Why Yannick Bisson, aka Martin, Left the ‘Aurora Teagarden’ Movies

Crown Media Candace Cameron Bure and Yannick Bisson.

Yannick Bisson was once one of the most recognizable faces on the Aurora Teagarden series outside of Candace Cameron Bure. But his Hallmark movie character, Martin Bartell, was written off the series, and many fans still miss him. Bisson has shared details about why he left the series and was replaced by Niall Matter.

Here’s what you need to know:

Bisson Left Because of Scheduling Issues After Not Being Able to Take a Vacation for 3 Years

Crown Media Cameron Cameron Bure and Yannick Bisson on ‘Aurora Teagarden.’

Bisson spoke with TV Goodness about why he left the Aurora Teagarden series. He said he loved the series, but it was really just about his schedule.

“I really enjoyed doing those. Candace [Cameron Bure] is one of my favorite people,” he said. “The subject matter is a lot of fun. It’s nothing too serious and I loved going to BC to shoot it. It really became a scheduling thing. And when you start getting into not being able to have a vacation of any sort for three years running, something’s got to go. [Were that not the case], I would have happily kept going, but I think they wanted somebody that had more flexibility.”

Bisson was juggling Aurora Teagarden with Murdoch Mysteries, which has been airing since 2008. Murdoch Mysteries is a Canadian detective series that started out on Citytv and now airs on CBC. It takes place in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Bisson has been part of Murdoch Mysteries since 2008, playing the role of Detective William Murdoch in more than 200 episodes.

He spoke with My Devotional Thoughts about the success of Murdoch Mysteries.

“To be honest, I didn’t think the show would last very long, but only because of the landscape at the time,” he said. “There wasn’t a single period show at the time. The story and characters were great, so I gave it my all anyway. Ten years later, I can’t really point to one specific thing making it a success. In fact, every person that I speak to seems to enjoy completely different aspects of the show and in different combinations. Some like the mystery, some the romance, some the history and others, the comedic parts or historical figures. Never the same.”

Since leaving Aurora Teagarden, he’s also starred in three movies: Anything for Jackson, A Perfect Plan and Hellmington. Prior to joining Murdoch Mysteries, some of his many roles were in Falcon Beach, Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye, Crazy for Christmas, Soul Food, Undergrads, Nothing Too Good for a Cowboy and High Tide.

Niall Matter Said He Knew It Would Be Hard to Replace Bisson’s Character

In an interview with TV Goodness, Matter said he knew it would be difficult to step in and replace Bisson’s character when he joined Aurora Teagarden in 2018. He said:

When you first come in, you’re just hoping that the fan reaction is positive and that they like the character because it’s hard when you come in and your character is essentially replacing somebody that the fans loved. The fans loved Yannick and his character, Martin, and that was really tough as an actor coming in and trying to fill those shoes.

In the beginning, there were two sides, people that really liked me and the work I had done in other films at Hallmark and then the other people who really loved what they already had and were resistant to change. Luckily for me, I’ve seen the fans really warm up to to Nick and Aurora, and for the most part, now I see nothing but people loving the two of them together.

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