Hallmark/Heavy Could "Chesapeake Shores" return?
In recent years, a number of Hallmark series have been canceled. Some popular mystery shows were canceled, along with Hallmark’s “Chesapeake Shores,” “Ride,” and “Good Witch.” And some viewers are still missing an older TV series that was canceled, “Cedar Cove.” Now, one series alum has revealed that the stars of “Chesapeake Shores” are trying to figure out a way to bring the series back.
The ‘Chesapeake Shores’ Stars Want to Make a Spinoff
In an interview with Us Weekly, Stephen Huszar revealed that the cast of “Chesapeake Shores” is talking about ways to bring the show back in the form of a spinoff.
“That’s really up to the producers and Hallmark, of course,” he said. “But I think everyone would agree. We’d love to get back together, especially at that beautiful location where we shot on Vancouver Island.”
When the series was canceled in 2022, Hallmark said they did so because they wanted the series to end on a “high note.”
The network wrote on Twitter at the time: “We are so proud of Chesapeake Shores, a show that has captured imaginations and was reaching a natural conclusion, and we decided to wrap up the show on a high note in the sixth and final season, which premieres later this summer.”
@LerumLerum6 We are so proud of Chesapeake Shores, a show that has captured imaginations and was reaching a natural conclusion, and we decided to wrap up the show on a high note in the sixth and final season, which premieres later this summer.
According to TV Series Finale, ratings were lower during their fifth and second-to-last season. The fifth season averaged about .10 in the 18-49 age range, which was about 46% lower in that demographic from the previous season, plus 15% lower in live+same day viewership ratings.
A ‘Chesapeake Shores’ Spinoff Movie Was Almost Created Years Earlier
Back in 2019, there was also talk about a “Chesapeake Shores” spinoff movie, but it ended up not happening. The movie was going to be an on-location film starring all three O’Brien sisters: Jess (Laci Mailey), Abby (Meghan Ory), and Bree (Emilie Ullerup.) In an interview with Super Channel, executive producer Daniel Paulson said the movie idea was dropped because of COVID-19.
“I’d be happy to do holiday or specials for them and I know ‘When Calls the Heart’ has done that,” he said. “Maybe if the fans speak up and let that be known, we could do one. We talked about doing one last year, but COVID reared its ugly head. It was going to be a destination film where the three sisters would go somewhere, because they’re great together. We talked about Ireland since the family is from there and actually wrote a script. Every season we would do a different exotic location.”
‘Good Witch’ Might Return One Day Too
There’s also a chance that “Good Witch” might return one day, and that news came from executives at Hallmark.
Wonya Lucas, former President and CEO of Hallmark Media, said during a Television Critics Association (TCA) event that the show might come back, Variety reported.
“As far as ‘Good Witch,’ which I think we’re always interested in thinking about what we can do with our most popular IP,” Lucas said. “I can’t announce anything specific about that.”
In September 2021, Heavy reached out to Hallmark and got confirmation that the network might not be done with “Good Witch.”
At the time, a network representative told Heavy the following:
We have no immediate plans for another “Good Witch” movie. That said, Catherine Bell, James Denton, and Katherine Barrell, among others, are members of the Hallmark Channel family, and we are in discussions on future projects.
In an interview with TV Insider in 2022, James Denton, one of the stars in the series, also revealed: “I think there’s a chance [the show will return]. I know [with] the popularity of the show and the circumstances under which it ended sort of abruptly that it would not surprise me if we revisit it.”
He added: “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.”
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