Girls Gone Hallmark | Hallmark Movie Reviews

Welcome to Girls Gone Hallmark, the podcast where Megan and Wendy dive into all things Hallmark! Today, we’re so excited to have the amazing Crystal Lowe with us. You might know her as Rita from Signed, Sealed, Delivered, but she’s behind the camera again, directing This Time Each Year, which kicks off Hallmark Mystery’s Miracles of Christmas on October 24, 2024. She shares how she coached her team, even bringing Wendy to tears as she described process, opens up about the future of Signed, Sealed, Delivered, her deep appreciation for the #POstables community, and so much more. You won’t want to miss this episode – it’s packed with can’t-miss moments!

Have some thoughts on this episode? Email us at [email protected] or come join the Girls Gone Hallmark Facebook group to chat with others!

Crystal Lowe has stepped behind the camera to direct two Hallmark movies so far: Shifting Gears, which came out in early 2024, and This Time Each Year. But her talents aren’t limited to Hallmark—she’s also directed three short films outside the network, proving she’s a force to be reckoned with both in front of and behind the camera.

Though nothing’s been officially announced yet, it’s likely that Crystal Lowe will be back directing another Hallmark movie in 2025. After the success of Shifting Gears and the anticipation of This Time Each Year, there’s definitely buzz about her next project.

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Crystal Lowe teased on both her Instagram and in our interview that Signed, Sealed, Delivered fans might spot a familiar face in her new movie This Time Each Year. While she didn’t reveal exactly who it is, we can’t help but speculate – could it be one of the beloved POstables like Kristin Booth, Eric Mabius, or Geoff Gustafson making a surprise appearance? Keep an eye out, because this possible cameo is sure to excite fans of the series!

Related: What We Loved and Learned from Signed, Sealed, Delivered

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Hey there! We’re Girls Gone Hallmark! Megan’s a longtime Hallmark movie fan, while Wendy – well, she used to be a Hallmark hater. Now, we’ve teamed up to share our (often very different!) takes on these films. Get ready for some lively, fun-filled conversations!

Check out the library of Hallmark movies we’ve reviewed!

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• David Winning directs Curious Caterer: Forbidden Fruit, his first in the franchise but not his first Hallmark film. He has directed Field Day, The Nine Kittens of Christmas, and You, Me and The Christmas Trees, with a total of 82 directing credits spanning various genres, including 11 episodes of Sweet Valley High.
• Based on Dianne Mott Davidson’s Culinary Mystery series, the script was crafted by Julie Kim and Karine Marwood, who have teamed up on nine projects, including three Curious Caterer films.
• Nikki Deloach stars as Goldy Berry. Fun fact: she was born on 9/9/79! With 73 acting credits, she’ll next appear in Our Holiday Story with Warren Christie.
• Andrew Walker returns as Detective Tom Shultz, nearing 100 acting credits. He’ll also be featured in Jingle Bell Runand Three Wiser Men and a Boy.
• Jaycie Dotin plays Marla, appearing in all Curious Caterer films and this weekend’s Scouting for Christmas.
• Riley Davis portrays Detective Mason Kildea and is a three-time Leo nominee for his role in the series.
• Sarah Strange stars as band manager Nicola, with 105 acting credits and recent acclaim from Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: Death at the Diner.
• Fiona Vroom plays The Faithfuls’ biggest fan. With 76 acting credits, she’s known for The Wedding Veil Expectations and Three Wise Men and a Baby. Fans are curious when she’ll land a leading role!
• Lochlyn Munro returns as Goldy’s ex, Dr. Richard Norman, boasting 279 acting credits and nine upcoming projects.
• Maesa Nicholson reprises her role as Goldy’s daughter, Olive, appearing in all five Curious Caterer films, plus North to Home and A Magical Christmas Village.
• Garrett Black plays Derek, with 43 credits, including Tipline Mysteries: Dial 1 for Murder and Christmas on Cherry Lane.
• Luke Camilleri plays bandmate Jax. With 45 credits, he’s been in Wedding Season and Mystery 101: Playing Dead.
• Finally, Tammy Gillis plays Selena, with 69 acting credits and roles in Hallmark favorites like Aurora Teagarden Mysteries and Chesapeake Shores.

• This episode was written by: Kerry Carney – she is an actress who has been in shows like Scandal, Grey’s Anatomy, and New Girl. According to IMDb this is her first writing credits other than a short she wrote in 2010.
• Episode 6 was directed by Shannon Kohli who returns as director.

• Welcome to Merinac, Y’all! – Episode 1
• We’re on the Same Team, Y’all – Episode 2
• This is War, Y’all – Episode 3
• It’s the Drop, Y’all! – Episode 4
• Not the Hydrangeas, Y’all – Episode 5

• Haunted Wedding was directed by Jeff Beesley. Jeff has 36 directing credits which include last year’s bar crawl comedy The Santa Summit. His next project to premiere is A Carol for Two, also written by Nina Weinman.
• Rod Spence and Nina Weinman wrote the script for Haunted Wedding.
  • Rod gets the story credit and has 12 writing credits which include The Good Witch movies and 74 episodes of The Good Witch series.
  • Nina Weinman co-wrote the teleplay. Nina has 33 writing credits including last year’s spicy Catch Me If You Claus. Nina wrote both A Carol for Two and Debbie Macomber’s Joyful Mrs. Miracle, both due out this holiday season.
• Janel Parrish stars as Jana. Janel has 52 acting credits. Before coming to Hallmark, she was in 138 episodes of Pretty Little Liars as well as all three To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before movies. She will co-star in Sugarplummed this holiday season on Hallmark.
• Dominic Sherwood plays both Brian and Malcolm. Dominic is a Hallmark newbie, but Swifties take note, he played Taylor Swift’s boyfriend in the music video for Style. He was also in the Netflix series Partner Track as part of his seventeen total acting credits.
• Cassandra Potenza played Angelique. Cassandra has 15 acting credits including the Hallmark films A New Year’s Resolution and Once Upon a Christmas Miracle.
• Lauren Cochrane plays Rachel. Lauren has 36 acting credits including a spot as a karaoke singer in The Santa Summit. She will appear in Hanukkah on the Rocks this season on Hallmark.
• Erik Athavale plays Steve. Erik has 61 acting credits including both Holiday Hotline and The Santa Summit from last year. He appears in Christmas on Call this holiday season on Hallmark. Erik can also be seen in the Canadian series Acting Good, streaming on Tubi in the states.
• Dan deJaeger plays Earl Dewberry. Dan was also in both The Santa Summit and Holiday Hotline last year and will return in Hanukkah on the Rocks. He has 25 total acting credits.
• John B. Lowe plays Vern. John has 101 acting credits. He was in Holiday Hotline last year, he appeared in one episode of Acting Good, and he will also be in A Carol for Two this year!
• Linda Ko plays Joyce. Linda has 38 acting credits. She played Aunt Carrie on the To All The Boys series. She was also in Never Been Chris’d – directed by Jeff Beesley and starring Janel Parrish.
• Joey Plager was the EP for Haunted Wedding. His other movies include last year’s 3 Bed, 2 Bath, 1 Ghost. He is also EP for Hanukkah on the Rocks.
• Sharon Bajer plays Keystone Inn proprietress Marion. Sharon has 55 acting credits. She has appeared in the theatrical release Ordinary Angels, also featuring Erik Athavale. She also appeared in one episode of Acting Good. She will appear in Hanukkah on the Rocks this year as well.
• Harry Nelkon plays beleaguered bellhop Waylon. Nelkon is a stage actor with 38 on screen credits. He has a handful of Hallmark appearances including Take Me Back to Christmas and Hanukkah on Rye.
• Quinn Greene plays the grumpy bartender. Quinn has 19 acting credits including the Hallmark movie Never Been Chris’d with Janel Parrish.

• The director of this movie is Sean Geraughty. He directed Under the Christmas Sky last year and Follow Me to Daisy Hills with Cindy Busby back in 2020. He’s set to direct Hanukkah on the Rocks, which will premiere on December 13th.Paul Ditty wrote the script based on the novel by the same name by Angie Ellington.
• Paul Ditty’s previous work includes the 2022 Hallmark movie Pumpkin Everything.
• Erin Cahill plays Elise. Erin has 133 acting credits, including Christmas on Cherry Lane, Hearts in the Game, and Christmas Bedtime Stories. She will play Nora in the upcoming Holidazed series on Hallmark+ as well as reprise her role as Lizzie in Deck the Halls on Cherry Lane, which will premiere on December 19th on Hallmark+.
• Wes Brown plays Luke. Wes has 53 acting credits, most recently starring in Love on the Danube: Love Song. Wes will be busy this holiday season, starring in Deck the Walls, premiering on November 29th. He will also take viewers on a tour of the country’s most impressive festive displays on Ready, Set, Glow! on Hallmark+.
• Paula Boudreau plays Luke’s mom Donna Bellwether. She has 63 acting credits and has appeared in Hallmark projects like Take Me Back for Christmas, Pumpkin Everything, and 10 episodes of The Good Witch. Outside of Hallmark, you might recognize her from The Handmaid’s Tale, Suits, and Workin’ Moms.
• Meghan Heffern plays Candace. We last saw Meghan as the killer in The Cases of Mystery Lane: Death is Listening. She has 70 acting credits and has appeared in Betty’s Bad Back in Love, Retreat to You, and Morning Show Mysteries: Murder Ever After.
• Adam Hurtig plays Ian. Adam has 77 acting credits, previously appearing in The Santa Summit, Francesca Quinn, PI, and Christmas at the Plaza.Kristian Jordan plays the electrician Chuck. He has just 10 previous acting credits, and this is his first gig for Hallmark.
• Sarah Luby plays Nora. This marks her second project for Hallmark; she previously appeared in Under the Christmas Sky.
• Autumn at Apple Hill was filmed in Winnipeg, Canada between June and August 2024.
  • Chino’s Bistro was used for the scenes that took place at Landover Tavern.
  • The rhubarb patch at the Mennonite Heritage Village was converted into a pumpkin patch for the movie.

• This episode was written by Mano Agapion. Mano is both an actor and writer. His previous writing credits include the Netflix series Pretty Smart and the 2021 reboot of Punky Brewster on Peacock.
• Shannon Kohli directed this episode. In her list of 25 directing credits, she directed two Hannah Swensen Mysteries: One Bad Apple and A Zest for Death. Outside of Hallmark, Shannon has directed episodes for Firefly Lane, One of Us is Lying, Nancy Drew, and Supergirl.
• Caitlin Howden plays Shawna. With 25 acting credits, Caitlin has appeared in television shows like A Million Little Things, The Last of Us, Turner & Hooch, and The Baby-Sitters Club. This is her first project for Hallmark.
• Hazel Bartlett-Sias plays Little Mae in the flashback at the top of the episode. Hazel has 12 acting credits with recent appearances in the horror movie Longlegs, The Good Doctor, The Hammer, and Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas.
• Freya Edwards plays Little Amanda. There is absolutely no information on IMDb about this young actor.
• Dan Payne plays Gruster. Dan has 122 acting credits, having appeared in shows like Virgin River, 40 episodes of Crank Yankers, as well as one episode of Once Upon a Time. He co-starred opposite Teri Hatcher in a 2023 Christmas movie called How to Fall in Love by Christmas. For Hallmark, Dan has been in Fourth Down and Love and Christmas She Wrote.

• Welcome to Merinac, Y’all! – Episode 1
• We’re on the Same Team, Y’all – Episode 2
• This is War, Y’all – Episode 3
• It’s the Drop, Y’all! – Episode 4

• Kevin Leslie directed. This is Kevin’s very first directing credit! Kevin has 90 producing credits, which include a ton of Hallmark projects. He has previously worked with Ali Sweeney on Love and Jane, five Hannah Swensen mysteries, A Magical Christmas Village, Open by Christmas, and the Chronicle Mysteries.
• This movie was based on the novel Coconut Layer Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke.
• Nick Hopkins and Tim James wrote the script for A Sprinkle of Deceit. This is Nick’s eighth writing credit and his first Hallmark project.
• Tim Johnson has three writing credits. He co-wrote Three Dates to Forever with Nick Hopkins.
• Alison Sweeney plays Hannah Swensen. Ali has 52 acting credits. We’ve mentioned this before, but it bears repeating: she has appeared as Sami Brady on Days of Our Lives in 3,612 episodes. She will appear in This Time Each Year, directed by Crystal Lowe, in just a few weeks.
• Victor “Wowie Zowie” Webster plays Chad. Victor made his Hannah Swensen debut in One Bad Apple. We are sorry to report that he is not appearing in a Countdown to Christmas movie this year, but his past appearances include Mystery on Mistletoe Lane, The Wedding Veil, and A Christmas Cookie Catastrophe. He will appear at Weekend 4 of the Hallmark Christmas Experience.
• Barbara Niven returns as the iconic Delores Swensen. Barbara has 113 acting credits and will appear in Leah’s Perfect Gift on Hallmark this holiday season.
• Tess Atkins plays sister Michelle. Tess has 21 acting credits, and this is her fifth Hannah Swensen appearance. She is set to appear in an action/comedy starring Kevin James called Playdate, which will be released in theaters in 2025.
• Lisa Durupt plays sister Andrea. Lisa has 74 acting credits and recently rejoined the Hannah Swensen team in One Bad Apple after appearing in all of the Murder She Baked series.
• Daylin Williams plays Lonnie. Daylin has 21 acting credits and will appear in Holiday Crashers, out this Countdown to Christmas season.
• Juliana Wimbles plays Lisa. In addition to acting, Juliana has been writing for Hallmark quite a bit recently. Her scripts include A Costa Rican Wedding, A Whitewater Romance, and Love in the Maldives.
• Aadila Dasani plays, spoiler alert, our murderer Cass. Aadila has 65 acting credits, including 17 episodes of the Paramount Plus series Joe Pickett.

• Marco Deufemia returns as director, having directed all four of the Jane movies, along with The Heiress and the Handyman.
• Neale Kimmel is back as the scriptwriter; she penned all of the Jane movies except for Murder at Moseby.
• Jodie Sweetin plays Jane Da Silva. Fun fact: Jodie wrote her memoir titled unSweetined: A Memoir, published in 2010. US Weekly called it “explosive,” and E! Online described it as “brutally honest,” as she shares her journey through addiction and recovery.
• Stephen Huszar plays Det. John Cameron. We’ve discussed how much we really enjoy him in this dry, gruff detective role. As I looked through his resume, I saw that he has appeared in several Ruby Herring Mysteries. I wonder if those are worth checking out. Listeners, if you’ve seen these movies, weigh in!
• Paris Jefferson returns as Sadie Da Silva.
• Sherry Miller plays Irene/Ida. Sherry has 98 acting credits, having appeared in Family History Mysteries: Buried Past, Five More Minutes, as well as Shane’s mom in Signed, Sealed, Delivered: The Vows We Have Made. Miller will appear in the forthcoming Hot Frosty on Netflix, also starring Lacey Chabert.
• Troy Blundell plays Edgar Salmon. Troy has 51 acting credits which include From Friend to Fiancé, Return to Christmas Creek, and A Nutcracker Christmas for Hallmark.
• Victoria Sawal plays Margret. Victoria currently has 15 acting credits and outside of one episode of Good Witch, this is her first movie for Hallmark. She also appeared in the series Y: The Last Man which probably needs to be added to our BINGO card at this point.
• Monica Rodriguez Knox plays Sophie. Monica has 18 acting credits including a recent appearance in Hallmark’s Falling in Love in Niagara.
• Jessica Behan plays Angela. With 18 acting credits, she has appeared in several Hallmark-esque projects, however, this is her first Hallmark movie.
• James Gerus plays Craig. This is his first project for Hallmark.
• Kiwi the Cockatiel plays Perry the Parrot.