[Warning: General spoilers ahead.]
Saturday night, Hannah Swensen is back for the 14th time in Best Served Cold: A Hannah Swensen Mystery. Series producer and star Alison Sweeney penned the script (her fifth) based on Joanne Fluke’s Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Murder for director Peter Benson (reteaming from March’s Sugar & Vice). This time around, the multi-track mystery follows Chad (Victor Webster) through a forgery trial that Dolores (Barbara Niven) helped gather evidence for, while Hannah is pulled into the mysterious disappearance of the DA who was actually assigned to the case before Chad was called in to pinch hit — and the murder of one of the accused in his case.
Since the film centers heavily on Chad, a character who’s not in the books, Sweeney says the script was a heavier lift, but she enjoyed the challenge. “I really had to work with that one from scratch and extrapolate because Chad is a new character and being in the courtroom that much is a bit of a divergence from [Joanne’s] stories,” she explains.
“I wanted to give Chad his moment and to have us all see what he does and be a part of his world, for once. That was a fun thing to tackle and then to weave in, because for him, the case is already in motion.”
“It was harder because it’s a lot to do at the same time. It’s normally one story. But I enjoyed it. It was really fun and there were tent pole moments that I could visualize how I wanted a scene to go. And so then I really had to work out the clues and the mystery to pull it all together. And it was a lot of fun.”
When Sweeney needs to go back to the source, she finds her Kindle copies very helpful. “We do talk to Joanne about broader points, but when it comes down to the specifics, she and I both know what she wants, and how she envisioned Hannah in her life. And she continues to write more with these books, so I just try to honor that and be true to the heart of how she saw Hannah going, and that’s the story we’re telling,” she says.
“Once I get caught up in one particular mystery and I work that through, everything else has to be removed from my brain. I cannot keep the big picture in once I’m into the nitty gritty of one specific story. Then every time I feel like I’m starting from scratch, I just go back [to the books on my Kindle] to remind myself. I’ll stop on a page and then when you open up your Kindle, it comes back to that scene. I luckily leave it right where the key moments are.”
“I love her ideas for crime scenes. I love her ideas for good suspects and motives for murder. And then she also always delivers on great little chase scenes at the end and fun reveal type moments. And those are all the little nuggets that I try to mine from the different books.”
“[With this one], I wanted to weave in a mystery for Hannah and the gang to pursue separately from what Chad is doing, and then see if I can’t bring it all back around. And that’s where Joanne’s great character development and who they are as people really lend itself to being able to push the boundaries a little bit in doing something new while still knowing that that’s exactly how Hannah would handle that situation, or how Dolores would be on the witness stand or whatever. Little moments like that. I think she’s developed these great characters who you can really see shine in other situations, too.”
Part of flipping the POV to Chad for a good section of the film means seeing beneath the calm, cool demeanor he often presents, even if that makes for a couple of awkward exchanges between the fairly new couple. “I think that is a reflection of them being fully grown adults who have their own situations and are reacting to it, but also recognizing that when you’re in a tense situation, it’s okay to be tense,” Sweeney points out.
“I think that it was also to build the story. I liked that Hannah’s normally the one who’s getting revved up as we get to the end of the movies. She’s the one who rushes into a dangerous situation. And everyone’s asking, ‘Where did she go?’ In this one, it was really more Chad who had everything on the line and is stressed out.”
“I don’t think it’s believable for the audience if he’s just so cool and calm and handles it perfectly all the time. The audience needed to feel the anxiety that he was feeling of, ‘This is my one chance to make this work and I need to pull this all together right now, and everybody needs to listen to me.’ And I wanted the audience to be with him in that pressure cooker moment.”
Sweeney is proud that 14 films in, the series still deftly navigates the tonal shifts between the central mystery and the family shenanigans, and this time there’s physical comedy, too. “I really enjoy that. That’s the other thing I love and respect about what Joanne created and what these movies have become and or even how they started when I first took the role as Hannah 14 movies ago,” she shares.
“It was this wheelhouse of just a kooky family. Barbara and I laugh about some of the jokes from the very first movie where she’s trying to get Hannah to go on a date with Norman and invites him to a family dinner. The comments I get are that the audience enjoys them.”
“The serious moments get the sincerity and the tension that they deserve, but there are moments in their lives where life happens and things are silly and Hannah ends up doing crazy things. And getting to incorporate some of that physical comedy [was fun] because I am learning to play golf in real life. Having had a golf bag almost take me down, I thought it was fun to incorporate that in the film.”
The Hallmark Christmas Experience just announced its third-year lineup, and Sweeney is thrilled to join the festivities on the second weekend, December 4 to 6. There are packages available for more exclusive content and panels, as well as general-admission free events every weekend. “I’m really, really excited to get to meet all the fans and be a part of the Christmas experience in Kansas City. Everyone talks about it. And I have just had crazy filming schedules every year in the winter, so it just never worked out for me to be able to be a part of it,” she explains.
“And then I would see all the photos from everyone else getting together all the, all the Instagram pictures of everyone having such a good time. And I would feel so jealous, like, I really want to be there and be part of the fun. So I’m really excited to be there this year. I have not filmed, past tense, [a Christmas movie this year] but we’ll see if something comes my way.”
While 14 films is a remarkable accomplishment and rarefied air in today’s cable climate, and even on Hallmark, where there are fewer mysteries and Hallmark Mystery is no longer programming originals, Sweeney has no intention of hanging up Hannah’s apron. She says the fan response to the premieres and the marathons is hugely influential whether they get to do a 15th film and beyond.
“We’re doing our best and always encouraging the fan reaction and the fan interaction on the night. We tweet and we post, and people’s comments are always about, ‘When will there be another one?’ I am not super involved in the metrics of it, but what I understand is that the Hannah Swensen fans stay with us and watch them and those marathons do really well every time,” she points out.
“That’s the secret sauce, having people watch and re-watch them and enjoy those moments and keep it alive. I just keep trying to create little moments in every movie that are fun to repeat and watch again and again, even after they know who the killer is. And so hopefully those reactions with the fans keep going and we can keep making more. I am hopeful that we will be able to make an announcement soon and celebrate with the fans in response to this one. That would be a lot of fun.”
Sweeney is a longtime advocate of pet adoption and earlier this month, she was recognized by The Helen Woodward Animal Center with its 2026 Humane Award. She was honored to be acknowledged and says the organization is remarkable in its ongoing rescue, advocacy, and education work. “It is an incredible organization that does so much good work with animals of all breeds. They have this huge property where they are rescuing all sorts of animals, helping educate kids,” she shares.
“They have a whole education center where they’re exposing kids to small animals and birds and just appreciating life and, and understanding why it’s our job to take care of these animals and to treasure them and to preserve them, and where they fall in the whole circle of life. And that we need to value that. And, and little kids need to learn to be gentle and to understand how different animals live [and behave].”
“I just thought it was so brilliant. And then they have these vets on staff that are there to help the animals that are rescued or if [they need to pull from other rescues]. They do everything and they’re spectacular. And I’m just so honored to have been recognized by them for my small part of that in comparison to what they’re doing.”
“You can go and donate and volunteer. They’re always looking for people who want to come in and just walk the dogs or be a foster parent or volunteer to help kids. You can do any part of it or just give a little something, whatever works for you. And they’re happy for it.”
Best Served Cold: A Hannah Swensen Mystery premieres Saturday, May 16th, at 8 pm/7c on Hallmark Channel and streaming on various outlets in the US. It will also be streaming the next day on Hallmark+ Here are a couple of sneak peeks.
Photos and videos courtesy of Hallmark Media.
