Hallmark Movies & Mysteries returns to its mystery roots this weekend courtesy of a brand-new franchise -- Chronicle Mysteries. Created and executive produced by and starring Hallmark favorite Alison Sweeney (pictured above), Chronicles follows the investigative adventures of Alex McPherson, a true-crime podcaster hot on the case of the disappearance of her childhood friend Gina DeSavio some 20 years ago. Believing Gina could still be alive, Alex enlists the aid of local newspaper editor Drew Goddard (Benjamin Ayres, pictured below), and as the duo dig deeper the scope of the mysterious disappearance widens more than either could have ever imagined. Sweeney, who took a two-year on-screen break to devise and film the first three movies in the franchise (to air over three consecutive weekends), is delighted for fans to finally see the first installment -- Chronicle Mysteries: Recovered. “I’m so proud of these movies,” Sweeney beamed during an exclusive interview with MediaVillage. “Hallmark was thrilled and loved the idea of the Alex character, and the world that I had developed. In fact, I pitched them one movie and they said, ‘How about three?’ I was like, ‘Oh gosh!’ We went from one to three, which was pretty intense, yet an awesome and crazy experience.
“Hallmark jumped in with both feet, which was so exciting,” she continued. “What I think they responded to was that it ratchets up the tension a little and offers the audience a little more [viewing] diversity. The ones you love are still there, but if you want something a little grittier, while still within the Hallmark brand of what's important to them and you can still watch with your kids, these definitely have more of an edge to them.”