‘Reality Bites: A Hannah Swensen Mystery’
Category: Television and Streaming
Alison Sweeney returns for another Hannah Swensen Mystery on Hallmark Mystery (and Hallmark+). This time her bakery is involved in a murder.
When a famous chef comes to town to film an episode of her popular cooking show, Hannah is ecstatic. She has been a fan of the show for years. And when The Cookie Jar is selected to be the location of the shoot, well, that excites Hannah even more. And the cherry on top, no pun intended, is that Hannah is invited to help on the show – in the background.
This news also excites her mother Delores (Barbara Niven) who is a sleuth/actress and prides herself on knowing about the film industry. Well, to a certain extent.
In the meantime, District Attorney Chad (Victor Webster) is about to go to trial on a big case that will put the serial jewel thief in prison for a long time. Needless to say, Delores is happy about this as she has been afraid her precious jewels will fall prey to the thief.
Things are going all right for all of them until one of the crew is found murdered in the bakery. Hannah inserts herself as usual in the investigation. After all, it did happen in her bakery and she was acquainted with the victim.
Norman (Gabriel Hogan) joins in the investigation as the gang go to work finding clues to who killed this person and why. In this episode Norman gets to put his dentistry skills to use while also helping Hannah solve the murder.
Fans of the show know there is an attraction between Hannah and Chad, however to date they have skirted around their affection for each other. It looks like they are getting closer to a first date, but in not this episode. Perhaps they will take the next step in the next movie. For now their mutual respect and attraction is kept at bay, although cracks are showing in their platonic relationship.
Chad invites Hannah to court to watch his opening statement to the jury, which is something intriguing to her as she sees his talent up close and personal.
Also back in this movie are police detective Lonny (Daylin Willis) and Hannah’s sister Michelle (Tess Atkins).
This is another fun mystery with the usual cute interactions between the entire cast. This group is entertaining even without a mystery to solve.
Reality Bites: A Hannah Swensen Mystery premieres February 6, 2025 on Hallmark Mystery and will be available the following day to stream on Hallmark+. Also, viewers can catch up on past movies in this fan-favorite series.
About the Author
Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 30 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County, and has her own TV show, Beyond the Red Carpet, on Village Television in Orange County. She is a longstanding member of the Television Critics Association and is accredited by the MPAA.
Image courtesy: Hallmark/Crown Media