Tag: Alison Sweeney

  • Victor Webster and Alison Sweeney race to find a killer in new Hallmark mystery

    Victor Webster and Alison Sweeney race to find a killer in new Hallmark mystery

    Victor Webster and Alison Sweeney will reunite on the small screen in a new Hallmark mystery. The actors, who played husband and wife in Hallmark’s The Wedding Veil series, will join forces to find a killer in the movie One Bad Apple: A Hannah Swensen Mystery.

    “So excited for the new #HannahSwensen mystery One Bad Apple to premiere this Friday night!!” wrote Alison Sweeney in a social media post promoting the movie. “Thank you @hallmarkmystery for helping us make these fun movies.”

    “Think you’ll figure it out before we do?” wrote Victor Webster in his own post.

    Victor Webster and Alison Sweeney

    Victor Webster and Alison Sweeney have starred in several Hallmark movies together. Webster played Sweeney’s love interest in the popular Hallmark series The Wedding Veil.

    But this is his first appearance in the popular Hannah Swensen series. One Bad Apple: A Hannah Swensen Mystery is the ninth movie in the series, which is based on novels by Joanne Fluke.

    Up until the last film, A Zest for Death: A Hannah Swensen Mystery, Cameron Mathison starred opposite Alison Sweeney as Mike Kingston, a local detective and her fiancé. Their romance developed over the course of the series. But fans were left reeling when the characters broke off their engagement in the seventh film, Carrot Cake Murder: A Hannah Swensen Mystery.

    Though they reunited to solve a case in the next movie, they never reconnected romantically.

    New Hallmark mystery

    In One Bad Apple, Hannah is asked to teach a baking class at the local college. Her equipment is tampered with causing an explosion that the fire department rules accidental. But then one of her new colleagues is murdered and Hannah finds herself on the list of suspects.

    While trying to prove her innocence, she comes face-to-face with handsome local prosecutor Chad Norton (Webster) and sparks fly.

    What about Cameron?

    Cameron Mathison has moved on from Hallmark to work for Great American Media, a company founded by former Hallmark CEO Bill Abbott.

    In an interview with TV Insider, Alison Sweeney talked about the changes in Hannah and Mike’s relationship.

    “Mike is attracted to Hannah and her crime-solving ways, her mind, the fact that she is so interested, the fact that she’s good at it,” she told TV Insider. “She does get people to talk to her in a way that sometimes Mike or other detectives aren’t able to get them to open up. She does have really good instincts and a unique way of getting people to open up to her. I think the cookies help. Mike respects that, and he loves that about her, but it causes him a lot of trouble at work, and for good reasons and maybe also not-so-good reasons, the sheriff isn’t too keen to have Hannah getting involved in the crime-solving business. So that’s been a tricky thing for [Mike] to navigate. And unfortunately, I think Mike is a little old school, so he struggles with how much of that to share with Hannah.”

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  • Alison Sweeney will star in new Hannah Swensen

    Alison Sweeney will star in new Hannah Swensen

    Alison Sweeney will return as everyone’s favorite baker-turned-detective in a new Hannah Swensen movie. But Cameron Mathison won’t play the romantic lead in this one. Instead, Victor Webster will step in.

    “I’ve always loved working with Victor — from our years in daytime [TV] to our work together on ‘The Wedding Veil,’” Sweeney said in a statement through Hallmark. “When writing the script and developing this movie, I knew he’d be a great addition to the Hannah Swensen family and am thrilled that he said yes.”

    New Hannah Swensen

    The new movie is titled One Bad Apple: A Hannah Swensen Mystery. In the movie, Sweeney returns as Hannah Swensen, who has been asked to teach a baking class at the local college.

    But when someone tampers with her equipment causing an explosion and one of her colleagues is murdered, Hannah begins to investigate. While trying to solve the murder, she comes face-to-face with Lake Eden’s handsome lead prosecutor Chad Norton (Victor Webster).

    “The great chemistry Alison and Victor had in ‘The Wedding Veil’ trilogies made the decision to bring him into this world an easy one,” said Laura Gaines, director of development at Hallmark Media. “It will be fun for viewers to see a different side of the legal process as Hannah learns the recipe for a strong case.”

    Cameron Mathison

    Fans were upset when Hannah and Mike (played by Cameron Mathison) broke off their engagement in Carrot Cake Murder: A Hannah Swensen Mystery. Though Mathison appeared in the next movie, A Zest for Death: A Hannah Swensen Mystery, he did not rekindle his romance with Hannah.

    Off-screen, Mathison has signed on with Great American Media, a new company started by former Hallmark CEO Bill Abbott. The actor has already made several movies for the company’s network Great American Family.

    Alison Sweeney and Cameron Mathison in the new Hannah Swensen mystery Carrot Cake Murder. (Image: Hallmark Media)
    The end of an era. (Image: Hallmark Media)

    Hannah Swensen

    One Bad Apple: A Hannah Swensen Mystery will be the ninth movie in the Hannah Swensen series, which is also known as “Murder, She Baked.” Based on the cozy mystery books by Joanne Fluke, the movies include:

    Murder, She Baked: A Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery (2015)

    Murder, She Baked: A Plum Pudding Mystery (2015)

    Murder, She Baked: A Peach Cobbler Mystery (2016)

    Murder, She Baked: A Deadly Recipe (2017)

    Murder, She Baked: Just Desserts (2016)

    Sweet Revenge: A Hannah Swensen Mystery (2021)

    Carrot Cake Murder: A Hannah Swensen Mystery (2023)

    A Zest for Death: A Hannah Swensen Mystery (2023)

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  • New Hannah Swensen mystery features awkward reunion between exes

    New Hannah Swensen mystery features awkward reunion between exes

    The new Hannah Swensen mystery A Zest for Death features an awkward reunion between Hannah and Mike. The couple, who broke off their engagement in the last Hannah Swensen movie, come face-to-face when they are — surprise! — investigating the same murder.

    “Hannah’s connection with Mike may be on a rough road, but a new mystery is just around the corner,” reads a promo on the Hallmark Movies and Mysteries fan page.

    New Hannah Swensen

    In A Zest for Death, Hannah’s mother (played by Barbara Niven) is house hunting with Hannah’s sister when they discover a dead body. The victim was a regular customer at Hannah’s business, The Cookie Jar, so naturally Hannah gets involved in solving the murder.

    This time she gets help from her mother and her two sisters (played by Tess Atkins and Lisa Durupt). There is an awkward reunion with Mike with Hannah becomes convinced his prime suspect is innocent.

    “There’s nothing like a murder to bring two people back together,” says the narrator in a preview.

    The cast of the Picture Perfect Mysteries series.
    (Image: Hallmark Media)

    Hannah and Mike

    Fans were left reeling after Hannah and Mike broke up in Carrot Cake Murder: A Hannah Swensen Mystery.

    In a May interview, Sweeney talked about some of the challenges the couple faced.

    “Mike is attracted to Hannah and her crime solving ways, her mind, the fact that she is so interested, the fact that she’s good at it,” she told TV Insider. “She does get people to talk to her in a way that sometimes Mike or other detectives aren’t able to get them to open up. She does have really good instincts and a unique way of getting people to open up to her. I think the cookies help. Mike respects that, and he loves that about her, but it causes him a lot of trouble at work, and for good reasons and maybe also not so good reasons, the sheriff isn’t too keen to have Hannah getting involved in the crime solving business. So that’s been a tricky thing for [Mike] to navigate. And unfortunately, I think Mike is a little old school, so he struggles with how much of that to share with Hannah.”

    Fans have made it clear they would like to see Hannah and Mike get back together, but so far Hallmark hasn’t offered any clues as to whether they will reunite.

    A Zest for Death: A Hannah Swensen Mystery will premiere on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries on Friday, October 6 at 9/8c.

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  • Three new Wedding Veil movies are coming to Hallmark

    Three new Wedding Veil movies are coming to Hallmark

    Hallmark is filming three new Wedding Veil movies. Star Lacey Chabert revealed the news during a recent appearance on The Jimmy Fallon Show.

    “We’re going to be back,” Chabert said.

    The Wedding Veil trilogy, which aired earlier this year on Hallmark, starred Chabert, Alison Sweeney, and Autumn Reeser, as three college friends who discover an antique wedding veil rumored to bring true love to its owner. In The Wedding Veil, Chabert’s character meets the man of her dreams. 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.

    Three new Wedding Veil movies

    During her appearance on The Jimmy Fallon Show, Chabert talked about how happy she was to appear in Hallmark movies.

    “I think now, more than ever, like, we just need some goodness in the world,” Chabert said. “People come up to me all the time and they go, ‘You know, it’s my husband and I, it’s our favorite thing to do together. This movie has helped bring my family together.’ So I consider it an honor to be a part of.”

    Chabert shared with the audience that she had starred in 33 movies for Hallmark Media. Fallon claimed to have seen every one of them.

    “I watch them with my dad,” he said.

    Chabert then asked if he wanted to be in one.

    “Like, I have some stuff next year,” she said. “I would love to be in one with you.”

    Wedding Veil Trilogy

    The Wedding Veil trilogy made headlines when it premiered on the Hallmark Channel in January 2022. Fans were excited to see three of their favorite stars together in three different movies.

    And while the focus of each movie was true love, Chabert said that the story was really about the friendship between the women.

    “I think the sisterhood is at the heart of these stories,” Chabert said during a Facebook Live event to promote the third film.

    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.”

    New movies

    Chabert didn’t reveal much about the new Wedding Veil movies, other than the fact that the first one will premiere in January 2023.

  • Alison Sweeney talks about a new Murder, She Baked movie

    Alison Sweeney talks about a new Murder, She Baked movie

    In a recent interview, Hallmark star Alison Sweeney talked about the possibility of a new Murder, She Baked movie. Sweeney, who plays amateur sleuth Hannah Swensen in the franchise, said she will do what she can to make sure the series continues.

    “…Believe me, I am a big fan of Hannah Swensen and if I can make that happen, I will,” she told Us magazine.

    Hallmark last released a Hannah Swensen movie in August 2021. Sweet Revenge: A Hannah Swensen Mystery was the six movie in the series, which are based on the cozy mystery books by author Joanne Fluke.

    A new Murder, She Baked movie

    Sweeney, who starred in the 2022 Countdown to Christmas movie A Magical Christmas Village, said she enjoys playing baker-turned-sleuth Swensen.

    “I love making those movies,” she said during an interim with Us magazine. “Those are my favorites to be honest.”

    Hallmark released the first of the movies, Murder, She Baked: A Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery, in 2015. The film followed bakery owner Hannah Swensen, who finds her friend and delivery driver, Ron (Jason Cermak), shot to death behind her shop. Swensen helps local police detective Mike Kingston — played by Cameron Mathison — to solve the murder.

    Four more movies followed: Murder, She Baked: A Plum Pudding Mystery (2015), Murder, She Baked: A Peach Cobbler Mystery (2016), Murder, She Baked: A Deadly Recipe (2016), Murder, She Baked: Just Desserts (2017). Fans had to wait four years for a new movie. In Sweet Revenge: A Hannah Swensen Mystery, Sweeney’s character was preparing for her wedding to Mike when she finds a dead body.
    .

    Sweeney said she would love to make more of the Chronicle Mysteries series.

    “I love that series. I love that show,” she said. “Unfortunately, it’s, like, not my decision. But believe me, if ever there was interest, I would be ready to take it up again.”

    Canceled Hallmark mysteries

    Hallmark mystery fans were shocked earlier this year to find out that several of their favorite mystery series were canceled.

    “I just found out that Hailey Dean is done at Hallmark,” Kellie Martin wrote on Twitter. “Really sad and sorry to report.

    Kellie Martin and Viv Leacock in Hailey Dean Mysteries: A Will to Kill
    Kellie Martin and Viv Leacock in Hailey Dean Mysteries: A Will to Kill. (Image: Crown Media)

    Also canceled were the Matchmaker Mysteries and the Picture Perfect Mysteries.

    Fans found out that Aurora Teagarden was also finished when Candace Cameron Bure announced she was leaving Hallmark to work with the new family-friendly entertainment company Great American Media.

    Alison Sweeney

    Alison Sweeney rose to fame playing Samantha “Sami” Brady on the NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives. She also hosted the series The Biggest Loser from Season 4 to Season 16.

    In addition to the Murder, She Baked and Chronicle Mysteries movies, Sweeney has starred in the Hallmark films Love on the Air, The Irresistible Blueberry Farm, Christmas at Holly Lodge, and Time For You to Come Home For Christmas.

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  • Alison Sweeney signs multi-picture deal with Hallmark

    Alison Sweeney signs multi-picture deal with Hallmark

    Actress Alison Sweeney has signed a multi-picture deal to produce and star in content for the Hallmark Channel.

    “Alison Sweeney has been an incredible creative partner for us over the years – both on screen as well as behind the camera as a producer,” said Lisa Hamilton Daly, executive vice president of programming at Hallmark Media. “She’s long been a fan favorite and we can’t wait to continue our work together as we bring new stories to life.”

    “I am thrilled to continue to work with Hallmark as they continue to support my work as an actress and as a producer,” said Sweeney in a statement through the network.

    New Christmas movie

    As part of the deal with Hallmark, Sweeney will appear in and serve as an executive producer for the Countdown to Christmas movie “A Magical Christmas Village.”

    According to a synopsis from Hallmark, Sweeney plays Summer, an architect living in a small town where she’s raising her young daughter, Chloe. When her mother Vivian (played by Marlo Thomas), moves in, she sets up an heirloom miniature Christmas village resembling their town, and tells Chloe it grants Christmas wishes. As Chloe begins setting up the figurines, real-life events seem to mimic the scenes she creates, including Summer’s chance meeting with Ryan (Luke Macfarlane), a newcomer to their community. Ryan and Summer learn they share much in common. As they spend more time together, Ryan slowly helps Summer learn to open her heart to love again. Meanwhile, living under the same roof gives Summer and Vivian the chance to mend fences as the holiday nears and, perhaps with a little help from the magic of the Christmas village, the family will be brought closer together.

    Autumn Reeser and Alison Sweeney in The Wedding Veil
    Autumn Reeser and Alison Sweeney in The Wedding Veil. (Image: Crown Media)

    About Alison Sweeney

    Sweeney began her acting at age four and at age 16, she joined the cast of “Days of Our Lives,” playing the Emmy-nominated role of Sami Brady. She also hosted 13 seasons of NBC’s inspirational series “The Biggest Loser,” has hosted numerous live television specials, and made many guest-starring appearances on popular television series and true crime podcasts. Sweeney serves as an Ambassador for Stand Up 2 Cancer and American Humane Association and is a member of the Entertainment Council for Feeding America.

    Sweeney has headlined more than a dozen movies for Hallmark Media (formerly Crown Media) over the years. She has played amateur sleuth Hannah Swensen in the film series Murder, She Baked, which is based on the cozy mystery books by Joanne Fluke.

    She starred in The Irresistible Blueberry Farm (2016), Christmas at Holly Lodge (2017), Time for You to Come Home for Christmas (2019), Good Morning Christmas! (2020), Open by Christmas (2021), Time for Them to Come Home for Christmas (2021), The Wedding Veil (2022), The Wedding Veil Unveiled (2022), and The Wedding Veil Legacy (2022).

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