryan Paevey.
Niall Matter has appeared in the Aurora Teagarden Mysteries as Nick Miller. He also starred in the Hallmark Channel movies Stop the Wedding with Alan Thicke and Rachel Boston and Frozen in Love”with Rachael Leigh Cook. On Hallmark Movies and Mysteries, Matter played Ian in Finding Father Christmas, Engaging Father Christmas, and Marrying Father Christmas.
Canceled mystery series
In the past two years, Hallmark has canceled three of its mystery series. The stars of the Hailey Dean, Picture Perfect, and Matchmaker Mysteries series told fans on social media that Hallmark wouldn’t be making any more of these movies.
“Just found out that Hailey Dean is done at Hallmark,” Kellie Martin wrote on Twitter. “Really sad and sorry to report.
Danica McKellar, who stars in the Matchmaker Mysteries series, broke the news in response to a fan asking when the next movie was coming out.
Alexa PenaVega let fans know about the Picture Perfect series in a post on her Instagram stories. When a fan asked if another movie would be coming out, she said no.
“Sadly, no,” she said. “The mysteries have come to an end. But it was so much fun, such a good run, and we’re really proud of what we made.”
New mysteries
Hallmark has introduced several new mysteries this year, including Cut, Color, Murder, starring Julie and Ryan McPartlin; Francesca Quinn, PI, starring Mallory Jansen and Dylan Bruce; Nikki & Nora: Sister Sleuths, starring Hunter King and Rhiannon Fish; and Curious Caterer: Dying For Chocolate, starring Andrew Walker and Nikki DeLoach.
Family History Mysteries: Buried Past will premiere on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries on Sunday, January 8 at 7/6c.
Pascale Hutton shares first look at baby bump in Season 10 teaser for When Calls the Heart
When Calls the Heart’s Pascale Hutton shared a look at her (faux) baby bump in a Season 10 teaser. In a video posted to Instagram, Hutton and her co-star Kavan Smith held hands and walked into a field while the song “Baby Love” by The Supremes plays. Hutton then turned to reveal a baby bump.
“A very special Christmas present to all those #Hearties out there!” Hutton wrote in the caption.
“Season 10 is going to be a very special delivery!!!” co-star Erin Krakow wrote in the comments section.
Baby bump
Fans were thrilled when Hutton’s When Calls the Heart character, Rosemary Coulter, discovered late in Season 9 that she was pregnant. In a hilarious scene, she shared the news with her husband, Leland (played by Smith), who was so excited he ran outside in his pajamas shouting with excitement.
The Coulters married in Season 3 and have been hoping to become parents ever since. In a devastating scene, a tearful Rosemary apologized to Lee for not giving him a child. Lee replied, “No matter how much I want to be a father the only thing in the whole world I really need is you.”
When Calls the Heart Season 10
In interviews, both Pascale Hutton and Kavan Smith said they have been lobbying writers to make Rosemary and Leland parents for years. But they figured producers waited to write a pregnancy into the script because there was already a baby on the show. (Little Jack Thornton was played by Gunnar and Lincoln Taylor from Season 6 to Season 8 before being replaced by Hyland Goodrich in Season 9).
Since twins are needed to play babies on TV shows and movies because of labor laws, Hutton and Smith reckoned producers didn’t want another set of twins on the set.
“It’s logistics,” Smith said in an interview with Entertainment Tonight.
In the same interview, both actors said it would be great for the Coulters to become parents.
“I think it would be hilarious to see Rosemary pregnant,” Hutton said.
“For Lee and Rosemary, with the two quirky characters that they are to go through [a pregnancy] together?” Smith said. “It’s just a gold mine of fun to be had.”
Season 10 of When Calls the Heart is set to premiere in 2023. As of publication, Hallmark has not yet given a premiere date.
Screenwriter Rod Spence says a new Good Witch movie could be coming to Hallmark
The man who created Cassie Nightingale said he believes a new Good Witch movie could be coming to Hallmark. In an interview on the Keep Heartland Strong YouTube channel, screenwriter Rod Spence said he doesn’t think the TV series will return but Hallmark will probably make more movies.
“I think there’s a very good chance it could come back as a movie or a series of movies,” Spence said.
Two of the show’s stars have made similar comments, leading Goodies to hope they will get to see their favorite characters onscreen again.
The Good Witch
Spence wrote the screenplay for The Good Witch back in 2004. He was trying to sell action-movie screenplays when his agent suggested he take a phone meeting with a Hallmark executive. She told Spence that the network liked to do holiday-themed movies but that they always struggled with Halloween.
“I said, ‘Well let me take a shot at that, let me see what I can come up with,’” Spence said. “So I hung up the phone and an amazing thing happened. Within 45 minutes I had the I had the basic idea for The Good Witch.”
Though he finished the script that year, it took another three years before Hallmark brought it to life on the small screen.
“I kind of think this was divine timing that it just laid there for three years until Catherine Bell came along,” he said. “She was absolutely Cassie Nightingale from day one.”
The movie was so successful that Hallmark commissioned a sequel. Spence offered to write a third movie for the series, which Hallmark wanted to make as a Christmas movie. In The Good Witch’s Gift, Cassie Nightingale got married in a Christmas-themed wedding.
The network made a series of movies featuring the characters Spence created. In 2015, Hallmark premiered a TV series based on the movies.
The magic of Cassie Nightingale
Spence said he believes the character of Cassie Nightingale was responsible for much of the franchise’s popularity.
“The key to Cassie’s character for me, and what made her so unique and successful is very simple: She’s a woman that no matter who comes to her or what situation comes to her she always responds with unconditional love,” Spence said. “That’s the whole key and that’s what makes her so unique. And you can do so much with that.”
New Good Witch movie
Hallmark shocked fans when it announced it was canceling the series in July 2021. Goodies have been trying to get the show back on the air ever since, something Spence doesn’t believe will happen.
“It just doesn’t make any business sense to do that as a series,” Spence said.
He explained that costs associated with a TV show tend to increase over the years, and without high enough ratings, the network can’t justify keeping it alive. But it’s highly likely that Hallmark will make a movie featuring Cassie Nightingale and her family, he said. Spence even volunteered to write the script.
“If Hallmark needs a writer for the next Good Witch movie, give me a call!” he said. “I would certainly love to do that.”
To watch the full interview with Rod Spence on @KeepHeartlandStrong, click here.