Lori Loughlin’s return to the Hallmark Channel has brought a series of welcome reunions. The latest arrives with tonight’s new movie, Garage Sale Mysteries: Murder Takes the Stage.
Loughlin first stepped into the role of bargain hunter and amateur sleuth Jennifer Shannon in 2013’s Garage Sale Mystery. Since then, she has led 16 additional Garage Sale Mysteries movies, including Murder Takes the Stage. In the newest installment, a murder disrupts Jennifer’s true-crime book club as its members reenact the notorious Borden murders.
“It felt familiar, and it felt like coming home,” Loughlin said of returning to the franchise and reuniting with castmates including Sarah Strange and Kevin O’Grady.
The film’s central mystery arrives at an especially timely moment, following the release of Ryan Murphy’s Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story on Netflix earlier this week. Loughlin said the overlap was entirely coincidental.
“We had no idea,” she said. “But that’s exciting. I love all of Ryan Murphy’s stuff. I love Ryan and I think he’s a really nice man, too.”
Hallmark viewers have also enjoyed Loughlin’s return as Abigail Stanton in the popular period romance When Calls the Heart. In an interview conducted just days before Hallmark announced its 17th annual Countdown to Christmas schedule, the actress discussed her long-awaited Garage Sale Mysteries comeback, Abigail’s Season 14 storyline, and her upcoming holiday movie What If Christmas, in which she co-stars with Tom Cavanagh.
DECIDER: How familiar were you with the Borden murders before filming this installment of Garage Sale Mysteries?
LORI LOUGHLIN: Not very familiar. Like most people, I knew the childhood rhyme: “Lizzie Borden gave her mother 40 whacks, gave her her father 41.” I knew that part, of course, but I didn’t know much about the actual case. I was surprised to learn about the jewelry and other details I had never heard before. Some of those facts really make you stop and think, “Hmm.” It was fascinating to discover more about the story.
After filming this movie, have you been swayed one way or another as to whether or not Lizzie was guilty?
Oh goodness. It’s one of those mysteries where you think, “I don’t know. It could go either way.” That’s Jennifer Shannon’s view, too. She’s a real mystery enthusiast, and even she can only say, “I just don’t know.” There are compelling arguments on both sides, and either one could make a convincing case.
This installment of Garage Sale Mysteries is timed extremely well. The new Monster installment on Netflix, Ryan Murphy’s series about Lizzie Borden, came out this week.
Oh my goodness, that was completely coincidental! [Laughs] We had no idea. But it’s exciting. I love everything Ryan Murphy does. I love Ryan, and I also think he’s a really nice man.
What do you think it is about this case that’s worth revisiting in both Garage Sale Mysteries and Monster?
Perhaps it’s because the evidence allows people to argue both sides. Lizzie was not found guilty, and more than a century later, people are still trying to understand what happened. If she was responsible, what was her motive? That uncertainty may be the reason the case continues to fascinate people. As Jennifer says in Garage Sale [Mysteries], “You can’t figure it out.” It’s genuinely perplexing.
This movie marks your 17th Garage Sale Mysteries film. What do you think it is about this franchise that has made it such a lasting success?
I also think Jennifer’s marriage to Jason, played by Steve Bacic, resonates with viewers. It isn’t portrayed as perfect, but it’s clear they belong together. Their relationship is built on trust and love, and that family dynamic adds another warm element to the series. Ultimately, it’s the combination of the ensemble, the characters’ relationships and the creative mystery plots that has made the show work so well.
What was it like to return to the role of Jennifer Shannon after so long? Did you have any adjusting to do, or did it feel as natural as the last time you got to film?
We had worked with some of the directors before, but this time Paula Elle came on board, and she was phenomenal. She brought so much enthusiasm to the production, and that energy spread through the cast and crew. There was a real sense of excitement about being back, but nothing felt unfamiliar. It felt comfortable—like coming home.
That’s so special. You mentioned reuniting with the cast. I know that Sarah Strange also returns to the Garage Sale Mysteries franchise. She’s been with you since the first movie.
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Yeah!
What was it like to have this reunion?
It was so beautiful, like just so heartwarming and beautiful. I guess it would be like if you had a dear friend and it’s been quite a bit of time since you could actually see them. I stayed in touch with them over the years. But I live in LA, they live in Canada. So Sarah and I would text. Actually, Kevin O’Grady and I would text each other a lot and when Kevin came out to California, I’d meet up with him for lunch or whatnot. But just reuniting with them was, like I said, like going home. It was just like when you see your family members or your friends that are near and dear to you, and especially if you haven’t seen them in a while. You ever have that friend where maybe you don’t talk all the time, but then when you see each other, you just reconnect and it’s like, you never missed a beat? That’s what it felt like.
Given that this is a murder mystery, were you given the entire script at once? Were you aware who the killer was? How did you react to this ending?
I’m a producer on it, so I was there as we developed it and I was working with producers and people from the network and the writer. We were given an outline first. So I knew the outline. It goes in steps. They pitch the idea, then you get an outline, then you get a little more detailed in the outline, and so it’s all a bit of a process. So by the time I read the script, I knew the basic plot line. Now we were delving into the characters and keeping the characters true to who they are, making sure their voices were accurate, and so it’s a process. I love being part of that process from the ground up. I think it’s really exciting.
And still in the realm of Hallmark, you also return to the fan-favorite series, When Calls the Heart as Abigail Stanton, and you’re also said to appear in some Season 14 episodes. Can you tease any status update on the new season or what Abigail’s story might look like next season?
I don’t want to give too much away. I will say Abigail returns to town and she has a secret when she shows up, and she doesn’t — it takes a little while before she divulges that to Elizabeth (Erin Krakow). So she enters with a little bit of mystery, which I really liked because it’s not typical Abigail. So, in many ways, it’s Abigail. She’s home again. She’s reconnecting and she’s finding her footing in Hope Valley again. But then there’s also something that’s going on in her life that she hasn’t completely revealed to people in the town, especially Elizabeth.
What excited you most about your return to Hope Valley?
Oh my gosh, seeing my cast mates and being reunited with all of them, like that is just, was such a dream come true, and then our writer Joy [Gregory] is just wonderful. I think all the stories have been very interesting, very entertaining. We have dramatic, we have fun, we have silly, we have romantic. She’s covering all bases and she’s doing such a great job.
I have to ask—being that this is Hallmark, do you potentially have any Christmas movies on the horizon, or could we see you pop up in one in the future?
I do! I have the most, I think, delightful Christmas movie coming out in [October]. We already shot it. I did it with Tom Cavanagh, who is a dream come true. I can’t say enough wonderful things about Tom Cavanagh. He’s just a delightful, funny, fantastic actor. This one is close to me because I have a friend of mine, Kara, who’s a writer. I was looking for a project about four years ago, maybe even longer, for another network before I went back to Hallmark. I said to her, “I know you have something hiding in your closet somewhere.” And she said, “Well, I do have this one script, but it’s written for a younger couple.” And I said, “Would you send it to me?” I read it, and I was like, “Okay, there’s a story here.” I started developing that and then it never came to fruition with the other network. But it was always kind of still in my mind. I was always like, “I’d love to get this made.” And then when everything came together with Hallmark again and they wanted to do a Christmas movie, I called Brad Krevoy who produces When Calls the Heart and produces a lot of stuff for Hallmark, an independent producer. He was the one I was working with on this Christmas idea. I called him up and I said, “How about we we pitch this idea to them?” I said, “I know the script needs some work.” So we did, and Kara did a lovely job. Then they had another writer come in and really polish it up and make some changes, and it just all came together and I I really like it. I think it’s different too for Hallmark. I mean, it definitely follows the Christmas mode, but it’s a little bit of unique. That’s all I’ll say. It’s fun though. It’s very heartwarming and I’m so happy we got it made, and I think the audience will like it…
I’m really excited.
I hope!
At DECIDER, we’re a website that’s dedicated to all things streaming. Do you have any shows or movies that you’re watching right now?
Oh! Yes, I’m watching The Pitt. I just started watching Furious. I’m a huge fan of The Diplomat. I like Lioness, Landman, The Madison. I love all things Taylor Sheridan. It’s funny, we’re doing the Borden murder[s] for Garage Sale [Mysteries], but Ryan Murphy has a new show coming out, so I’m anxiously awaiting to see that.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Garage Sale Mysteries: Murder Takes the Stage premieres tonight at 8 p.m. on Hallmark Channel, with next-day streaming available on Hallmark+.