When Call’s the Heart’s Ava Grace Cooper is a Hallmark veteran, having starred in Mingle All the Way, Summer Romance, and Holiday Date.

Ava Grace Cooper made her first appearance on When Calls the Heart as Opal Weise during Season 3. The actress was five years old at the time. Now in seventh grade, she is still on the show and has an impressive list of acting credits to her name.

Her latest Hallmark project is the romantic-comedy Just One Kiss, which is part of the network’s Spring Into Love lineup. In the movie, she plays 11-year-old Rosie, a New York City girl whose parents recently divorced. She moves with her mom into a new apartment building and watches while her grandmother tries to fix her mom up with a new guy.

But this is no regular Hallmark Channel rom-com. With Broadway stars Krysta Rodriguez and Santino Fontana in the lead roles, the film is more of a musical extravaganza.

“All I can is there is some singing and dancing,” Ava Grace Cooper said in a recent interview on the Everything Abut Hallmark podcast.

All about Ava

Ava got her start on Hallmark’s When Calls the Heart alongside her brother, Christian Michael Cooper, who plays Timmy Lawson. She studied acting for several years, she said. Her current coach is Wesley Salter, who plays Wyman Walden on the series.

In addition to When Calls the Heart, Ava has starred in the Hallmark movies Mingle All the Way, A Summer Romance, and Holiday Date.

Just One Kiss

In Just One Kiss, Krysta Rodriguez plays literature professor Mia, who is starting a new life with her daughter (Cooper) following a divorce.

Santino Fontana plays a popular singer at a Manhattan supper club.

One day, Mia’s mother (Illeana Douglas) and Tony’s mother (Aida Turturro) witness their daughter and son’s chance encounter at a showing of a classic, black-and-white movie at the local theater and start to hatch a plan.

They decide to do everything they can to bring the two together. They arrange for Mia and her daughter (Cooper) to move into Tony’s apartment building so that Mia and Tony continue to run into each other. Tony’s niece (Alice Rose) and Mia’s daughter become friends, and the four end up spending time together.

But both Mia and Tony are still recovering from past relationships. Mia’s soon-to-be-ex-husband complicates things when he tells Mia he wants her back. But the matchmakers believe that everything could change if Mia and Tony would just share a kiss.

Just One Kiss will premiere on Hallmark Channel on Saturday, April 2 at 8/7c.

Filming has started on Season 6 of Hallmark Channel’s Chesapeake Shores. A Vancouver Island newspaper posted photos of the cast and crew shooting scenes for the next season of the series, which Hallmark confirmed would be the last.

“With a top-notch ensemble cast and creative team, Chesapeake Shores has shared stories that are relatable, poignant and unforgettable,” said Laurie Ferneau, senior vice programming of series, in a press release. “We look forward to honoring the journey viewers have been on with the O’Briens with one final, special season.”

The Parksville Qualicum Beach News reported that shooting would take place in different locations in the coming week.

The news confirms what one of the show’s stars had been hinting about on Instagram. Treat Williams posted a photo of his family last week, saying he would miss them when he went to Canada. Though Chesapeake Shores is set in coastal Maryland, the show is filmed on Vancouver Island.

On Friday, he shared a photo of a coastline with the caption, “Good morning. Dawn in the Pacific Northwest.”

“Omg are you filming Chesapeake?” one fan asked.

“Filming Season 6,” another wrote with prayer emojis.

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A post shared by Treat Williams (@treat.williams2)

Chesapeake Shores

Based on a series of books by Shery Woods, Chesapeake Shores debuted on Hallmark Channel in 2016. The show follows a single mother (Ory) who returns from New York City to her small hometown following a divorce. She reconnects with her ex Trace Riley (Jesse Metcalfe) and is thrown back into the drama of her large family.

Metcalfe surprised fans when he decided not to return for Season 5 of the series. In an interview with ET, he said it was time to move on.

”Life’s all about growth,” Metcalfe said. “I tend to put myself in challenging situations because I feel like that’s the fastest way to grow. No one saw this decision coming for me to leave Chesapeake, but sometimes the hardest decisions are the best ones to make and the ones that you grow the most from.”

Season 5 cliffhangers

The Season 5 finale of Chesapeake Shores aired in October. The episode included several cliffhangers. Meg (Barbara Niven) and Mick (Treat Williams) O’Brien began to argue after agreeing earlier in the season to reconcile. Mick appeared to have a growing addiction to painkillers following a plane accident.

Connor O’Brien (Andrew Francis) collapsed in the driveway of a suspected heart attack. Abby O’Brien (Meghan Ory) finally chose between the two men pursuing her, though the audience never found out which guy she picked.

Hallmark Channel has not announced when Season 6 of Chesapeake Shores will premiere. The last season premiered in August 2021.

Holly Robinson Peete is the latest star to sign a contract with Crown Media Family Networks. The actress and advocate will have exclusivity when it comes to making holiday movies for the company, which produces content for Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies and Mysteries, and Hallmark Movies Now.

The actress announced the news with a post on her Instagram page.

“Awww suki suki,” she wrote. “So excited about this!!! Thank you to everyone at @hallmarkchannel you have not only supported my career but my family, my charity @hollyrodfdn and the #autism & #parkinsonsdisease communities through our work together and everything that’s important to me!”

Robinson Peete has worked extensively with Crown Media in the past. Her latest project was Our Christmas Journey, in which she played the mother of a teenage son with autism. She has also appeared in all four Christmas in Evergreen movies, as well as The Christmas Doctor and A Family Christmas Christmas Gift.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CbflymyJgAO/

Holly Robinson Peete

A native of Philadelphia, Robinson Peete got her start in front of the camera on Sesame Street at the age of 5. She went to have parts in Howard the Duck and Booker before she got her breakout role playing Officer Judy Hoffs on 21 Jump Street, which ran from 1987 to 1991 on Fox.

She appeared in a slew of TV shows, including Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper, Mike & Molly, and Chicago Fire. Her first project with Crown Media was the movie Angel of Christmas.

Advocacy

In 1999, Robinson Peete and her husband, NFL player Rodney Peete, created the HollyRod Foundation to help improve the quality of life for those with Parkinson’s disease. It was a cause near to her heart as her father had been diagnosed with the disease.

The foundation expanded its focus to include autism when the couple’s oldest child, RJ, was diagnosed with the condition.

In a statement through Crown Media, Robinson Peete said she was excited to continue her relationship with the company.

”Hallmark is one of the most unique and warm destinations on television, especially at Christmas, and I am so proud of the projects that we have done together these past years,” Robinson Peete said. “I am thrilled to continue my work with them to collaborate on creating joyful and heartfelt movies, while highlighting special stories in which viewers can truly see themselves.”

The campaign to save Hallmark Channel’s Good Witch grows

It’s been nine months since Hallmark Channel announced it would no longer produce the series Good Witch. The show, which starred Catherine Bell and James Denton, had been on the air for seven seasons and had attracted a dedicated group of fans who called themselves “Goodies.”

The show has found a renewed popularity on Netflix, where it continues to trend among the most-watched shows on the streaming service.

This has encouraged the Goodies who have been working since the series finale to get the show back on the air.

Fans have also been buoyed by the responses they’ve received from cast members Scott Cavalheiro, Nicole Wilson, and Kyana Teresa to social media posts in support of getting the show back on the air.

“We have heard even more recently over the last week from the cast and crew via social media likes and acknowledgment to our pleas for support,” said Lisa Gursky-Choi. “With all seven seasons on Netflix, and viewers acknowledging how much they love binging this show, it’s not surprising they are continuing to trend everyday.”

History of Good Witch

The franchise got its started with the 2008 movie Good Witch. Starring Catherine Bell, the film followed a mysterious woman named Cassie Nightingale who moves to a small town called Middleton. Though at first the locals are wary of her, she is so kind and helpful that they soon begin seeking her out for advice.

A TV series based on the characters premiered on Hallmark Channel in 2015, with James Denton playing Cassie’s new neighbor, Dr. Sam Radford. More movies were added to the franchise each season the show aired.

The Save Good Witch campaign

Fans were shocked when Hallmark Channel announced on July that the series was coming to an end. Hallmark executives said the show had run its course.

“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.”

But fans disagreed and started a social media campaign to get the show back on the air. At first, they targeted Hallmark Channel, then turned their attention to Netflix. More recently, they appealed to GAC Media, the company started by former Crown Media CEO Bill Abbott.

Gursky-Choi, who has spearheaded the Save Good Witch campaign, says Goodies are feeling new optimism thanks to the series trending on Netflix.

“We have reached a new level in this campaign,” she said.

Below are some of the graphics shared by the #SaveGoodWitch campaign. They are were put together from comments fans shared on Facebook and in response to articles about the show:

Hallmark introduced a mysterious new character at the start of Season 9 of When Calls the Heart. Mei Suo (played by Amanda Wong) rode into town dressed as a man, capturing the eye of Mountie Nathan Grant. She showed up for work at the pharmacy, shocking Ned and Florence, who had been corresponding with someone named Geoffrey Lewis.

Fans got a hint of Mei’s backstory in Episode 4, “Straight From the Heart,” when Mei went to visit Bill Avery (Jack Wagner) and told him she needed his help.

“I’m a fugitive, of sorts, from my husband,” she said.

She then goes on to say that the man she’s running from isn’t really her husband. The scene then finishes, so viewers didn’t get to hear the rest of her story.

Fans responded on social media to the new development.

“Finally get to hear Mei Suo’s intriguing side,” one wrote on the show’s Facebook page. “Glad she has Bill to help.”

The return of Augustus Landis

Also in Episode 4, Elizabeth (Erin Krakow) gets another visit from school inspector Augustus Landis (Todd Thomson). In Season 8, he told Elizabeth she wasn’t qualified to teach Angela Canfield (Vienna Leacock) because of her blindness.

In Sunday’s episode, Elizabeth proudly tells him that she earned her certification in Hamilton, so the district doesn’t need to worry anymore. He tells her that he can’t accept training completed outside the district. The two argue, and Elizabeth tells him that the school is still under her authority.

Landis attempts to retrieve his hat, but someone has glued his hat to a table in the classroom. Cooper Canfield (Elias Leacock) eventually admits he was the one who did it.

Wyman Walden causing trouble

Businessman Wyman Walden (Wesley Salter) has been throwing his weight around in town since Season 8, when he announced he wanted to build a foundry. In Sunday’s episode, Bill gets a call from the constable of the town of Brookfield, who said that Walden came to town, attempted to con someone out of money, and then left. A merchant was shot shortly before he skipped town.

When Walden and a Pinkerton agent drive back into Hope Valley, Avery tells them he needs to see Walden’s gun. Walden says he lost it. Soon after, Lucas is attacked as he leaves Elizabeth’s house.

Filming has begun in Italy on Unthinkably Good Things, the first in a series of movies under the Crown Media’s Mahogany banner. Named for the Mahogany greeting card line, the movies will tell stories “through the unique lens of Black culture,” according to Crown Media. It will air on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries.

Unthinkably Good Things (which is a working title and subject to change), stars Karen Pittman, Erica Ash, Joyful Drake, Jermaine Love, and Lance Gross.

A Crown Media spokesperson said the network was excited to introduce the first movie in the new series.

“Mahogany is a beloved brand by millions of consumers around the world and we are thrilled to bring the brand to life on screen with this first new movie,” said Toni Judkins, senior vice president of programming development at Crown Media – Mahogany. “We are committed to telling beautiful, emotionally rich, authentic stories that show Black women experiencing the joys of love through romance, sisterhood and community.”

Karen Pittman shared the news on her Instagram page.

“I couldn’t be more proud and excited,” she wrote.

Joyful Drake shared a behind-the-scenes look at the shoot on her Instagram page.

“Sometime you get to shoot an amazing movie in Italy!!” she wrote. “My God is awesome! Won’t He do it!! #blackgirlmagic.”

Hallmark’s Mahogany brand

Hallmark began producing greeting cards aimed specifically at African American consumers in 1962, according to the company’s website. The Mahogany line debuted in 1987.

Crown Media announced in July 2021 that it would expand the brand to include movies as part of an overall push toward diversity in its films and TV shows.

“Before I arrived, we had begun to expand our brand inclusiveness in front of and behind the camera,” said CEO Wonya Lucas “I’m proud of the progress this team is making to expand diversity in our programming and it is nothing short of seismic.”

Unthinkably Good Things

According to a synopsis released from the network, Unthinkably Good Things follows Allison (Pittman), who is living in Tuscany and is at a crossroads in her personal and professional lives. When her friends from home Melina (Drake) and Reese (Ash) come for a visit, they are able to give her the advice she needs.

The network says the movie exemplifies Hallmark’s core ethos of family, community, human connection, positivity, and the transformational power of love.

Hallmark’s Cameron Mathison recently opened up about his childhood battle with a rare degenerative bone disease. The actor and TV host posted five photos to his Instagram account that show him as a child wearing a leg brace and using crutches to walk.

“In honor or Rare Disease Day I’m posting about the rare degenerative bone disease I had as child: Legg Calve Perthes Disease,” he wrote.

Mathison said he was diagnosed as a child with the condition, which disrupts blood flow to the hip bones. He wore the brace — which allowed his femur bones to harden — around the clock for four years.

“The treatment has come a long way since then, but still so much to learn about this rare disease,” he wrote.

The actor has been open about other health issues. In 2019, he announced on the Hallmark Channel series Home and Family that doctors had discovered a cancerous growth on his right kidney.

“It’s a tumor that’s consistent with something called renal cell carcinoma,” he said as his co-host Debbie Matenopoulos looked on.

The cancer had not spread, and the tumor was surgically removed. In
In October 2021, he announced that he had been cancer-free for two years.

Dancing With the Stars

Mathison and his parents opened up about his struggle with Legg-Calve-Perthes disease during the actor’s 2009 appearance on Dancing With the Stars. In an interview with ABC, they said he was diagnosed after complaining about pain in one of his legs.

“I remember my mom coming out of the doctor’s office,” Mathison said. “She’d been crying. She was really fighting back the tears. And I knew — I really knew that something wasn’t OK.”

“Initially, it was difficult because everyone looked at him,” his father said. “And it became an emotional thing for him.”

Onward and upward

When the brace finally came off, Mathison picked up a love of skiing.

“I really probably went a little bit overboard to prove to myself and to prove to other people that’s not what I was or who I was,” he said. “Skiing became a really important sort of experience to kind of get out there and have all this freedom and movement.”

He eventually turned to acting, and landed bit parts on The Drew Carey Show and JAG before being cast as Ryan Laevery on General Hospital in 1998. He also starred in Hallmark movies and the Hallmark Movies and Mysteries series Murder, She Baked, alongside Alison Sweeney.

He joined Debbie Matenopoulos as co-host of the lifestyle series Home and Family in 2018, replacing Mark Steines. Hallmark canceled the series in 2021.

In “Turn the Page,” the residents of Hope Valley finally get to read the book Elizabeth published. Called A Single Mother on the Frontier, it’s a semi-autobiographical novel about a woman named Elsa who moves to a small mining town, falls in love with a Mountie, and then loses him in a tragic accident.

When copies finally arrive in Hope Valley, they fly off the shelves, as everybody wants to see if there is a character based on them. Molly Sullivan (Johannah Newmarch) becomes incensed when she reads about a redhead who is always on the lookout for a new man. It is only later in the episode that she finds out Elizabeth was referring to her sister, not Molly.

Mixed reviews

Elizabeth becomes dejected when she reads reviews of her novel that claim her writing lacks “depth and nuance” and that it “only scratches the surface of anything meaningful and profound.”

Missed connections

Poor Nathan bears the brunt of everyone’s sympathy. Still, Nathan gets annoyed that everyone keeps bringing up his ‘flouted’ heart. It was all fun and games until Mei Suo read the book. She asked Faith if Nathan courted Elizabeth. Faith answers truthfully, and the next time Nathan comes to see Mei, she gives him a polite brush off.

Faith has her own romantic troubles. When she attempts to place a phone call to Carson, she is routed through a switchboard at Johns Hopkins, where she has to leave a message for him. Not exactly the heart-warming exchange she was hoping for.

Cooper Canfield

Since the start of Season 9, Minnie and Joseph Canfield (Viv Leacock and Natasha Burnett) have been dealing with some bad behavior from their son, Cooper (Elias Leacock). In Episode 2, Cooper told his mother he didn’t want to go to church. In Episode 3, we found out why.

Cooper doesn’t understand why God let Angela become blind. Both children got the measles, but he recovered fully, while Angela lost her sight.

When Minnie tells Joseph about the conversation, they talk about what really happened when the children were sick. A doctor refused to treat Angela because of her race. When Minnie suggests they tell Cooper this, Joseph says no. He doesn’t want his son to grow up with hate in his heart.

The return of Wyman Walden

Finally, businessman Wyman Walden (Wesley Salter) has returned to Hope Valley. He is still trying to build a foundry, much to the dismay of the community. Though Hickam (Ben Rosenbaum), wants to learn more about Walden’s plans, Lucas seems determined to stop him.

In a mysterious phone call — spoken almost entirely in French — Lucas tells someone named Janette that he is trying to stop Walden but he can’t do it alone.

Crown Media Family Networks announced that actor Brennan Elliott has signed a deal to make multiple pictures with the company. The parent corporation of Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies and Mysteries shared the news on social media.

“Brennan brings tremendous talent and charisma to every role,” said Lisa Hamilton Daly, executive vice president of programming for Crown Media Family Networks. “He’s a joy to work with and we look forward to collaborating with him on new movies we know our viewers will fall in love with.”

Elliott has starred in movies for both Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies and Mysteries, including the All Of My Heart series and the Crossword Mysteries series. He joins fellow Hallmark stars Lacey Chabert and Heather Hemmens in signing an exclusive contract with the network.

Hallmark has been making announcements about multi-picture deals as its new rival, GAC Media, gains steam. Started by former Crown Media CEO Bill Abbott, GAC Media began programming on two cable networks in September 2021. It aired 12 original movies during the holiday season, and has premiered two films, The Winter Palace and Harmony From the Heart, in 2022.

Several actors who have also worked for Hallmark have signed agreements to work for GAC Media.

Celebrity deals

In October, Danica McKellar announced she had signed a contract to produce and star in four movies for GAC Media. She was joined in January by Hallmark favorite Jen Lilley.

GAC has also made plans to take over Hallmark Channel’s Kitten Bowl, which the network stopped producing this year. The Great American Rescue Bowl will air on GAC Family on Super Bowl Sunday — February 5 — 2023.

Elliott and Hallmark

Brennan Elliott had bit roles on Grey’s Anatomy, NCIS, and Criminal Minds before being cast as Warren Saget on the Hallmark series Cedar Cove. He went on to make the movie All Of My Heart with the network, and co-starred with Chabert on the Hallmark Movies and Mysteries series Crossword Mysteries.

In a statement made through Crown Media, Elliott said he was excited to officially become part of the Hallmark team.

“It’s been a dream to have worked with the wonderfully creative and supportive team at Hallmark over the years,” Elliott enthused. “I’m thrilled to continue this relationship that’s meant so much to me and have the opportunity to bring to life new characters and tell stories that will make people smile.”

When Calls the Heart’s Erin Krakow feels protective of Elizabeth

For nine years now, actress Erin Krakow has been the face of Hallmark Channel’s period drama When Calls the Heart. As Elizabeth Thornton — Thatcher, when the show started — she has weathered highs and lows. She became an integral part of the Hope Valley community, married a handsome mountie, and soon after became a widow and single mother.

In Season 9 of the series, which premiered on Hallmark Channel earlier this month, she finds herself in a good place, both in terms of her personal and professional life. Krakow said she is grateful that the show has continued to do so well.

“It’s been an amazing ride so far,” Krakow said in an interview with The Pop Culture Principle. “I am well aware that most shows don’t make it this far.”

Season 8 was a tough one for Elizabeth. A widow with a young son, she was trying to choose between two suitors. She also quarreled with her friend Rosemary (played by Pascale Hutton), something that was out of character for the pair.

Season 8 highlights

Her favorite scene in Season 8 was when the town came together to help a new family in Hope Family. The Canfields arrived in town at the start of the season. Their daughter, Angela, was blind, but Elizabeth was determined to have her attend the school with the rest of the children. She received pushback from higher-ups in the district, but the town stood by her decision, coming together to walk Angela to the schoolhouse.

“That scene was a true Hope Valley moment in the sense that it was community coming together in support of one another to do what was right and that to me is what When Calls the Heart is really about,” she said.

Romantic drama

Krakow also touched on the backlash she and other actors faced when Elizabeth finally chose Lucas over Nathan in the Season 8 finale. While she understood the disappointment some fans felt, it was difficult to deal with the criticism.

“I am very protective of Elizabeth, and I think she has had so many challenges along the way,” Krakow said. “Her losing Jack was a major loss in her life, but it would be really nice if we could celebrate the joy that she’s now getting to experience.”

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