Hallmark CEO Wonya Lucas breaks silence on Mystery 101 cancellation as angry fans beg for movie fran
HALLMARK President and CEO Wonya Lucas has opened up about the recent cancellation of the company's beloved movie franchise, Mystery 101, in an exclusive interview with The U.S. Sun.
The Hallmark Movies & Mysteries film series, which starred Kris Polaha and Jill Wagner, was officially canceled in April.
The Mystery 101 franchise, which followed English professor Amy (Jill) and detective Travis (Kris) as they paired up to solve crimes, premiered in 2019 and aired its final installment in late 2021.
As the final film (movie number seven), titled Deadly History, ended on a major cliffhanger, fans had been not-so-patiently waiting for the next chapter of the story.
After some time passed without news, Hallmark’s Facebook account was bombarded in April with questions about the future of the series, after the network posted about a Mystery 101 marathon.
“We loved making Mystery 101 and we’re so glad you enjoyed sleuthing along with us,” the network revealed in response to one commenter.
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They added: “We want to let you know that our talented sleuths have solved the last mystery and are off the case.”
After fans heard the news of the franchise’s cancellation, they immediately began begging the network to reconsider.
A week after the announcement, The U.S. Sun spoke with Hallmark president Wonya about it on the Broadcasting + Cable Hall of Fame ceremony red carpet.
The CEO, who started in the role in July 2020, after Bill Abbott exited the position earlier that year, was asked about the news, as well as what the network is currently working on.
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“Well, we hadn’t done it in a long, long time, right? And we just brought the mysteries back. So, we’re just looking at mysteries a little differently now,” she said.
Wonya added: “We’re taking some- We’ve created some new mysteries, in addition to some that we’ve had in the past. So, it’s just an evolution of our mysteries. We’re just doing a lot of new things.”
In some positive news for fans of older franchises, the CEO assured that the network is still working on “bringing back Signed, Sealed, Delivered.”
“We’re pretty excited about that,” she said, before giving the franchise’s fandom, POstables, a shout-out.
“I will tell you, the POstables are alive and well,” Wonya told The U.S. Sun. “They send me notes, they send me pictures, every time I go to my office, they’re there."
She added: "So, we are really listening to our fans and leaning into the fandom.”
Now, passionate Mystery 101 viewers have continued to campaign for the return of their beloved movie series, with many even flooding Hallmark Movies & Mysteries’ Twitter with comments on Friday.
The network’s official account asked followers: “Name a Hallmark Mystery that you'd describe as ’10/10, no notes’”
Fans took this as an opportunity to once again share their love of Jill and Kris’ Mystery 101 and request at least one more movie to help wrap up the cliffhanger of the last film.
One follower quickly replied: “Mystery 101 of course.”
A second wrote: “The Mystery 101 series. I’m so sad it ended and how it ended…Wish we would have had a proper end.”
A third fan said: “The Mystery 101 series, that ending of the last movie made my jaw hit the floor. I can’t believe that it was cancelled.”
“Why did you cancel all these great shows is the big question,” another begged to know. “Most of these had some very good chemistry between the lead actors.”
While Mystery 101 has come to an end, one of the new Hallmark Movies & Mysteries projects the Hallmark CEO teased has its premiere Friday night.
The film is a prequel to Candace Cameron Bure’s long-running Aurora Teagarden series.
The former Hallmark star left the network last year and moved over to Great American Family, effectively ending her run as the titular sleuth of the beloved HM&M franchise, which began in 2015.
Instead of recasting the present-day version of her character, Hallmark decided to continue the series with a prequel film, focused on a younger Aurora.
The Gifted actress Skyler Samuels has been tapped for the role, with Spinning Out actor Evan Roderick starring opposite her.
Titled Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: Something New, the flick premieres on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries on Friday (June 9) at 9pm.
“Post-college, Young Aurora Teagarden (Skyler) finds herself back home near her mother, Aida (Marilu Henner) in Lawrenceton to pursue her grad degree,” a network press release shared of the synopsis.
The release continued of the film’s premise: “Working as a teacher’s assistant in a crime fiction class, Aurora is struggling to settle on a thesis.
“To support her schooling and life, Aurora also waitresses at the local diner at night, where she shares her love of researching true crime with her friend Sally, who is set to be married, and police officer Arthur (Evan).
“When Sally’s fiancé doesn’t show up at the wedding rehearsal, Maid of Honor Aurora gets Arthur to help her search for him.
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“When they discover a body, everyone assumes it is Sally’s tardy groom, but when it turns out to be someone else, Sally’s fiancé becomes the main suspect.”
While this movie marks The Nine Lives of Chloe King alum Skyler’s Hallmark debut, her co-star Evan has been in a few for the company, including A Tale of Two Christmases and Autumn in the City.
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