Lea Thompson: Hallmark's 'Chicken Sisters' is 'comfort TV'

NEW YORK, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- Lea Thompson says she sees her new Hallmark dramedy, The Chicken Sisters, as a welcoming respite from a tumultuous real world.

The adaptation of KJ Dell'Antonia's novel follows the owners of competing chicken restaurants as they try to hash out once and for all whose restaurant is better when a TV cooking show comes to their small southern town.

It premieres Tuesday on the new Hallmark+ streaming service and co-stars Schuyler Fisk, Genevieve Angelson and Wendie Malick.

"I've spent a lot of time on Hallmark TV in my life. I know all the fans and I know how people really appreciate being able to know that nothing really horrible is going to happen [and] that they are going to see some romance," Thompson, 63, told UPI in a recent Zoom interview.

"They can all watch as a family and that it's comforting," the Back to the Future, Some Kind of Wonderful and Caroline in the City icon said. "It's comfort TV and I'm all for that."

Orange County and Snow Day actress Fisk, 42, agreed with Thompson's sentiment.

"It's a really nice place to to dive into, to sort of escape, in a way," added Fisk, who is the daughter of Oscar-winning actress Sissy Spacek. "It also deals with real issues and things that we all can identify with, but it is light-hearted. It feels good. It's like a nice break from everything else that's going on."

The series deals with universal themes, such as grief, long-simmering grudges, conflicts between parents and children, and unrealized dreams.

"I also love the idea that in this difficult time, you can watch something that talks about, how as different as we all are, we all share the same values," Thompson said.

"We want our families to be healthy and happy," she added. "We want the same things: love, safety, fun, to just get along in life and raise our families and have great friends. That's what feels fun about doing this kind of a show. There's nothing that's going to be shocking and upsetting."

Thompson plays Nancy, a widow who runs Frannie's restaurant with her son, Frank (James Kot), and daughter-in-law Amanda (Fisk).

Nearby, Mimi's is owned by Amanda's estranged mother, Gus (Malick), and sister Mae (Angelson).

"My husband's passed away, and I was always kind of like the girl behind the guy, so I'm trying to push my son forward to take over, but he's not quite ready," Thompson said.

"I have to kind of step into my own power for the first time in my life, so I thought that was a really interesting character to play."

Amanda also is at a crossroads, having jeopardized her relationship with her own family to join Frank's, but now realizing he might not have been worth it.

"I grew up in another chicken restaurant, run by my mother and our family for generations, which is [Frannie's] rival," Fisk said.

"I loved playing Amanda because she is at such an interesting place of self-discovery at a little bit of a later age in her life. She's figuring out who she is and what she wants and what makes her happy and there's a lot going on.

"The reality show comes to town and sort of shines the magnifying glass on all the little, tiny cracks in her life."

Thompson said she thinks the arrival of the reality show crew ratchets up the tension and drives the action in the story.

"That's such a great catalyst for bringing out the worst in people," she said. "It makes us all kind of change and re-examine who we are, and it just stirs up the pot in quite a beautiful way."

There is a down-side to this intrusive spotlight, too, however, Fisk said.

"You don't realize how every little thing you say can be used against you again," she said with a laugh. "You're like, 'Wait, no!' You're always having to justify yourself."

Thompson and Fisk said they enjoyed being part of a project with four strong lead female led by showrunner Annie Mebane and based on a book written by a woman.

"What a gift to have four strong female leads of the show, and Annie is so amazing," Fisk said.

"She's so brilliant. She did such a beautiful job adapting this," she added. "It's incredible how she was able to really weave so much of the book into the show, but in a way that feels so seamless, but it is different."

Thompson added, "She has a really unique talent for being able to keep all these characters alive in her brain and do them all justice."

"She's very, very talented," she said of Mebane. "She is a joy to work with, as are all the writers and all the lovely actors who play the smaller parts."