Good Witch fans will see their favorite couple back onscreen in the new Hallmark movie Christmas on Cherry Lane. Catherine Bell and James Denton play a married couple in the Countdown to Christmas film, which also stars Erin Cahill, John Brotherton, and Jonathan Bennett.
Bell, who played Cassie Nightingale on the hit Hallmark series Good Witch, promoted the movie on Instagram.
“Who’s ready for some Christmas magic (not THAT kind of magic!) just the lovely sweet romantic happy @hallmarkchannel kind of magic
December 9 only on @hallmarkchannel #christmasoncherrylane,” she wrote in the caption.
New Hallmark movie
In Christmas on Cherry Lane, Erin Cahill and John Brotherton star as a young couple welcoming their first child when well-meaning relatives descend to help out. Catherine Bell and James Denton play empty nesters preparing for the holidays and Jonathan Bennett and Vincent Rodriguez play a couple dealing with a kitchen remodel.
“The three couples celebrate Christmas Eve in their own special ways as they navigate these turning points in their lives, become closer in the process and a surprising connection between them all is revealed,” according to a synopsis from Hallmark Channel.
Good Witch
Good Witch fans have been posting to social media in anticipation of the movie’s debut using the hashtags #SassieBack, #Countdown2Sassie, and #SAVEGOODWITCH.
Bell and Denton played husband and wife on the Hallmark series Good Witch. Hallmark Channel canceled the show in 2021 and fans have lodged several campaigns to get the series back on the air.
Fans became hopeful when a Hallmark exec hinted that the network wasn’t finished with the franchise. During an appearance at the 2022 Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour, Lisa Hamilton-Daly, executive vice president of programming at Hallmark Media, told reporters the network was considering what to do with several of its franchises.
“As far as Good Witch, I think we’re always interested in thinking about what we can do with our most popular IP,” Hamilton-Daly said.
The stars of the series began to drop hints that a movie might be in the works.
“Hopefully we’ll get a movie done here one of these days and bring all those characters back,” said Catherine Bell in a video posted on Cameo. “That is the hope we are working on but we’ll see if it actually happens but working on it.”
Denton also talked about the possibility of a Good Witch return during an interview with TV Insider.
“Nobody’s made me an offer,” he clarified. “There’s nothing in the works, but I think the odds are decent just because I know the network respects the franchise. It ran for 14 years between the movies and the series. So I think there’s a decent chance, but I had to say in the same breath there is nothing in the immediate works.”
Christmas on Cherry Lane will premiere on Hallmark Channel on Saturday, December 9 at 8/7c.
Is a Good Witch movie in the works? Catherine Bell drops an exciting hint
A Good Witch movie might be in the works. The star of the hit Hallmark franchise, Catherine Bell, told fans in a message on the Cameo app that she hopes to do one more film in the series.
“Hopefully we’ll get a movie done here one of these days and bring all those characters back,” Bell said in her message to two fans who recently got married. “That is the hope we are working on but we’ll see if it actually happens but working on it.”
Good Witch movie
The franchise got its start with the 2008 film The Good Witch. Bell starred in the movie as a mysterious woman named Cassie Nightingale who moved to the small town of Middleton. Though the locals were wary of her at first, she eventually wins them over with her kindness and good advice.
Hallmark went on to make a series of movies featuring the characters and in 2015, it debuted a TV series about Cassie Nightingale and her family. The show ran for seven seasons on Hallmark. The network shocked fans when it announced in July 2021 that the show was being canceled.
“Good Witch has enchanted viewers for over a decade,” said Randy Pope, Hallmark’s senior vice president of programming and development. “We…extend our gratitude and thanks to the entire cast and crew for their dedication and hard work.”
Fans mounted a worldwide campaign to get the show back on the air, appealing to Hallmark, Netflix, and Great American Family, a new network founded by former Hallmark CEO Bill Abbott.
Fresh hope
After a year of campaigning, fans thought they had made progress when a Hallmark exec hinted at a return of the franchise.
During an appearance at the Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour, Lisa Hamilton-Daly, executive vice president of programming at Hallmark Media, told reporters the network was considering what to do with several of its franchises.
“As far as Good Witch, I think we’re always interested in thinking about what we can do with our most popular IP,” Hamilton-Daly said.
Bell’s recent Cameo message has fans hopeful that they might see their favorite cast again.
In the video, which Bell recorded for two fans who recently got married, the actress said she always aspires to be like Good Witch’s Cassie.
“I’m always inspired by her and I always try to be more like her,” Bell said.
We will be following this story closely, so check back on TV Cheddar for more updates!