The first season of Hallmark’s holiday series Mistletoe Murders aired in October on the channel (after getting a Hallmark+ premiere last year), and now we’re already getting a second season of the cozy mystery series. The show stars Sarah Drew as Emily Lane, the owner of a small-town Christmas shop who solves murders in her spare time. While the show is essentially a murder-of-the-week style series, there’s also a deeper mystery throughout the series about Emily’s past and a shadowy group that’s tracking her known as Chimera, that will keep you wondering what she’s hiding and how much danger she’ll be in if they find her.
Opening Shot: In the final moments of season one of Mistletoe Murders, it seemed like Emily and Detective Sam Wilner (Peter Mooney) might finally get together, the culmination of a season-ling flirtation. But then Sam gets a phone call that proves what he suspected all along, that Emily is hiding a secret about her past. When Sam confronts Emily, she explains that she can’t tell him who she really is. Season two picks up in the midst of this conversation as Emily explains she can’t tell Sam anything about her true identity. “Please,” she says brusquely. “I can’t.” “Can’t? Or won’t?” he replies.
The Gist: After Emily and Sam’s argument, the show picks up 11 months later. The two haven’t spoken much but are reunited when Mr. Henley, a local high school teacher and chess coach, abruptly disappears. Sam’s daughter Violet has a crush on one of the members of the chess team, Kyle, and has let Emily know about Mr. Henley’s mysterious absence. Nosy Emily starts looking into the disappearance, to Sam’s disapproval. It’s clear he’s still hurt by the fact that Emily is withholding information from him, but he’s also the actual police and he doesn’t appreciate her sniffing around when he’s got things handled. (Or so he thinks.)
Sam may not know the specifics about Emily’s past, but what he does understand is that she is potentially in danger as a result of whatever, or whoever, is after her. So it’s not just annoying that she keeps butting into his investigation, but he realizes that wherever she is, there’s a chance that danger might follow – and since Violet has a special bond with Emily and the two are often together, it concerns him. (Instead of communicating this, he tends to just gruffly act out against Emily, a manifestation of the hurt he feels that she can’t tell him her truth.)
When Mr. Henley’s body is discovered (poured into newly laid concrete in the school’s basement), things get real. Worse still, Violet’s crush, Kyle, is seen on security footage engaged in a fight with Mr. Henley before his death, and Sam immediately assumes that he had something to do with it.
Photo: Peter Stranks/Hallmark
What Shows Will It Remind You Of? It’s hard not to draw comparisons to the classic small-town murder mystery series Murder, She Wrote. In fact, this show is so fond of its predecessor that the town where it takes place is called Fletcher’s Grove, a nod to Angela Lansbury’s character, Jessica Fletcher.
Our Take: Mistletoe Murders, which is created by Ken Cuperus and based on the podcast of the same name that Cuperus developed, is edgier than most other programming on Hallmark, and that serves it well. (That translates into a slightly more PG-13 vibe at times; the language can be coarser than what you’re used to, and the kissing is surprisingly passionate, with tongue. I’m not a prude, guys, just the messenger.) That edginess makes the show stand out and allows it a little more breathing room to actually create tension and danger at times as Emily investigates the crimes she uncovers. While there are other murder mysteries on the channel, none that I’ve seen have gone so far as to bury a body in concrete.
While you could pick up and start watching the show starting with season two if you’re just looking for a weekly murder mystery, I strongly advise against that. The show has established key relationships and details about Emily’s backstory which were revealed in season 1, which means it will be a much more satisfying viewing experience if you’ve seen those and are up to speed. As with the previous season, there’s one murder every two episodes, so there are three cases to solve per season in addition to the underlying mystery of Emily’s shadowy past, and Cuperus is a talented storyteller, weaving it all together. This season we see flashbacks of Emily as a teen – going by the name Grace – which offer even more insight (and mystery) into how she ended up where she did. The show certainly knows how stretch the plot, moving at a deliberately slow place, but that’s also what makes it so addictive. (And there’s also the fact that you just want Sam and Emily to get together.)
Photo: Hallmark
Parting Shot: Moments after Kyle asks Violet to the school dance, Sam interrupts He tells Kyle that he’s wanted for questioning into the death or Tim Henley.
Performance Worth Watching: It’s hard to believe that Mistletoe Murders is Sierra Marilyn Riley’s first onscreen role. The actress who plays Violet has a warm, sunny presence and helps offset the show’s grim murder-y themes.
Memorable Dialogue: “I’m trying to stay calm but once again, you’ve Emily’d your way into my investigation,” Sam tells Emily when he angrily wonders why she keeps turning up at the local high school and prying into Mr. Henley’s disappearance.
Our Call: Mistletoe Murders is a well-acted, captivating mystery show whose biggest flaw is the fact that it only comes out once a year. STREAM IT!
Liz Kocan is a pop culture writer living in Massachusetts. Her biggest claim to fame is the time she won on the game show Chain Reaction.
