Heavy/Getty Victor Webster, Nikki DeLoach, Paul Campbell and Brooke D'Orsay are among the stars appearing in new Hallmark mysteries in 2024
After Hallmark Media announced on February 6, 2024, that its 20-year-old Hallmark Movies & Mysteries channel would soon undergo a makeover and name change — rebranding to become Hallmark Mystery starting on March 6 — executives wasted no time revealing mystery movies that are already in the works starring some of its biggest stars.
In a press release, Hallmark said that on March 6, Hallmark Mystery will debut “a fresh, new on-air look, while continuing to provide the captivating, cozy mysteries that audiences know and love.”
Among the “record number of all-new and returning mystery series” it has planned in 2024, Hallmark has revealed multiple new mysteries in the works, from new “Curious Caterer” movies starring Nikki DeLoach and Andrew Walker to a sequel for “The Cases of Mystery Lane” with Paul Campbell and Aimee Garcia.
Here’s what you need to know:
Paul Campbell Says He’s ‘So Damn Excited’ for New Movie
GettyHallmark Mystery panel at 2024 TCA Winter Press Tour featuring (L-R back row) Hallmark exec Elizabeth Yost, Paul Campbell, Aimee Garcia, Danny Griffin, Ali Skovbye, ((L-R) front row) Victor Webster, Alison Sweeney, Luke Macfarlane, and Lyndie Greenwood on February 6, 2024 in Pasadena, CA
Campbell and Garcia were among the actors who were part of a panel on February 6 in Pasadena, California, as Hallmark execs presented for the first time at the Television Critics Association winter press tour, according to Variety.
The event gives networks the chance to reveal their upcoming plans to journalists, showcasing series and movies they’re most excited to promote. Executives knew lots of fans would be thrilled to hear Campbell and Garcia are shooting a sequel to their 2023 movie, which was infused with Campbell’s signature dry humor. For part of the TCA panel, the actor even sat straight-faced, wearing a bright red cap and fake moustache like his character in the movie, Alden Case, might do.
According to a Hallmark press release, “The Cases of Mystery Lane: Death is Listening,” written by Joel Dovev and Margaux Froley, is set to begin shooting this month and air later this year.
In the movie, viewers will see married couple Alden and Birdie, played by Garcia, “have come to discover a mutual interest for True Crime. But when their favorite podcast host is found dead in the studio and officer Newton needs helps decoding the eccentric band of suspects, Birdie and Alden may discover this case involves something more sinister than just a killer.”
In 2023, Campbell said playing Alden Case was his “dream role,” so he’s especially pumped to be playing the character again.
He wrote in an Instagram post celebrating the news, “FINALLY!! The fans have spoken and we’re strapping on the gloves (detective hats) for round 2! So damn excited to get the band back together! @margauxfroley and @joeldovev have written THE BEST script for us (again!). Can’t wait to bring Alden and Birdie back to life!”
Hallmark called the upcoming movie “the latest installment” in the “highly popular franchise,” indicating there may already be plans for even more movies featuring the Cases.
Hallmark Mystery Will Continue Popular Franchises But Hasn’t Announced Fate of ‘Signed, Sealed, Delivered’
Multiple popular mystery franchises will continue with new installments this year.
Shortly after news broke about Hallmark increasing its commitment to the mystery genre, DeLoach — who stars in the “Curious Caterer” franchise and co-wrote the recent “True Justice: Family Ties” premiere, wrote in her Instagram Stories, “Couldn’t be happier about this! I’ve loved bringing these mystery series to life. Thank you #Hallmarkies for all of your continued love and support. Love you all!”
In the summer of 2023, “Curious Caterer” co-star Walker exclusively told Heavy that after three popular movies, Hallmark had ordered two more “Curious Caterer” films. He, DeLoach and returning cast members Jaycie Dotin, Brock Morgan and Riley Davis have been in Vancouver filming for several weeks.
The fourth installment in the franchise, “Curious Caterer: Sticks and Scones,” will be released later this year, as will the yet-to-be-titled fifth movie, according to Leading Distribution Partners (LDP).
Hallmark will also continue its popular “Hannah Swensen” mystery franchise starring Alison Sweeney, but recently announced that her longtime co-star, Cameron Mathison — who recently signed a movie deal with Great American Family — will be replaced by another longtime Hallmark actor, Victor Webster.
“One Bad Apple: A Hannah Swensen Mystery,” which Sweeney wrote as her first-ever screenplay, will premiere later this year and also feature franchise regulars Gabriel Hogan, Barbara Niven, Tess Atkins, and Lisa Durupt.
“The challenge and thrill for me of writing Victor Webster’s character was just so exciting,” she recently told TV Goodness. “He’s so talented, such a great guy. I loved working with him on ‘The Wedding Veil’ and having the opportunity myself to write his character, and bring his character into Hannah’s world was really fun for me. And a good exciting challenge for me to tackle myself.”
Meanwhile, fans of the “Signed, Sealed and Delivered” franchise, who call themselves “POstables,” will have to wait a bit longer for a definitive answer as to whether the movies about a group of crime-solving postal workers will return after being on-pause for more than two years.
“Standby,” Hallmark executive Daly told Variety about the future of the franchise. “The ‘Signed, Sealed, Delivered’ fans are all over me every day. I love it, I hear them. As we said today, we really do listen to what our fans want, and when possible, we try to lean into that.”
Hallmark Mystery Will Also Debut Brand New Mysteries in 2024
Hallmark also has a slate of brand new mysteries on the docket, some of which have already premiered to kick off the new year. DeLoach’s “True Justice: Family Ties” starring a young crew of Hallmark newcomers, debuted on January 12.
Its first historical mystery, “Gilded Newport Mystery: Murder at the Breakers,” premiered on February 2. Daly told Variety that she’s waiting to see how the 1890 mystery, featuring Ali Skovbye and Danny Griffin, was received by fans before deciding on a sequel.
Coming up on February 23, another new duo — Hallmark stars Macfarlane and Greenwood — will make their debut in “Crimetime: Freefall.” According to a synopsis from Hallmark, Greenwood plays experienced crime series actress Hadley Warner who moves home to Mystic, Colorado, after her TV show is cancelled. After a body “seemingly falls from the sky and into her backyard,” she turns into an amateur investigator who helps actual crime-solver Detective Shawn Caden, played by Macfarlane, crack the case.
In addition, longtime Hallmark actress Brooke D’Orsay also has a new mystery coming on March 15, called “Crimes of Fashion: Killer Clutch,” according to Hallmark’s web site. Co-starring Gilles Marini, the synopsis reads, “An American psychologist, hired to coach a fashion designer, helps a guarded French detective unravel a list of fashionable suspects after a murder happens backstage of a Paris fashion show.”