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

Monday, November 24

Everybody Loves Raymond: 30th Anniversary Reunion (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Hosted by Emmy Award-winning actor Ray Romano and series creator Phil Rosenthal and featuring cast members Brad Garrett, Patricia Heaton, Monica Horan, Madylin Sweeten and Sullivan Sweeten, this new entertainment special celebrates the legacy of the hit comedy with one of television's most beloved families.

DMV - "There Is No I in DMV" (CBS, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Barb takes the team on a field trip to the rival North Hollywood branch to learn the secrets of their success. She begins to doubt herself after meeting their charismatic manager, Beau (Randall Park). Meanwhile, Gregg and Vic get in Colette’s head that Noa prefers risk-takers.

St. Denis Medical - "A Strong Cup of Coffee" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Alex is eager to impress her old charge nurse, Pam, who comes back to St. Denis; Serena and Matt try to solve a patient's mystery illness.

The Paper - "Buddy and the Dude" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Ned tags along on Mare's consumer sting story after Esmeralda tells him a bunch of things that get in his head; Oscar has to stick his neck out in a budget meeting; Detrick and Nicole play two truths and a lie until it blows up.

TV We Love - "Cheers" (The CW, 9:00PM ET/PT)
A look back at the Boston bar "where everybody knows your name," with cast and creators of "Cheers" sharing the spark that made it one of TV's greatest comedies.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of November 24)

Monday, November 24

Jim Gaffigan (The Jim Gaffigan Show/My Boys/The Ellen Show/Welcome to New York) - Watch Jim on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC. Tamron Hall has A DAYTIME EXCLUSIVE with Jim, a superstar who has taken everyday life and turned it into something unforgettable, so check your local listings. He joins the Tam Fam to talk about his brand-new special Live from the Old Forester: The Bourbon Set, which was filmed live on Louisvilles Whiskey Row, as well as parenting his five kids and more.
Daniel Radcliffe (Miracle Workers) - Daniel appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. He also talks about Merrily We Roll Along on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Taran Killam (Stumble/Single Parents) - Taran is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Brenda Song (Running Point/Dollface/Dads/The Suite Life on Deck/The Suite Life of Zack & Cody) - Brenda sits down with ABC News’ Will Ganss on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
Sherri Shepherd (Mr. Iglesias/Trial & Error/Sherri/Less Than Perfect/Suddenly Susan) - Sherri chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Ke Huy Quan (Head of the Class/Together We Stand) - Ke stops by to talk Disney's Zootopia 2 on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
Laurie Metcalf (The Conners/Roseanne/The McCarthys/The Norm Show) - Laurie drops by the studio to talk Little Bear Ridge Road on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
Hank Azaria (The Simpsons/Brockmire/Free Agents/Herman's Head) - NBC's Today catches up with Hank in the 9am hour.
Lunell (Crutch/Lopez) - Luenell tells Sherri about her role on Tracy Morgan's new Paramount+ show Crutch on Sherri, so check your local listings.
Jake Lacy (High Fidelity/The Office/Better with You) - Jake talks about Peacock's All Her Fault on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.