When Calls The Heart first introduced me to the charms of Pascale Hutton and Kavan Smith, but I personally don’t feel it’s the project that spotlighted their sweet chemistry best. That would actually be The Perfect Bride, the 2017 film that spawned a sequel and widened the audience for the two outside of their cable TV series. The actors have continued working together in the years since and now they have another upcoming Hallmark movie coming down the pipeline. Go ahead, get excited.
Honestly, I can’t wait. Smith and Hutton are two of the most frequently placed together pairs on Hallmark, and also among the most popular for a reason. Though some of you out there may prefer when Will Kemp and Lacey Chabert tend to pair up, which would not be a wrong answer either.
One thing I like about Hutton and Smith reunions is that they often play pairs who feel a bit mismatched but have great rapport. I’m expecting something similar from their latest venture together, but one of the reasons I’m most excited is that the two actors will be veering away from straight romance and popping into Hallmark’s murder mystery genre.
Their new movie will be called Nelly Knows Mysteries: A Fatal Engagement. Yes, that is a bit of a mouthful, but so are most of Hallmark’s incredibly punny titles. In this case, the TV movie will follow Nelly (Hutton) who is sticking her nose where detectives should be going and will be attempting to solve the murder of her best friends’ boyfriend after a mysterious note arrives on her doorstep. Enter Michael (Hutton), the actual detective, who will no doubt be less-than-charmed by Ms. Nelly at first.
Though indubitably he'll figure out she’s worth keeping around -- sure she's super nosy, but helpful! Listen, I’ve seen one or two of these Hallmark mysteries before. Also, this officially released BTS clip basically confirms this.
The new movie is hitting the 2024 TV schedule on August 23 at 9 p.m. ET, so we won’t have too much longer to wait until the two oft-lovebirds are back on the small screen again. Though it’s worth pointing out it really hasn’t been that long since they were last on the airwaves. When Calls The Heart Season 11 only just wrapped at the end of June, with the show already renewed for Season 12 and back in production. Regardless, period dramas take some time to film, as Downton Abbey and other projects of this ilk can attest.
This is all to say, there’s more to come from Hutton and Smith. I'll just say I'd love to see another Murder Mystery series pop in the same way Aurora Teagarden or Mystery 101 did, and I’m hoping Nelly Knows might do the trick. Particularly given how many murder mysteries have been canceled by Hallmark in recent years. Tune in later this month!
