Great American Family Launches Great American Mysteries, Candace Cameron Bure to Lead First Whodunnit Franchise
Candace Cameron Bure is no longer solving mysteries as Aurora Teagarden. Now, she’s Ainsley McGregor.
On Tuesday, Great American Family announced they will soon launch Great American Mysteries — following closely in the footsteps of Hallmark, which also has Hallmark Movies & Mysteries under its umbrella. GAF’s first mystery film franchise will be “Ainsley McGregor Mysteries: A Case for the Winemaker,” starring Bure, Aaron Ashmore and BJ Harrison. The series will be adapted from Candace Havens’ book of the same name.
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Great American Mysteries will feature “thrilling whodunnits featuring beloved Great American Family stars and the network will announce more new original mystery movie series in the next few weeks,” per Tuesday’s press release. President and CEO of Great American Media Bill Abbott added, “We are thrilled to be in the business of telling fun, light-hearted stories featuring great characters, strong stories and a fun side of the mystery genre that fits perfectly with our licensed series strategy. Our cozy mysteries are crafted in the heritage of the classic storytelling that has evolved since Agatha Christie coined the term in the 1930s and set the stage for one of the most popular genres of entertainment.”
Bure, who left Hallmark Channel in 2022 to join Abbott at Great American Media as both an actor, producer and chief creative officer, previously led “The Aurora Teagarden Mysteries” film series, starring in all 18 movies.
“There’s nothing more exciting for me than being back in the cozy mystery genre. Mysteries are so fun to watch and to try to solve,” Bure said in a statement. “I hope our faithful fans and audiences fall in love with the townspeople of Sweet River, Texas and Ainsley McGregor’s keen eye for solving mysteries. In this next-level mystery series, the family dynamics and developing relationships alone should keep you coming back for more.”
Per the official synopsis, the new franchise follows “a former Chicago criminologist who returns to her hometown of Sweet River, Texas. She has chosen to trade full-time crime work to open Bless Your Arts, a market for artisans to sell crafts and wares. But Ainsley cannot deny her first love is crime solving and accepts a position teaching a criminology class at the local community college. Her skills quickly become a major asset to the quaint town, when a murder occurs at a winery owned by her friend, who now stands accused of the crime. The Sweet River Sheriff, who just happens to be Ainsley’s brother, Ryan, wants her to stay out of the investigation. But Ainsley knows the pieces of this puzzle do not fit. To help her friend and with the unexpected assistance from some goodhearted local busybodies – Ainsley McGregor is back on the case.”
Executive producers include Bure, Ford Englerth, Jeffery Brooks, Eric Jarboe, Holly A. Hines, Gerald Webb, Martin Wood, Jim Head, and Trevor McWhinney. Supervising producers include Catherine Kretz and Michael Shepard with Jonathan Shore and Doran S. Chandler serving as associate producers and Costa Vassoss as producer. Martin Wood directs the screenplay adapted by Jim Head.
“The Ainsley McGregor Mysteries: A Case for the Winemaker” is a Syrup Studios production in association with Bure’s Candy Rock Entertainment.
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