Hallmark Movies & Mysteries to Rebrand as Hallmark Mystery; Fox Renews Animal Control for Season 3 Ahead of Season 2 Launch

Wednesday, February 07, 2024

Hallmark Movies & Mysteries to Rebrand as Hallmark Mystery; Fox Renews Animal Control for Season 3 Ahead of Season 2 Launch

Hallmark Media announced as part of the TCA Winter Press Tour that Hallmark Movies & Mysteries will rebrand to Hallmark Mystery on March 6, debuting a fresh, new on-air look, while continuing to provide the captivating, cozy mysteries that audiences know and love. This year, the network is home to a record number of all-new and returning mystery series, including its first historical mystery Gilded Newport Mysteries: Murder at the Breakers starring Ali Skovbye (Firefly Lane), Danny Griffin (Fate: The Winx Saga), and Nathan Witte (Cut, Color, Murder); CrimeTime: Freefall starring Lyndie Greenwood (Nikita) and Luke Macfarlane (Platonic); and the next installments of popular franchises like Hannah Swensen Mysteries, The Cases of Mystery Lane, and many more. Aimee Garcia (Lucifer) and Paul Campbell (Three Wise Men and a Baby) will return to star in The Cases of Mystery Lane: Death is Listening, the second movie in the fan-favorite, The Cases of Mystery Lane franchise. The second movie is set to start production this month to premiere later this year.

In addition, Hallmark Drama will become Hallmark Family on February 28. The network spotlights timeless storytelling for the whole family centered around faith, love, and community.

Animal Control

Fox Entertainment has renewed the workplace comedy Animal Control, starring Emmy Award nominee Joel McHale, for a third season. The single-camera show, Fox's first wholly owned live-action comedy, launched last year as the network's most-streamed debut ever, and will debut its second season on Wednesday, March 6 (9:00-9:30 ET/PT). Created by Bob Fisher, Rob Greenberg and Dan Sterling, with Tad Quill serving as showrunner, Animal Control follows a group of local Animal Control workers whose lives are complicated by the fact that animals are simple, but humans are not. McHale stars as Frank, an opinionated, eccentric Animal Control officer who may not have gone to college but is still the most well-read person in the room. A former cop, Frank tried to expose corruption in his department, but his efforts got him fired, which may explain why he's so cynical and curmudgeonly. He has an almost superhuman ability to understand animals. Humans...not so much. In addition to McHale, the comedy stars Michael Rowland as Fred "Shred" Taylor, Vella Lovell as Emily Price, Ravi Patel as Amit Patel, Grace Palmer as Victoria Sands and Gerry Dee recurs as Templeton Dudge. Season two ushers in mating season - for both the animals and the officers who protect them. Upcoming season two guest stars include Ken Jeong as expert (and unhinged) dog trainer Roman Park, Sarah Chalke as Yazmin, a love interest from Frank's past, and Krystal Smith in the recurring role of Bettany, Emily's tenacious, tough, sometimes frightening assistant.

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Friday, August 8

Happy's Place - "Don't Sweat It" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Bobbie asks Isabella to move in with her, but when Isabella sees that Bobbie likes to address conflict head on, Isabella decides it might not be the best idea.

Happy's Place - "Dear Jack" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Bobbie catches Isabella doing a slow-fade breakup with her long-distance boyfriend, she convinces her to send a Dear John letter; Steve brings in a review praising Chef Emmett's cooking and acknowledging the tavern's bartender, "Abby."

Electric Bloom - "How It All Came Out in the Wash" (Disney Channel, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Jade and Posey experience opposite feelings about their first crushes. Meanwhile, Tulip discovers an exciting new talent.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of August 4)

Friday, August 8

Anthony Anderson (black-ish/Guys with Kids/All About the Andersons) - Anthony guest hosts a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Renée Rapp (The Sex Lives of College Girls) - Renée appears on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Pamela Anderson (Stacked/Home Improvement) - Pamela is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Marc Maron (GLOW/Maron) - Marc appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Gillian Jacobs (Love/Community) and Paul F. Tompkins (The Great North/BoJack Horseman/DAG) - Gillian and Paul are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
Steve Buscemi (Miracle Workers) - Steve talks about Wednesday on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
Kelsey Grammer (Frasier/Partners/Hank/Back to You/Cheers) - Kelsey talks about his book Karen: A Brother Remembers on The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Katie Lowes (How We Roll) - Katie is a guest on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
The Jonas Brothers (Jonas/Jonas LA) - The Jonas Brothers perform in the Citi Concert Series on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
Christopher Lloyd (Taxi/Stacked) - NBC's Today catches up with Christopher in the 9am hour.
Matt Rogers (No Good Deed/I Love That for You) - Matt co-hosts NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Tony Hale (Veep/Arrested Development) - Tony talks about Sketch on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Oliver Hudson (Splitting Up Together/Rules of Engagement/My Guide to Becoming a Rock Star) - Oliver is a guest on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/Café Americain/Sydney/One Day at a Time) - Valerie appears on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Jack McBrayer (30 Rock) - Jack talks about HGTV's Zillow Gone Wild on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.