Hallmark Mysteries: Mysterious Small Town Hijinks Ensue - General Discussion

[david gideon]

I give Abracadaver points just for not winding up with the killer trying to kill the lead female. That happens too much in these movies.

I noticed a quick glimpse at the edge of the screen of a sign in front of the 'Magic Manor' that read Scottish Rite Cathedral. It was only visible for a split second, but that was enough to track it down: the Scottish Rite Cathedral in Hamilton Ontario.

[LuvMyShows]

On 1/6/2020 at 4:27 PM, david gideon said:

I give Abracadaver points just for not winding up with the killer trying to kill the lead female. That happens too much in these movies.

And at least the actual law enforcement professionals aren't totally incompetent, like it seems in some of the other mystery franchises.  However, it was a little ridiculous when Logan was questioning the magician's assistant in her dressing room and asked her approximately 3 questions total, but then was so impressed at how Tess had gotten more information than he had.  Well, duh...Tess was inquisitive and followed-up to explore answers, rather than just barely scratch the surface-level like he did.

[roctavia]

I enjoyed the new mystery, though I wouldn't say it's the best they've done :P

I like that it was a more convoluted mystery and the twist of what really happened, it was surprising and not just the same old murder mystery. 

I don't know if I like the new crime reporter guy, I was waiting for him to be a bad guy invovled with all of the murder nonsense, so I'm glad he wasn't and is just a new character. Sometimes it's too obvious when they try to introduce the murderer in a different capacity earlier in the movie and then "surprise! you thought they were a new friend, but they are the murderer!"

I agree with others that the romance could move along a little faster... and honestly, I know it's hallmark, but I wouldn't even mind a "in the moment, we kissed!" and then they back pedaled in the next movie to keep some tension going or something... Since these are a series, they could do that and it would add another level of sexual tension and stuff...  I think they did do that some with the Murder She Baked... and it definitely kept me more interested in the characters... 

I'm curious to see how things go next week in the new series. While i'm glad one of them is a detective or detective adjacent, and we will be getting a Gourmet Detective next which does have a female detective... I'd kind of like more of that set up instead of detective man and plucky lady with a weird job that keeps putting her in murderous situations.

[catrice2]

I am not connecting with Jesse Metcalfe or the female lead...but yes there is obligatory black person as one of the police officers in the mystery series....

[MerBearHou]

Martha’s Vineyard Mystery — I enjoyed it but I’m also super ready for anything mystery / non-Christmas!  I liked Jesse and Sarah — both are lowkey and warm.  Hallmark, I am imploring you to give women footwear that fit the scene — they’re all in high heels on an island, even when walking on a rocky shore.  It reminds me of the ridiculous high heels that Bryce Dallas Howard’s character wore all throughout Jurassic Park — just stupid!  Will look forward to future versions of the MV Mysteries.  Small note:  I really liked the smart well-read guy who runs the Juice/Coffee bar on the dock.  Hope he’s a recurring part of the series.

Edited January 13, 2020 by MerBearHou

[LuvMyShows]

Really liked the new MV mystery.  Never seen Sarah before and only knew Jesse from Desperate Housewives, but I liked them together.  Actually, I had far fewer complaints than I usually do about these mysteries.  The only thing I can think of is that although they correctly identified that the beginning numbers were from a bank routing number, they then kept calling those same numbers a bank account number, which it wasn't.  I really liked how they basically crowd-sourced part of the solution when they looked for the other pictures of the benefit posted using the hashtag.

[TimetoShine]

I liked the latest mystery. I liked Jesse's character more than Sarah's, but it was watchable overall.

[catrice2]

5 minutes ago, TimetoShine said:

I liked the latest mystery. I liked Jesse's character more than Sarah's, but it was watchable overall.

I do agree with this...I liked him better.  I don't know...maybe it was because it was new?  I just found myself wandering....

[roctavia]

I agree with the other comments so far, it wasn't bad... though definitely had some of the first movie awkwardness that I expect when they start a new run of mysteries. I like the cast for the most part. They definitely developed Jeff a lot more than Zee at this point, but he's the one with the tragic backstory... 

The mystery had some twists, although they are almost getting to convoluted at times (though not as bad as that Mystery 101 with the pharmacy robbery, siblings were actually after the husband for a construction fire not at all straight forward crime one) But I guess it's trying to keep us from guessing the killer immediately. 

The biggest thing that bothered me is that I just don't think that's how law enforcement works... bring in random dude to run your investigation? Question witnesses with the ME who has no legal jurisdiction etc... even a scene of like "deputizing" him or something might have helped... but I suppose there are only so many ways to make these movies work without always having to have someone be a cop. 

Looking forward to the next one in the series, and really excited for the gourmet detective next week :)

[GaT]

Add me to the comment agree-ers, the mystery wasn't bad, but I like him more than her. She seemed to rely on facial expressions too much IMO. 

[LuvMyShows]

13 hours ago, roctavia said:

The mystery had some twists, although they are almost getting to convoluted at times 

Now that it's been a day since I watched it, I'm confused.  What was the reason behind that foundation-running woman killing the illegitimate child?  The child's father was Goose, not the man who gave the speech at the foundation gala, so what was her connection to Goose?  Was Goose being blackmailed, like they thought speech-giving-man was when they thought he was skimming money from the foundation and that the foundation-running woman was helping?  Was anyone skimming money from the foundation, and if so, why did they pass the IRS audit? 

[roctavia]

3 hours ago, LuvMyShows said:

Now that it's been a day since I watched it, I'm confused.  What was the reason behind that foundation-running woman killing the illegitimate child?  The child's father was Goose, not the man who gave the speech at the foundation gala, so what was her connection to Goose?  Was Goose being blackmailed, like they thought speech-giving-man was when they thought he was skimming money from the foundation and that the foundation-running woman was helping?  Was anyone skimming money from the foundation, and if so, why did they pass the IRS audit? 

The father was the foundation guy, not Goose like they originally thought... he was telling the truth when he said he hadn’t seen the mom and didn’t go to the reunion. His kids believed Ray and fought with him, but it was really the foundation people. 

She killed him to protect the foundation I guess? 

[KAOS Agent]

7 hours ago, LuvMyShows said:

Was Goose being blackmailed, like they thought speech-giving-man was when they thought he was skimming money from the foundation and that the foundation-running woman was helping?  Was anyone skimming money from the foundation, and if so, why did they pass the IRS audit? 

The foundation guy was the father and was using a foundation account to funnel the payments to the kid's mother. The murderer was aware of all of this and killed the kid to protect the foundation. The IRS didn't discover that the account was fraudulent in their investigation, but if had Ray come forward, everything would have fallen apart.

[david gideon]

Every time they showed that cove where they were fishing I thought hey, that looks just like the cove in season two of The Exorcist. Both shows filmed in BC so it may well have been. Other than that my attention tended to wander.

[Irlandesa]

I gave up on the Martha's Vineyard Mystery. 

Jesse Metcalfe isn't someone I love or hate.  If I like the cast around him, I like him.  But he's not the kind of actor who I think can elevate a middling cast or subpar script.  I thought the first entry in the Martha's Vineyard series had a stilted and/or overacting cast and a meh script. I tapped out after an hour.

I usually find the first entry in a new mystery series rather blah so I usually give the second entry a second chance. Except with those other series, I can usually see something with potential in the characters or cast.  I'm just not seeing it here so I'm not sure if I'll give this another shot.

But Gourmet Detective next week makes me happy.

Quote

The mystery had some twists, although they are almost getting to convoluted at times (though not as bad as that Mystery 101 with the pharmacy robbery, siblings were actually after the husband for a construction fire not at all straight forward crime one) But I guess it's trying to keep us from guessing the killer immediately. 

I thought that was a terrifically constructed Murder 101.  Yes there were twists and red herrings but I thought it all fit together rather well in the end.

Edited January 14, 2020 by Irlandesa

[Seelouis]

I have questions:

1. Are we supposed to believe the murderer wrapped the victim in the tarp, stole the car, got rid of the body and tarp and dumped the car and came back to the gala and nobody noticed she was gone?  Wasn’t she running the event? 

2. If the victim didn’t switch to thinking the husband was his dad until after the speech with his mom’s quote, why was he calling the wife earlier?

3. What questions did the bodyguard want to ask and why was he following Jeff?

4.  What kind of name is Zee???

Edited January 14, 2020 by Seelouis

[rainsmom]

51 minutes ago, Seelouis said:

2. If the victim didn’t switch to thinking the husband was his dad until after the speech with his mom’s quote, why was he calling the wife earlier?

I can answer this one. He wasn't: He was calling Goose's wife -- but because she was in the office only once a week or so, Real Dad's wife regularly collected her messages.

[Infiltr8]

I thought the  MV was ok.. has potential but I never noticed shoes so much before— all same ones in different colors— a doctor on her feet all day— ok... rainy harbor viewing a dead body—- ok... on a rocky shore? Really— as bad as another movie I watched for a few minutes— woman wearing red heels walking thru muddy winery field— 

[TVFan17]

Make no mistake -- in real life there are women who walk around theme parks such as Disneyland (another place where one has to be on one's feet all day) and seaside areas in heels.  I have seen them with my own eyes! 🤣  I have seen women tromping through super-casual beach towns (including walking down to the rocks by the ocean) in heels, when everyone else is in flat, sensible footwear.  It constantly baffles me that a "look" is so much more important than being comfortable, practical and safe.

But I would certainly expect a doctor to have more sense when it comes to shoes.

Edited January 15, 2020 by TVFan17

[Callietwo]

Was looking forward to the MV Mystery but I was bored with it pretty early on.  It stayed on but I lost the thread of who was who, and the whys and wherefores.  
 

I’m willing to get it a second shot but not holding out hope.  
 

And I feel like I’m alone in not caring about the Gourmet Detective series.. neither lead holds much attraction for me at all.   

[roctavia]

13 minutes ago, Callietwo said:

Was looking forward to the MV Mystery but I was bored with it pretty early on.  It stayed on but I lost the thread of who was who, and the whys and wherefores.  
 

I’m willing to get it a second shot but not holding out hope.  
 

And I feel like I’m alone in not caring about the Gourmet Detective series.. neither lead holds much attraction for me at all.   

I think we all have our series/ actors that don’t do it for us when they work for others in a big way. 

 

One of the big things I like about the Gourmet Detective is that it’s one of the only mysteries where the female lead is the detective, and I like that dynamic... 

 

[TVFan17]

I like the humorous banter in Gourmet Detective.  Too often, when Hallmark does a regular non-mystery romance movie, if a couple starts out with fun, adversarial banter (they're not sworn enemies, in other words, but just kind of playfully sparring with each other in a lighthearted way), that banter disappears pretty quickly.  The goal in most of their 2-hour movies is to get the couple to fall in love and vow to be together by the end of the movie, and, of course, have a misunderstanding along the way.

In the assorted mystery series, the goal is not to get the couple together by the end of the first movie, so they don't have to stop the witty repartee 20 minutes into it.  We know they will get together sooner or later in the series, but they don't have to race to the finish line in movie #1.  They can take their time.  They can take time to get to know each other as they work together on cases and rescue each other from bad guys/gals.  They're still interested in each other, but the inevitable romance that forms between the leads in these series feels more real because it didn't happen in 80 minutes or whatever.

I still like the movies in which the couples have to fall in love within 80 minutes, but I also like that the mysteries provide a different kind of format and pace for the budding romances because the romances are not the main focus, if that makes sense.  So they can have a lot of fun with the dialogue along the way.

Even though Henry and Maggie are together on Gourmet Detective now (unless we hear that they broke up since the last movie), they can still have fun bickering about what to do with the mystery they are trying to solve, I'm sure.

[rainsmom]

15 hours ago, Callietwo said:

And I feel like I’m alone in not caring about the Gourmet Detective series.. neither lead holds much attraction for me at all.   

Not alone. I can't stand either lead. Can. Not. Stand. I would probably enjoy the mysteries if the leads were recast, though.

[SusanwatchingTV]

I like the guy in Gourmet Detective better than the gal, but I'll watch it and enjoy it anyway.

Actually, come to think of it, I felt the same way about the new Martha's Vineyard movie. I liked the guy a lot. The woman, not so much.  But maybe she'll grow on me?

It was pretty good, but I not nearly as good as the crossword mysteries, imho.  I was a bit distracted by the bullet in his back. The whole time I'm like, "BE CAREFUL!" and "HOW ARE YOU RUNNING AND TACKLING PEOPLE?!"  🤣

[Callietwo]

7 hours ago, rainsmom said:

Not alone. I can't stand either lead. Can. Not. Stand. I would probably enjoy the mysteries if the leads were recast, though.

Oh good!  Not just me.  I agree, I would probably enjoy a lot better with different leads because I do like the premise & stories.  There's just something about them both, that I can't put my finger on, that they seriously bug.

 

7 hours ago, SusanwatchingTV said:

t was pretty good, but I not nearly as good as the crossword mysteries, imho.  I was a bit distracted by the bullet in his back. The whole time I'm like, "BE CAREFUL!" and "HOW ARE YOU RUNNING AND TACKLING PEOPLE?!"  🤣

Oh dear lordy, me too!   The premise they're setting up that its too dangerous for him to be a cop but then he's doing all the cop things so it makes zero sense.  

Edited January 16, 2020 by Callietwo

[Miss Bones]

On ‎1‎/‎15‎/‎2020 at 6:31 PM, Callietwo said:

And I feel like I’m alone in not caring about the Gourmet Detective series.. neither lead holds much attraction for me at all.   

You're not alone.  I cannot see the male lead as anyone other than Deputy Doug Witter, his character from Dawson's Creek.  I've seen him in other things, and can never connect with him.  The female lead leaves me cold also.

[Suzysite]

Well, Dylan Neal and his wife are producers and writers for the Gourmet Detective Mysteries, so his casting as the lead was pretty set in stone.

[roctavia]

Mystery 101 marathon today.... I do really like these movies :)  I also like that although she's nosy and gets herself into some trouble at times, she actually does have some crime knowledge instead of just happening to stumble across murder. 

I also like the chemistry between the leads, though I do wish Hallmark would push things along a little more... not that I need them to even be dating officially or anything, but I am kind of a fan of the "we kissed and couldn't help it, now where does that leave us" sort of tension...  And with these being mysteries, they could actually do that and then drag it out more... 

[rainsmom]

I have recorded and watched all of the mysteries this month -- even the ones I don't particularly care for. Sooooo glad they're back. I missed them!

Hoping Hallmark just creates a Christmas channel and stops interrupting the content on this channel!

[Jenniferbug]

I am so happy the Gourmet Detective marathon was on today. I need to do some deep cleaning in my bedroom and purge and organize, and this was the perfect background noise while I tackled the task. 

Hopefully I'll be able to catch the new one tonight! I wish they started at 8 though, because then it doesn't conflict with my kids' bedtime. 

[TVFan17]

1 hour ago, Jenniferbug said:

I am so happy the Gourmet Detective marathon was on today. I need to do some deep cleaning in my bedroom and purge and organize, and this was the perfect background noise while I tackled the task. 

Hopefully I'll be able to catch the new one tonight! I wish they started at 8 though, because then it doesn't conflict with my kids' bedtime. 

The mysteries are premiering at 8 p.m. these days.  It's the Winterfest premieres on the regular Hallmark Channel that are starting at 9 p.m., whereas it used to be that the mysteries started at 9 p.m. and the Hallmark Channel movies started at 8 p.m.

[rainsmom]

Still don't love the leads, but I enjoyed the absinthe twist tonight. Absinthe isn't a common plot device, and they used it well.

[LuvMyShows]

The Gourmet Detective showed two kisses...how scandalous!  But actually, I did like how at the end, the gourmet (don't remember either characters' names) did such a nice gesture for the detective to make up for having made them miss the baseball game.

[Jenniferbug]

I really enjoyed that! The plot was interesting and had a decent amount of red herrings without being obvious. The leads have nice chemistry and I can believe their in a secure, adult relationship. I liked that when the young restaurateur was gushing over him, she was just amused rather than possessive or jealous. It's a nice change to have the female lead be the Detective as well. If they make more of these, I would watch. It's better than many of their other mystery series!

[roctavia]

1 hour ago, LuvMyShows said:

The Gourmet Detective showed two kisses...how scandalous!  But actually, I did like how at the end, the gourmet (don't remember either characters' names) did such a nice gesture for the detective to make up for having made them miss the baseball game.

I was afraid he was going to pull out a ring, since it’s hallmark and I feel like they never move a relationship at a normal pace... slow as molasses and then bam marriage, or like the regular movies where they are in love in like 4 seconds. The daughter and baseball was a much better direction 🙂 

[Irlandesa]

I like the relationship in The Gourmet Detective series with how mature it is. I also tend to like the mysteries and scripts for these movies so I was happy it was back.

I found myself amused by the wormroot (was that the name of the plant?) greenhouses to make the illegal absinthe because ten years ago you could have told a similar story about marijuana.  Except it's now legal in CA and Hallmark would never tell a story about weed so this worked out for the best for everyone.

There was one plot hole in the movie, though.  The lady who originally put the book up for auction realized that absinthe was mentioned in the book so she decided to create a fake book and sell it privately to protect the killer.  Why, when she realized what the book said, didn't she just call up the killer/heir and privately sell the book to him?  Or give it to him?  Why the elaborate forgery and then private sale before it went on auction?  She could have skipped the forgery and done a private sale from the beginning.

[Jenniferbug]

7 hours ago, roctavia said:

I was afraid he was going to pull out a ring, since it’s hallmark and I feel like they never move a relationship at a normal pace... slow as molasses and then bam marriage, or like the regular movies where they are in love in like 4 seconds. The daughter and baseball was a much better direction 🙂 

I thought that might be where they were going too. Though I think in this case the couple has been together for years, since the last movie her daughter was 15 or 16 and is now in college. But I liked the daughter/baseball ending better 😊

[rainsmom]

22 minutes ago, Jenniferbug said:

Though I think in this case the couple has been together for years, since the last movie her daughter was 15 or 16 and is now in college.

Wasn't she a kid in the first one? Young teen? I have to look that up....

Original actress was born ~2004. So she's 15 now. Movie came out 5 years ago. So, yeah, they aged the character a LOT.

[ShelleySue]

On 1/12/2020 at 11:53 PM, roctavia said:

The biggest thing that bothered me is that I just don't think that's how law enforcement works... bring in random dude to run your investigation? Question witnesses with the ME who has no legal jurisdiction etc... even a scene of like "deputizing" him or something might have helped... but I suppose there are only so many ways to make these movies work without always having to have someone be a cop. 

I'm an attorney in Massachusetts (not criminal, but I do know a thing or two) and that is definitely not the way things work around here.  If a town is so small that the police force doesn't have experience with homicides the county and state police will take over the investigation.  There is no need for the police chief's dead best friend's retired due to a gun shot wound Boston homicide detective who just happens to live on the island to take over the case.  And the state has medical examiners who cover the entire state so that someone with six month's experience in doing autopsies doesn't have to do her own investigating because there is no one else.  I just couldn't get over the whole premise to enjoy the movie.  Plus I kept cringing every time Jesse fell or landed hard because I was worried the bullet would shift and he'd be paralyzed.  I don't think that this series is for me.

On the other hand . . . The Gourmet Detective continues to charm me.  The premise may have plot holes galore, but the characters have chemistry and humor.  I love the dialogue among all of them and I have loved Bruce Boxleitner since the 70's and How the West Was Won (I'm showing my age). 

Edited January 20, 2020 by ShelleySue
Fixed typo

[TVFan17]

Dylan Neal recently did a podcast interview and said that he doesn't know if there will be a 6th Gourmet Detective movie.  It sounds as though there are currently no solid, active plans for a 6th one, though he said that Hallmark could easily contact him at any time, out of the blue, and ask him to do one and he'd do it.  As it is, this 5th Gourmet Detective movie that just aired was unexpected.  Dylan said that Hallmark had actually cancelled that movie series after movie #4, so he was very surprised when they suddenly asked for a 5th movie after so much time had passed.

Dylan said that the ratings for the premieres of his previous Gourmet Detective movies were often not great because GD always seemed to be airing directly opposite some huge sporting event or some other major show on another network.  He wanted a chance for GD to air in a better slot for a change.

Dylan said that Hallmark realized that -- and I am paraphrasing -- that the repeats of previous Gourmet Detective movies seem to do quite well.  So, if you have noticed that they have been increasing the number of repeats of the various GD movies on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries in the last year or so, it's probably because Hallmark noticed that people were tuning in to those specific repeats when they were on, and decided to show them more often.  Dylan seems to think that those re-airings probably played a big role in Hallmark asking for the 5th movie.

Edited January 20, 2020 by TVFan17

[GaT]

2 hours ago, TVFan17 said:

As it is, this 5th Gourmet Detective movie that just aired was unexpected.  Dylan said that Hallmark had actually cancelled that movie series after movie #4, so he was very surprised when they suddenly asked for a 5th movie after so much time had passed.

Probably when they lost "Garage Sale Mysteries" & had to fill in the empty slots.

[TVFan17]

26 minutes ago, GaT said:

Probably when they lost "Garage Sale Mysteries" & had to fill in the empty slots.

I don't think they're related.  Hallmark easily filled those vacant August slots with the 3 Aurora Teagarden movies that had already been filmed earlier last year.  Gourmet Detective #5 is one movie, and it didn't air until last night. 

They did a pretty decent job of filling in the mystery schedule in 2019 a bit more so that it wasn't as flimsy as usual, but they would have had some vacant spots on Sunday nights anyway (as they always have had, even when GSM was airing).  This year, Garage Sale is not a factor in anything at all, but they have plenty of other mysteries that can go forward -- and yet they will still have some vacant Sunday nights once again.

 

Edited January 21, 2020 by TVFan17

[catrice2]

On 1/16/2020 at 9:03 AM, rainsmom said:

Not alone. I can't stand either lead. Can. Not. Stand. I would probably enjoy the mysteries if the leads were recast, though.

That's it...I don't enjoy Dylan Neal....she is just o.k. but something about him takes me out of the series.  I wish Bruce Boxleiitner was the lead....

[rainsmom]

8 hours ago, catrice2 said:

I wish Bruce Boxleiitner was the lead....

I could absolutely get behind that. Love him!!

 

[roctavia]

On 1/20/2020 at 9:42 PM, catrice2 said:

That's it...I don't enjoy Dylan Neal....she is just o.k. but something about him takes me out of the series.  I wish Bruce Boxleiitner was the lead....

There were definitely some weird reaction shots in this movie where she's talking or says something and they cut to him just like nodding and smiling but in a weird way that doesn't seem to fit with the conversation and then they just cut away... I don't know if it was a choice of his or if someone else would have been better... but it definitely was distracting from the overall mystery/relationship.

[TVFan17]

Dylan Neal always keeps a close eye on the ratings for each Gourmet Detective movie, and he seems pretty pleased with the ratings for GD #5. He still doesn't know if there will be a GD #6, but at least the improved ratings for this recent GD installment are a good sign.

(Oh, and also... not only is Aurora Teagarden #13 going into production next week, but MatchMaker Mysteries #2, is scheduled to begin filming in February.)
 

 

Edited January 29, 2020 by TVFan17

[LuvMyShows]

Nothing new to post about 😢 ....but on the bright side, only two weeks til the next new mystery! 😊 But it appears that they've gone back to 9:00 pm ☹️

[TVFan17]

The latest mystery scheduling news is that "Mystery 101: An Education in Murder" (movie #5 in the series) is premiering on Sunday, March 29th (which, of course, could change).  https://www.hallmarkmoviesandmysteries.com/mystery-101-an-education-in-murder

That means that between February 23rd (when Martha's Vineyard Mysteries #2 airs) and March 29th, there are no other new mysteries -- because nothing else has been filmed!  The Mystery 101 movie is the only one already wrapped up, and it barely just finished (it's now in the editing/post-production phase).

The next MatchMaker Mysteries movie, the next Ruby Herring movie and the 3rd Picture Perfect Mysteries movie haven't even started production yet!

Hallmark is back to leaving huge gaps in the schedule once again, after actually increasing their overall number of movies in 2019.

And no, this isn't all due to Bill Abbott stepping down from his position at Crown Media and the probable chaos going on as someone new steps in, because some of the mysteries should have already been in the works prior to or in Dec 2019, even if they didn't start filming until January or February 2020.   Hallmark would or should have already had their mystery line-up semi-set in stone through maybe June-ish, because up until one month ago they were planning to present all of their programming for the first 6 months of the year at their party for the Winter TCA (which was canceled).   Bill Abbott's departure threw things off kilter in some ways, I'm sure, but other projects should have already been in motion.

And no, this is not all due to the loss of Garage Sale Mysteries either.  They got through last year with more new mysteries than usual, despite the loss of Garage Sale.   Garage Sale is in the rear view mirror at this point.  It's not a factor anymore.  This year, I don't know what happened but they are off their game once again.

Edited February 3, 2020 by TVFan17

[MerBearHou]

11 minutes ago, TVFan17 said:

The latest mystery scheduling news is that "Mystery 101: An Education in Murder" (movie #5 in the series) is premiering on Sunday, March 29th (which, of course, could change).  https://www.hallmarkmoviesandmysteries.com/mystery-101-an-education-in-murder

That means that between February 23rd (when Martha's Vineyard Mysteries #2 airs) and March 29th, there are no other new mysteries -- because nothing else has been filmed!  The Mystery 101 movie is the only one already wrapped up, and it barely just finished (it's now in the editing/post-production phase).

The next MatchMaker Mysteries movie, the next Ruby Herring movie and the 3rd Picture Perfect Mysteries movie haven't even started production yet!

Hallmark is back to leaving huge gaps in the schedule once again, after actually increasing their overall number of movies in 2019.

And no, this isn't all due to Bill Abbott stepping down from his position at Crown Media and the probable chaos going on as someone new steps in, because some of the mysteries should have already been in the works prior to or in Dec 2019, even if they didn't start filming until January or February 2020.   Hallmark would or should have already had their mystery line-up semi-set in stone through maybe June-ish, because up until one month ago they were planning to present all of their programming for the first 6 months of the year at their party for the Winter TCA (which was canceled).   Bill Abbott's departure threw things off kilter in some ways, I'm sure, but other projects should have already been in motion.

And no, this is not all due to the loss of Garage Sale Mysteries either.  They got through last year with more new mysteries than usual, despite the loss of Garage Sale.   Garage Sale is in the rear view mirror at this point.  It's not a factor anymore.  This year, I don't know what happened but they are off their game once again.

As always, great intel, TVFan17.  I always look forward to your posts.

IMO they should lose at least 1/4 of the blasted Christmas movies and spend that money on mysteries.  I love Christmas and I love rom-coms but there are too many with bland actors and super-unoriginal stories.  The mysteries are far, far more interesting to me and I rewatch.  

Edited February 3, 2020 by MerBearHou

[Kemper]

Sadly, they must consider the Christmas/Royalty/Bride movies their bread-and-butter.  Maybe it is an age thing?  I know I love the mysteries...but I am a senior citizen; and I don't mind the rom-coms up to a point.  But I guess a younger demographic likes the Barbie/Ken romantic pairings and the naivete' of the romances.  And I get it.  Hallmark has gotten a bit like HGTV ... all shows and movies are the same.  It is getting a bit tired.