Hallmark Duo Eager for More Mysteries After ‘Campaigning for a Long Time’

After starring for nearly a decade as one of Hallmark Channel‘s best-known couples, “When Calls The Heart (WCTH)” actors Pascale Hutton and Kavan Smith would love to work together even more — a desire they say they’ve made clear to the higher-ups at Hallmark.

In addition to co-starring as Rosemary and Leland (Lee) Coulter on WCTH, now filming a new season in Vancouver, Hutton and Smith are eager to see their latest project — “Nelly Knows Mysteries: A Fatal Engagement” — become just the first chapter of a new mystery franchise.

“We hope so,” Hutton told TV Insider of making a sequel to the new mystery movie, which premiered on August 23, 2024. “I definitely think fans and viewers will be wanting more because our relationship in the movie and in that world is just starting.”

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Kavan Smith & Pascale Hutton Spent Years Trying to Convince Hallmark to Let Them Star in a Mystery

In the “Nelly Knows Mysteries” premiere, Hutton played an advice columnist searching for answers after her childhood friend was named the prime suspect in her boyfriend’s murder. As she tried to figure out clues that practically landed in her lap, she met the new detective in town, Smith’s character Michael Hogan, and they managed to work together despite having very different personalities.

Though Hutton and Smith have co-starred in rom-coms together outside of WCTH — including 2021’s “You Had Me at Aloha” and 2018’s “The Perfect Bride: Wedding Bells” — this was their first mystery together, which they’ve been eager to do for years.

“What really stands out (about) this one is that we’ve been trying to put this together for what — six, seven years — trying to get a mystery for ourselves,” Smith said during a Hallmark Channel Facebook Live session with Hutton on August 22.

“Yeah, we thought we were stellar casting,” Hutton laughed. “Like, why didn’t they jump on this sooner? We’ve been campaigning for a long time!”

By the time Hallmark finally sent them the script for “Nelly Knows Mysteries,” Hutton and Smith said they had almost given up on the possibility of getting to do a mystery. They got on the phone right away, they said, and agreed it was perfect for them.

“I was so thankful that you and I ended up waiting all this time,” Hutton said, “because, I mean, it’s a good lesson in that the right project will find you.”

She reiterated during the Facebook Live that she’s hoping “A Fatal Engagement” is just the first installment for them and their castmates, telling Smith (as he crossed his fingers onscreen), “Hopefully the show goes on and on. Hopefully we’ll do more of them (and) we’ll get to see those characters develop over multiple movies.”

Unlike the couple they play on WCTH, Hutton said the characters of Nelly and Michael are like “oil and water,” but they both think there was enough of a spark between them that a future romance could be possible.

“One of the things that we both remarked when we were reading (the script) is there’s very little flirtation,” Smith told TV Insider. “There’s just sort of a hint of it. At points, it was kind of a relief. It was like, ‘Okay, we don’t have to kiss each other for a while.’ It gives us a lot of room to grow.”

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Fans Have Been Very Vocal on Social Media About ‘Nelly Knows Mysteries’

As Hutton and Smith hoped, many fans began demanding more mysteries from the duo as soon as “Nelly Knows Mysteries” aired, flooding social media with requests for a sequel.

As soon as the movie was over, one fan tweeted, “I know #NellyKnows just ended but we need more Detective Michael and Nelly adventures asap! Everyone loved this movie! When can we see more movies?”

Someone else tweeted, “I love it just as much as Curious Caterer!! Please, please, please @hallmarkmystery make this a series!!!!”

“Just watched this adorable movie,” another fan tweeted. “Great story with a twist at the end! I loved the characters! We need more of these!”

But not everyone is asking for more. After the premiere, hundreds of fans reviewed the movie on Heavy on Hallmark’s Facebook Page and were definitely divided.

Some adored the movie and asked for a sequel, including one who wrote, “Loved it!!!  The two actors are a HOOT!!! Hope Hallmark continues the quirky duo!!! ”

But many others complained that Hutton’s character was too “silly” or “goofy,” including one who commented, “I love both of them & usually love them together in movies but I was very disappointed in this one. I watched about 30 minutes of it & fell asleep. Just couldn’t watch it, her character was very silly. “

Whatever Hallmark decides about the future of “Nelly Knows Mysteries,” Hutton and Smith just hope they get to continue working together because they’ve become so comfortable with each other over the years.

“You realize how important it is to work with people that you enjoy working with and trust,” Hutton told TV Insider. “It’s a lot of time that you’re investing into something, and to do it with people that you don’t love sucks.”

“Nelly Knows Mysteries” is scheduled for prime time re-airings on Hallmark Mystery on August 31 at 7 p.m. Eastern time and September 8 at 9 p.m. Eastern time.

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