Lea Thompson Reveals Which ‘Switched at Birth’ Costar She Wants to Join ‘The Chicken Sisters’
Lea Thompson has a strong bond with her Switched at Birth costars, so much so she’d happily bring one star over to Hallmark+’s The Chicken Sisters if given the chance.
“My first [choice] would be my other kind of sister wife from Switched at Birth, Constance Marie. I love her so much,” Thompson, 63, exclusively told Us Weekly of her top pick for a possible season 2 cameo. “I think she'd be hilarious in this show.”
Thompson played Kathryn Kennish, mother of Bay (Vanessa Marano), on Freeform’s Switched at Birth. Marie, 59, portrayed Regina Vasquez, mother of Daphne (Katie Leclerc), on the drama from 2011 to 2017. On the show, Kathryn and Regina discover that they aren’t the biological mothers of their respective daughters, and their kids were switched shortly after being born.
Thompson, who has since appeared on several TV shows, noted that she’s had the “good fortune of working with so many wonderful people” throughout her career, so blending past and present shows is something she’s open to.
The actress told Us she’d also be excited to bring her Spencer Sisters castmate Stacey Farber on board for future Chicken Sisters episodes. “Stacey Farber is really another redhead in case they need another natural redhead,” Thompson teased, referring to her CW costar.
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When it comes to Hallmark+’s new scripted series, The Chicken Sisters, Thompson plays Nancy, who owns Frannie’s chicken restaurant with the help of her daughter-in-law, Amanda (Schuyler Fisk). Her rival Gus (Wendie Malick) runs Mimi’s chicken eatery and is Amanda’s mother. Gus’ other daughter, Mae (Genevieve Angelson), arrives back in town just in time to watch Nancy and Gus go head-to-head on the reality show Ultimate Kitchen Clash.
While Us Weekly visited the show’s set in Canada earlier this year, the actresses revealed their top choices for season 2 cameos — even if the series hasn’t been picked up for another year just yet.
Malick, 73, had a lot of great former castmates to choose from after starring on Frasier and Hot in Cleveland.
“I immediately thought of Enrico Colantoni, because he’s Canadian and he could actually work up here,” she told Us exclusively, referring to her former Just Shoot Me! costar, who also appeared on one episode of Hot in Cleveland. “He's also brilliant and wonderful, fabulous. He'd be great, but I'd love to have Laura San Giacomo [from that series].”
Malick noted that “it would be fun” to have Hot in Cleveland stars Jane Leeves and Valerie Bertinelli on the Hallmark+ show, calling them all “great.” (Hot in Cleveland also starred Betty White, who died in December 2021 at the age of 99.)
Angelson, meanwhile, picked her Handmaid’s Tale costar Bradley Whitford right out the gate. “Bradley Whitford would be my No. 1 choice for Chicken Sisters,” she laughed. “He’s absolutely wonderful.”
Angelson, 37, worked with Whitford, 64, on The Handmaid’s Tale in 2022. She recalled when he was directing an episode that he’d “do something to break the tension in the most insane way,” she loved.
The actress would also push for her former Flack castmate Anna Paquin to make a cameo. “My favorite sister relationship before this was with Anna,” Angelson shared. “That was also a female-driven show. I think it would be pretty funny to have all of the British actors who were on that play Southern [characters].”
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Fisk, for her part, wants “everyone” from The Baby-Sitters Club cast to stop by The Chicken Sisters set. “Bre [Blair], Larisa [Oleynik] and Rachael [Leigh Cook] are probably the ones I see the most and stay the most in touch with,” Fisk, 42, told Us. “Can we get all three of those girls on here?”
While fans will have to wait a while to see if The Chicken Sisters gets a season 2, the first season premiered on Tuesday, September 10. The show follows rival fried chicken restaurant owners as they compete on a reality TV show to determine who really has the best food. Amid the competition, the family drama surrounding Gus and her two daughters, Amanda and Mae, will bubble over.
The second episode of The Chicken Sisters drops on Hallmark+ Thursday, September 12, with new episodes set to premiere every Thursday.
