Combination baking expert and amateur detective Hannah Swensen is set to return with an all-new mystery tonight on Hallmark Mystery, but when she does, longtime love interest and fan favorite Mike Kingston won’t be by her side. That’s because actor Cameron Mathison did not return for this movie. He’s been replaced by a new character played by veteran Victor Webster, who you may remember from The Wedding Veil. It’s a big change for the popular series, but it’s also one producer writer and star Alison Sweeney faced head on.
I recently got a chance to speak with the Hallmark starlet to discuss her taking on writing duties for the first time, and during our conversation, the topic of Mathison leaving the show came up. When his exit was first announced, there was a lot of uncertainty around exactly what happened, but Sweeney clarified he decided to leave the series. She said she went through all the emotions when it first happened, but at some point, she started looking at it as an opportunity to “challenge” Hannah in a different way. Here’s a portion of her quote…
It was a decision Cameron made. When I found out, I feel like I went through all the emotions that the fans went through, but we knew in time to develop the story with an eye toward the opportunity. Hallmark and I discussed approaching Victor to see if he would be interested in being a part of this mystery series. When he said yes, I was over the moon and thrilled to bring in a new character. And the other real important element to that is that Joanne Fluke, who has written these novels and has 30 and counting Hannah Swensen mysteries in her arsenal here, she has definitely given Hannah a lot of different love interests over the books. It is fun to have an opportunity to honor that by bringing in a new character that is really going to challenge Hannah and brings a different energy to the Hannah universe.
The history of television is filled with popular shows that have lost a key character during their runs. Fans often reflexively think of these departures as being negative, but sometimes they turn out to be a great thing. By introducing a new person with a different energy, you give the lead characters something different to work with. You give them a new direction and a new spark.
That feels like the case with Hannah Swensen. Mike, who appeared in more than a half dozen movies pre and post hiatus, is gone for the entire runtime with his absence explained by him going to FBI training. Victor Webster’s Chad Norton is introduced as the local prosecuting attorney. He doesn’t care for sweets and is a bit standoffish, but he’s also good at his job and there’s a fun bit of tension there. It brings something new out of Hannah. I got a chance to check out the movie and loved it. I can’t wait for other fans to see it.
Thankfully, you’ll get your chance tonight when One Bad Apple: A Hannah Swensen Mystery premieres on Hallmark Mystery at 9 PM ET. Pro tip: it pairs best with a dessert and even better with one you made yourself.
