What’s New: Hallmark Movies and Mysteries launched a new Cozy Murder Mystery, THE CHRONICLE MYSTERIES. Unlike most of the other mysteries on the Hallmark Channel, This series is NOT based on an already successful book series. This new series features all original scripts that were developed specifically for television.
What’s Old: I wouldn’t describe actress, Alison Sweeney as old. In fact, she’s fairly young. However, this isn’t her first rodeo nor her first murder mystery show. Alison Sweeney has appeared on daytime soap opera, Days of Our Lives, but is best known to cozy mystery fans as, Hannah Swensen, star of Murder, She Baked, the best selling series by Joanne Fluke.
The first episode features Alex McPherson, host of a true-crime podcast. In the debut episode, she shows up at the small town in Pennsylvania she frequented as a child to investigate the 20-year-old disappearance of a childhood friend. In town, she visits the local newspaper to browse the archives for information to help as she retraces the steps of her missing friend. With the help of the newspaper’s editor, Benjamin Ayers, played by Drew Godfrey, she uncovers the truth about her friend’s disappearance.
Alison Sweeney isn’t just the star of this series; she is also one of the executive producers. What’s an executive producer? The short answer, is that the executive producer is responsible for the creative content of the production. Recently, I heard it described as the person who sets the tone for the show.
My Review: I liked this series a lot. Alex McPherson is an amateur sleuth, which is true to the cozy genre. The context of someone hosting a true-crime podcast is certainly plausible and relevant in our day and age. According to an April 2018 article in FastCompany, Apple stated “...it is home to over 525,000 active shows, with more than 18.5 million episodes available, including content in over 100 languages.” That’s a lot of shows and that’s just one platform (Apple). Featuring a true-crime podcast makes sense. In essence, she’s a journalist. The show further eliminates the elements of cozy mysteries which suspend belief by connecting her to the local newspaper and teaming her with a professional journalist.
Original scripts for this series eliminates the need to alter the book to fit television. Not only does the television screenwriter not have to take the oftentimes cerebral process a book heroine follows to solve a crime and turn it into a more action oriented, visual process which is suitable for television, it also eliminates the comparisons. Book lovers can’t complain that the television adaption of their favorite novel differs from the book (and often comes up lacking).
The Chronicle Mysteries are realistic, well-written and well-acted. The show airs on Sunday nights on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. I hope you will give this new show a look. With any luck, we’ll have a lot more episodes to enjoy and mysteries to solve.