The Way Home cast
The Way Home Season 2
More time travel
More Elliot time
More tension between the Landry women
The Way Home Season 3
Hallmark renews The Way Home for third season
Hallmark Media has renewed its hit series The Way Home for a third season. The show, which stars Andie MacDowell and Chyler Leigh, has been a surprise hit for the network.
“Heather Conkie, Alexandra Clarke and Marly Reed continue to blow us away with the cleverly crafted story they’ve created and careful thought they put into every single detail,” said Kelly Garrett, vice president of development at Hallmark Media. “While some questions will be answered by the end of this season the Landrys’ journey is far from over and there’s much more to tell.”
The Way Home
The Way Home premiered in January 2023. It was one of two new series Hallmark debuted last year after canceling its beloved dramas Good Witch and Chesapeake Shores. (The other series to premiere, Ride, was quietly canceled after Season 1.)
The series starred Andie MacDowell in her first Hallmark role since headlining the network’s show Cedar Cove. MacDowell plays Del Landry, the matriarch of a family that has been broken since the disappearance of her son in 1999.
Grey’s Anatomy alum Chyler Leigh plays Kat Landry, Del’s daughter, who has been estranged from her mother for 20 years. When Kat loses her job and splits from her husband, she receives a letter from her mother asking her to return home. Kat leaves Minneapolis with her teenage daughter, Alice (played by Sadie Laflamme-Snow), and moves back to the small town of Port Haven, New Brunswick.
When she arrives home, she finds out that her mother never sent a letter. Alice becomes intrigued by the cold relationship between her mother and grandmother and begins looking into the disappearance of her uncle.
Alice gains the ability to time travel and receives advice and help from her teacher Elliot (played by Evan Williams).
Heather Conkie and Alexandra Clarke, a mother-daughter team who have worked on the CBC series Heartland, are executive producers on the show. They created the series with Marly Reed.
Another season
Fans were thrilled when Hallmark announced the show would come back for a third season.
“Best news!!” wrote one on Facebook. “One of my favorite shows! I’m so happy it’s coming back!”
“I’ve loved getting to know the Landry family!” wrote another. “So happy we get another year with them and the rest of the town!”
Hallmark did not give a premiere date for Season 3, saying only that the show would return in 2025. Both Season 1 and Season 2 debuted in January. Season 2 of the series will draw to a close on Sunday, March 31st.
The Way Home
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Everything you need to know about Chyler Leigh
In an industry where careers come and go, Chyler Leigh has remained a force to be reckoned with. The North Carolina native began working in Hollywood in 1997 and has appeared in countless movies and TV shows since.
The actress has become a new staple at Hallmark Media, where she stars in and produces the surprise hit series The Way Home. Written by mother-daughter team Alexandra Clarke and Heather Conkie, the drama follows three generations of women in the same family who are searching for a missing loved one and trying to make peace with themselves and each other.
The series debuted in January 2023 and quickly picked up a devoted fan base. As Season 2 plays out on TV, we are turning our attention to each of the show’s stars.
Chyler Leigh
Chyler Leigh is well-known to television audiences. From 2007 to 2021, she played Lexie Grey on the hit ABC drama Grey’s Anatomy, the half-sister of series lead Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo). She went on to appear in Supergirl and The Flash, becoming a fan favorite in each.
But Leigh has played many roles in her life. In addition to successful careers in modeling and acting, she has recorded music with her husband, Nathan West, and has acted as an advocate for those suffering from mental illness.
A little history
Leigh was born in Charlotte, NC, and lived in Virginia Beach before her family moved to Miami. She began modeling in 8th grade and acted in commercials and a Florida TV show called Hall Pass. At the age of 16, she moved to Los Angeles with her mother to pursue a career in acting.
She met fellow actor Nathan West at the age of 17 when the two appeared on the series 7th Heaven. They married in 2002 and have three children: Noah, Taelyn, and Anniston.
Leigh had roles in The Practice and That ’80s Show before starring in the 2001 hit comedy Not Another Teen Movie.
Mental health advocate
Leigh has been open about her mental health struggles. She was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at the age of 29 after voluntarily checking herself into a hospital.
“I was so terrified because of my past,” she said in an interview with Prevention. “I was so worried about turning into all of the things I hated when I was growing up, but it was life or death. I was going to make a change, or I wouldn’t be here anymore.”
About 7 million Americans live with bipolar disorder, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. A person going through a manic episode may feel elated, energized, and reckless, while a depressive episode can result in total loss of energy, trouble concentrating, and feelings of hopelessness.
Leigh said she first noticed the signs as an adolescent when the sound of clinking dishes filled her with rage. She also experienced recklessness, mood swings, and trouble sleeping. She said she suppressed her feelings for years.
“I closed off and developed a shell around me,” she said.
The actress threw herself into her work and into the responsibility of raising three children. Eventually, she became overwhelmed.
“I was constantly hiding layers of myself, trying to come off as pretty and palatable,” she says. “I wanted to pass off as ‘I’m doing fine,’ but when I went to the hospital it was very clear that I was not.”
Helping others
Leigh became an advocate with Be Vocal: Speak Up for Mental Health, which meant coming out of her comfort zone.
“I’ve always been a very kind of private person,” she said. “I think mostly because of being afraid of having my story out there and being labeled as anything because there is very often such a negative stigma about it. That fear of judgment and ‘Oh, if people see me this way, that means that I’m not good enough or I’m not well enough to be able to take care of myself’ or whatever it might be. But, being able to have a fantastic platform to be able to speak my story and know that it’s going to reach a tremendous amount of people, that was major motivation for me [to speak out].”
The Way Home
In a 2022 Instagram post, Leigh shared the news that she would be joining the cast of a new series on Hallmark Channel.
“Took time off to work hard on myself,” she wrote in an Instagram post. “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.”
Leigh plays Kat Landry on The Way Home. When the series started, Kat was living in Chicago with her teenage daughter, Alice (played by Sadie Laflamme-Snow), and dealing with her recent divorce. After getting fired from her job as a journalist, she decided to return to her hometown and visit her estranged mother (played by Andie MacDowell).
When she arrived home, she was forced to deal with the pain of losing her brother, Jacob, who disappeared when she was a teenager. But when her daughter discovered a way to time travel, Kat became determined to solve the mystery of what happened to her brother.
Executive producer
Leigh has been enthusiastic about her new role as executive producer on The Way Home.
“I had much more space to give my input this year and it has been so rewarding,” she said in an interview with Uinterview. “Being behind the camera is something that I absolutely love, so watching the processes of creating these environments and creating these worlds and how difficult that actually can be, I love being a part of that.”
Seven fascinating facts about The Way Home star Andie MacDowell
As Hallmark’s hit series The Way Home heads into its second season, fans have been anxiously awaiting answers to the questions brought up in the Season 1 finale. (What did happen to Jacob? Why are Del and Kat still on such bad terms? Are the Landry women witches?)
The show’s stars have been out and about promoting new episodes but we’ve decided to focus on the actress who plays Del Landry, the family matriarch. Andie MacDowell is a fan favorite on the Hallmark Channel, having played Judge Olivia Lockhart on the short-lived series Cedar Cove (2013-2015). She’s also a writer, producer, model, mom, and lover of the simple life. Read on for a list of fascinating facts about Andie MacDowell.
1. Her first name is Rosalie
MacDowell was born in 1958 as Rosalie Anderson MacDowell. In an essay for Guide Posts, MacDowell talked about how people in her hometown of Gaffney, South Carolina still use that name for her.
“Folks in Gaffney would stop me on the street. ‘Rosie, how are you?’ ‘Rosie, tell me about your mother,’ ‘Rosie, are you and your sisters going up to Asheville again for the summer?’ they would say.”
2. She’s a Southern gal at heart
Though MacDowell left South Carolina to pursue a modeling career in her early 20s, she returned often to her hometown of Gaffney to visit. When she had her own children — Justin, Rainey, and Margaret — she chose to raise them in Asheville, North Carolina.
Some fans may have trouble catching a hint of a Southern accent on MacDowell these days but when she began acting, directors didn’t know what to do with her South Carolina drawl. When she booked her first movie gig in 1984 playing Jane in Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes, the producers ended up dubbing her voice using Glenn Close because they felt MacDowell’s Southern accent was too pronounced.
3. She loves small-town living
In her Guide Posts essay, MacDowell talked about identifying with the town of Cedar Cove when Hallmark offered her the role.
“The first thing I thought when I read the script for the Hallmark Channel series Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove was, ‘I know this place,” she wrote. “…My hometown of Gaffney, in upcountry South Carolina, with its blossoming peach trees and Southern drawls, is thousands of miles from the mist-shrouded coast of the Pacific Northwest, where the fictional Cedar Cove sits, but they have that same small-town spirit.”
Of small towns, she wrote, “I know, deep in my heart and soul, the wonders and blessings of such places.”
4. From a young age, MacDowell was a caretaker
MacDowell has been open about her mother’s struggle with alcohol. In an interview with the British newspaper The Guardian, the actress talked about getting up in the middle of the night when she was 10 years old just to check that her mother had extinguished her cigarettes.
“There were burn marks all over the floor and on the couch; it’s amazing we didn’t burn down,” she says. “…I think I’ve felt responsible all my life. But I’m good at it. I’ve been in training for a long time.”
5. She almost gave up on her career as a model
MacDowell was spotted by a scout for Wilhelmina Models when she was only 20 years old. But in her early days in New York City, the Gaffney girl almost quit. She found herself in the 1979 world of Studio 54 and was extremely uncomfortable.
“There was a lot of cocaine around,” she told the Guardian. “…I actually went into my agency and said I wanted to go home, and they said: ‘You need new friends. You’re around the wrong people.’”
John Casablancas, the founder of Elite Model Management, flew with her to Paris and introduced her to a new companion, a young man who didn’t drink, smoke, or do drugs.
“…And it was like, I had a boyfriend,” she said
The young man in question was Olivier Chandon de Brailles, the heir to Moët & Chandon. From there, MacDowell went from strength to strength.
“I don’t know if they prearranged the whole thing, but it sure did work out well for me. I started working non-stop and my whole life opened up. I was about to go home for a few seconds there.”
6. She was one of the first models to make the move successfully to acting
These days there are scores of actresses who got their start in modeling but when MacDowell made the transition in the 1980s, it was practically unheard of. But she blew critics away with her Golden Globe-nominated performance in Steven Soderbergh’s 1989 movie Sex, Lies, and Videotape.
“Everything changed when that movie came out,” says Andie. “That’s the way it goes in this business. Nobody believes in you but then if you get the right job, everyone believes in you. You’re the same person but the perception changes.”
7. She has a soft spot for Hallmark
MacDowell has made it clear that she appreciates the stories Hallmark chooses to tell.
“We have got so used to extremes of horror, terror, and darkness on TV,” she said in an interview with The Express.
Hallmark, on the other hand, chooses to tell real stories.
“Cedar Cove is warmer and fuzzier than most TV and that’s why we are successful,” she said. “I also think that makes us one of the most creative things around, because we’re different. And there are enough reality shows – I don’t know why people watch them. Who wants to see women yelling at each other?”
Hallmark announces premiere of new season of The Way Home
Hallmark has announced that the new season of The Way Home will premiere in January. The series, which stars Andie MacDowell, Chyler Leigh, and Evan Williams, premiered in 2023 on Hallmark Channel. It was the first original scripted series to debut on the network since Chesapeake Shores hit the small screen in 2016.
A network spokeswoman said the series did better in its first season than expected.
“The first season of ‘The Way Home,’ exceeded all our expectations on every level,” said Lisa Hamilton Daly, executive vice president of programming at Hallmark Media. “The hard work of our talented writers, cast and entire crew gave viewers a compelling family drama they instantly became invested in and created a passionate fan base that grew with each and every episode.”
The Way Home
In the show, Chyler Leigh plays Kat Landry, a woman who returns home with her 15-year-old daughter, Alice (Sadie LaFlamme-Snow), when she receives a cryptic letter from her mother, Del (played by Andie MacDowell), asking for help.
But when Kat asks Del about the letter, Del insists she never sent it.
Alice, who knows only that her mother and grandmother have been estranged since the disappearance of her Uncle Jacob 20 years ago, finds herself lost and alienated in her new home.
While out exploring her grandmother’s farm, Alice falls into a pond and finds herself transported to the year when her uncle disappeared. She befriends a younger version of her mother and her mother’s friend Elliot, who is her English teacher in the present day.
Throughout the first season, Alice travels back and forth in time and begins to understand her mother and her grandmother. She also finds out that Elliot knows that the Landry women can travel through time and that he has agreed to help the family with an important secret.
“We all fell in love with the Landry women and their complex, emotional story and are thrilled that it resonated so strongly with viewers,” said Laurie Ferneau, senior vice president of development at Hallmark Media. “We can’t wait for fans to continue this journey, which is filled with more heartfelt drama, emotion and mystery – season two does not disappoint.”
New season
Chyler Leigh teased the new season during a recent appearance at Comic Con in New York City. She said that viewers will find out more about the origin story in the second season.
“S**t gets real,” she said.
Evan Williams, who pays the adult Elliot in the series, added that Season 2 will feature “answers, more questions.”
The new season of The Way Home will premiere on Hallmark Channel on Sunday, January 21, 2024 at 9/8c.
Chyler Leigh teases Season 2 of The Way Home
Chyler Leigh told fans to expect more action and plot twists in Season 2 of Hallmark’s The Way Home. The actress made the comment while appearing alongside fellow cast mates Sadie Laflamme-Snow and Evan Williams at New York Comic Con.
When the panel moderator asked for teasers for the upcoming second season, Leigh replied, “S**t gets real.”
The Way Home
The Way Home premiered on the Hallmark Channel in January 2023. It was the network’s first new scripted series since Chesapeake Shores, which ran from 2016 to 2022 on the network.
In the show, Chyler Leigh plays Kat Landry, a woman who returns home with her 15-year-old daughter, Alice (Sadie LaFlamme-Snow), when she receives a cryptic letter from her mother, Del (played by Andie MacDowell), asking for help.
Season 1
In Season 1, Kat and Alice arrive in Port Haven to a cool reception from Del. When Kat asks Del about the letter, Del insists she never sent it.
Alice, who knows only that her mother and grandmother have been estranged since the disappearance of her Uncle Jacob 20 years ago, finds herself lost and alienated in her new home.
While out exploring her grandmother’s farm, Alice falls into a pond and finds herself transported to the year when her uncle disappeared. She befriends a younger version of her mother and her mother’s friend Elliot, who is her English teacher in the present day.
Throughout the first season, Alice travels back and forth in time and begins to understand her mother and her grandmother. She also finds out that Elliot knows that the Landry women can travel through time and that he has agreed to help the family with an important secret.
More secrets and surprises
In a frenzied season finale, Kat figures out that Jacob disappeared after following the family dog into the pond. She also gets a vision of herself as a witch in the 19th century being chased by an angry mob.
During the Comic Con appearance, Leigh said it was surreal portraying the witch version of her character.
“I got that long hair, the wig. It was so ethereal and haunting and dark, and I didn’t even really know why. And it’s funny because Kat didn’t even really know why.”
She also said that viewers will find out more about the origin story in the second season.
Evan Williams, who pays the adult Elliot in the series, added that Season 2 will feature “answers, more questions.”
Season 2
Filming has already begun on the second season. Hallmark has not given a release date but if Season 2 follows the same schedule as Season 1, it will premiere in January 2024.
In a statement, a Hallmark exec that more of the back story will be revealed in the upcoming season.
“Season two is sure to bring more drama and mystery as the Landry family’s history is revealed,” said Laurie Ferneau, senior vice president of development at Hallmark Media.
We will be updating this story as more information becomes available.
Actress Chyler Leigh talks about taking risks and pushing boundaries in new Hallmark series The Way Home
Actress Chyler Leigh, who stars with Andie MacDowell in the new Hallmark series The Way Home, recently gave an interview in which she talked about taking risks and pushing boundaries.
The Grey’s Anatomy star, who plays Kat Landry in the multi-generational drama, said the show is exciting because it takes a different approach to storytelling. She called the show an amazing opportunity to “push it and shake it up so we can show people that have been tuning in for so long what we’re capable of.”
It’s an approach that has paid off, she says.
“…What we’ve been finding is the response from all the different age demographics has just been wild because we’re bringing in a younger audience and also an unexpected audience,” she told TV Line.
New Hallmark series
The Way Home premiered on Hallmark Channel on Sunday, January 15. The series follows single mother Kat Landry, who returns to her small hometown with her teenage daughter Alice (played by newcomer Sadie Laflamme-Snow) following a divorce. Alice becomes intrigued by the tense relationship between her mother and grandmother and begins investigating the 20-year-old disappearance of her uncle. Things take an unexpected turn when she finds out she can time-travel by jumping into a pond on her grandmother’s farm.
Fans have called the concept intriguing, and a complete departure for Hallmark.
“I can’t believe this is a Hallmark show,” wrote one viewer on Facebook.
Pushing boundaries
In her interview, Leigh said it was exciting to be a part of something so different for the network.
“If you talk to any of us, that was definitely such a big part of what we were most excited about was the opportunity we have to really take risks,” she said. “…Typically, the Hallmark audience knows “what to expect when they’re watching [their] shows or they’re watching the movies or whatnot, and what Hallmark is known, classically, for is for people to feel kind of safer and people to know the environment that they’re walking into.”.
Um, that kiss, though
Leigh also talked about the scorching kiss Kat shared with her childhood friend Elliot (played by Evan Williams) in the season finale.
“That was such a magical time because we literally had a 10-minute window to do that whole thing, to stage it, to prep it, because we were losing light,” she said. “With that beautiful sunset in the background, it was like, ‘This is the most epic. You can’t write this material to be able to work with, so we’re going to take advantage of it.’ So the whole thing, we did in like three takes. We went for it.”
Hallmark has renewed The Way Home for a second season, which will air next year.
Fans thrilled that Hallmark series renewed for second season
Fans of the hit Hallmark series The Way Home were thrilled to find out the show has been renewed for a second season.
“The press and our audience have enthusiastically embraced The Way Home from the first episode making the decision to renew the series an easy one,” said Lisa Hamilton Daly, executive vice president of programming at Hallmark Media. “We’re thrilled to be able to continue the journey of the Landry family and can’t wait for fans to see what’s next.”
“This is awesome news!” wrote one fan on Hallmark Channel’s Facebook page. “Love this show!”
The series, which premiered in January, quickly amassed a following of dedicated fans — we’ve dubbed them “Homies” — who have become intrigued by the mystery and drama in the show.
Hit Hallmark series
Hallmark announced on social media that it would bring the show back for a second season.
“How about a message from the future? #TheWayHome will return for Season 2 on @hallmarkchannel!” read the post.
Andie MacDowell, who stars as Del Landry in the series, commented on the post.
“Extremely grateful,” she wrote. “So proud of the show. Love being a part of Hallmark #teamwork #Gratitude #celebrate.”
“Yay!!! I’m so happy!” wrote a fan. “I was starting to feel kind of sad that we only had 4 more episodes of this amazing show. Amazing news!”
The Way Home
The Way Home premiered on Hallmark Channel on January 15.
The show stars Andie MacDowell in her first Hallmark role since headlining the network’s show Cedar Cove. MacDowell plays Del Landry, the matriarch of a family that has been broken since the disappearance of her son in 1999.
Grey’s Anatomy alum Chyler Leigh plays Kat Landry, Del’s daughter, who has been estranged from her mother for 20 years. When Kat loses her job and splits from her husband, she receives a letter from her mother asking her to return home. Kat leaves Minneapolis with her teenage daughter, Alice (played by Sadie Laflamme-Snow), and moves back to the small town of Port Haven, New Brunswick.
When she arrives home, she finds out that her mother never sent a letter. Alice becomes intrigued by the cold relationship between her mother and grandmother and begins looking into the disappearance of her uncle.
Heartland connection
Heather Conkie and Alexandra Clarke, a mother-daughter team who have worked on the CBC series Heartland, are executive producers on the show. They created the series with Marly Reed.
“Heather Conkie, Alexandra Clarke and Marly Reed have created a rich, textured story filled with heart and mixed with intrigue that’s proven to be a winning combination,” said Laurie Ferneau, Senior Vice President, Development, Hallmark Media. “Season two is sure to bring more drama and mystery as the Landry family’s history is revealed.”
“I love this show,” wrote one fan on Facebook. “The acting is so good. It makes me cry every week but I still love it.”
“Great news!” wrote another. “Love this series!”
Evan Williams: The Way Home is exactly the kind of show we need right now
The star of Hallmark’s new series The Way Home says the show is exactly what audiences need right now. In an exclusive interview with TV Cheddar, Evan Williams said that when he first read the script for the series, he was struck by how timely it was.
“We’re coming out of a couple of years of real pressure and trauma,” Evans told TV Cheddar in an interview that can be viewed here. “There’s nothing that’s going to traumatize you in our show…but at the same time that doesn’t mean that we can’t have stakes and we can’t have compelling storytelling.”
The Way Home
Hallmark’s new series premiered on January 15 to an audience of 2.4 million viewers. Starring Andie MacDowell, Chyler Leigh, and newcomer Sadie Laflamme-Snow, the show follows three generations of women in one family who struggle to come to terms with painful events from their past.
The series was written by Heather Conkie and Alexandra Clarke, a mother-daughter team who have written for Disney and collaborated on the CBC series Heartland.
Elliot Augustine
In the show, Evan Williams plays Elliot Augustine, a friend of Kat Landry (Leigh), who returns to her small hometown following a split with her husband. Elliot is a teacher at the local high school, and it soon becomes clear he knows more about the Landry family than they know about each other.
When Kat’s teenage daughter, Alice, falls into a pond on the family’s farm, she is able to travel back in time to 1999. Not only does she get to meet her mother when she was a teenager, but she also gets to see what her grandmother was like before a tragedy changed her life forever.
Williams, who has starred in films and TV shows in Canada and the U.S., said he was intrigued by the character when he read the script.
“That was what really attracted me to this role,” he said, “was getting to be the outsider who is trying to make his way to the inside and he doesn’t have an agenda, he’s not a Machiavellian character, he’s a true-hearted person and he wants to love and he wants to actualize his life.”
About Evan Williams
Evan Williams is a native of Alberta, Canada. He earned his theater degree from Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University).
From 2015 to 2018 he starred in the TV series Versailles and in 2019 he appeared on Fuller House (the reboot of Full House). He has had roles in the movies Blonde, Midnight at the Magnolia, Escape Room, and Paradise Club.
For the full interview, click here.
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.
Mental health advocate Chyler Leigh joins cast of new Hallmark series
Actress and mental health advocate Chyler Leigh has joined the cast of the new Hallmark series The Way Home. She joins Andie MacDowell, who starred in Hallmark’s Cedar Cove, and Sadie Laflamme-Snow in the cast.
“Took time off to work hard on myself,” she wrote in an Instagram post. “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.”
New series
Leigh, who played Dr. Lexie Grey on the series Grey’s Anatomy, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at the age of 29 after voluntarily checking herself into a hospital.
“I was so terrified because of my past,” she said in an interview with Prevention. “I was so worried about turning into all of the things I hated when I was growing up, but it was life or death. I was going to make a change, or I wouldn’t be here anymore.”
About 7 million Americans live with bipolar disorder, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. A person going through a manic episode may feel elated, energized, and reckless, while a depressive episode can result in total loss of energy, trouble concentrating, and feelings of hopelessness.
Leigh said she first noticed the signs as an adolescent when the sound of clinking dishes filled her with rage. She also experienced recklessness, mood swings, and trouble sleeping. She said she suppressed her feelings for years.
“I closed off and developed a shell around me,” she said.
The actress threw herself into her work and into the responsibility of raising three children. Eventually, she became overwhelmed.
“I was constantly hiding layers of myself, trying to come off as pretty and palatable,” she says. “I wanted to pass off as ‘I’m doing fine,’ but when I went to the hospital it was very clear that I was not.”
Leigh has been an outspoken advocate for people affected by mental illness. She has also kept busy as an actress, starring in TV shows such as Supergirl and The Flash.
The Way Home
Filming has already begun on The Way Home. In the series, Leigh plays Kat Landry, who has been estranged from her mother (played by MacDowell) for so long that she’s never even introduced her to her daughter, Alice (played by Sadie Laflamme-Snow). According to a synopsis from Hallmark, the three women are thrown together by unforeseen circumstances and “embark on an enlightening journey to find their way back to each other and learn important lessons about their family’s past.”
The series will premiere in 2023.
Andie MacDowell returning to Hallmark Channel in new series
Andie MacDowell will headline a new series on Hallmark Channel. The actress, who previously starred in the Hallmark series Cedar Cove, will star as Del Landry in The Way Home. The show will begin production in Ontario over the summer and premiere in 2023.
“We’ve found our perfect Del Landry in Andie MacDowell,” began Lisa Hamilton Daly, executive vice president of programming at Crown Media Family Networks. “It was crucial to cast someone with the ability to handle the nuances and depth of the role and we can’t wait to see her bring Del to life.”
“Our viewers loved Andie MacDowell when she starred in ‘Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove,’ our first original primetime series,” remarked Laurie Ferneau, senior vice president of development at Crown Media Family Networks. “We couldn’t be happier to welcome her home to Hallmark Channel and we know our fans will fall in love with her all over again.”
Hallmark Channel series
From 2013 to 2015, MacDowell starred as Judge Olivia Lockhart on the Hallmark series Cedar Cove. 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.
Fans who were devastated when Cedar Cove was canceled were thrilled to hear about MacDowell’s return to Hallmark.
“Love her so much,” wrote one fan on Hallmark’s Facebook page. “Great news!”
“One of my favorite women!!” wrote another. “Classy, Sassy, and Southern! Have loved and seen her in everything through the decades!”
But one fan replied to the news with, “I stopped watching anything on Hallmark that was a series. They get you hooked then cancel it.”
Hallmark has canceled three series in the past 12 months. The series finale of Good Witch aired in July 2021. Home and Family aired its final episode in August 2021. The sixth and final season of Chesapeake Shores is currently in production.
The Way Home
In The Way Home, MacDowell plays the matriarch of the Landry family and a pillar of the community in her small Canadian farming town. According to a synopsis from the network:
“She and her daughter Kat have been estranged from each other following tragic events that left their family forever changed and prompted Kat to move away. When Kat unexpectedly returns many years later with her teenage daughter whom Del has never met, the three generations of women embark on an enlightening journey to find their way back to each other and learn important lessons about their family’s past.”
The series is being written by the mother-daughter team 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.
The mother-daughter team behind Heartland will bring new Hallmark show to life
The new Hallmark show The Way Home is being written and produced by the mother-daughter team 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.
The Way Home, which will premiere on Hallmark Channel in 2023, is a story of three generations of women who have the ability to travel through time.
“I can’t wait to share the emotional story of the Landry women so beautifully and creatively imagined by Heather Conkie and Alexandra Clarke and that is sure to become appointment TV for our viewers,” said Laurie Ferneau, senior vice president of development for Crown Media Family Networks.
Fan reactions
Fans had mixed reactions to the news of a new series. Some are still upset with the network for canceling Good Witch last year and Chesapeake Shores, which is currently in production for its final season.
“I’m not sure I want to get involved with the new series and have it canceled on me like Chesapeake Shores,” one fan wrote on Hallmark Channel’s Facebook page. “If they even think about canceling WCTH…I would lose it.”
Others said they were put off by the time travel element.
“I am not a time travel fan,” one viewer wrote.
But some Hallmark fans say they are looking forward to a new series. Now that Good Witch, Home and Family, and Chesapeake Shores are canceled, Hallmark has only one other show, When Calls the Heart, left.
“With the success Heather Conkie has had with Heartland, this promises to be a well-written and powerful new series,” another fan said.
New Hallmark show
According to a synopsis released by Hallmark, The Way Home is a family drama following the lives of three generations of women within the Landry family: Del, Kat, and 15-year-old Alice. Because of a rift that occurred before Alice was born, the teenager has never met her grandmother.
“When the three generations come together under one roof for the first time in more than two decades, a surprising discovery unexpectedly sets the trio on a path toward healing and helps them find their way back to each other,” the synopsis reads.
The series is the first new show Hallmark Channel has debuted in more than six years.
Mother-daughter team
Heather Conkie and Alexandra Clarke first worked together on Disney’s 2010 adaptation of the middle-grade novel Harriet the Spy. It was the perfect project for the pair, as Conkie bought Clarke the book and read it aloud to her when she was a child.
“I think every little girl reads the book and thinks the same thing — I’m going to be a writer,” Clarke said in an interview with the Globe and Mail.
Conkie and Clarke say they have complementary writing styles.
“The great thing about working with mom is we really do know each other’s strengths well — my mom is amazing at structure and I excel in dialogue,” Clarke said in an interview with the Globe and Mail.
“I’ve had other writing partners from time to time, but it’s really fun to find you have a good writing partner in your own kids,” Conkie said.
Filming will begin this summer on The Way Home. Hallmark has not yet released a premiere date.