Hallmark's Bittersweet 'Chesapeake Shores' Series Finale 'Will Make You Grab a Fistful of Tissues'
The O'Briens stars exclusively talk to Parade.com about the tearful series finale.
The dramatic Chesapeake Shores series finale, dubbed "All Or Nothing At All,” on Sunday, Oct. 16, promises tearful moments.
What we can look forward to is the full-circle wedding of Mick (Treat Williams) and Megan (Barbara Niven) and the joyous arrival of Sarah (Jessica Sipos) and Kevin’s (Brendan Penny) baby boy, all part of a week of major celebration.
We'll also see how the relationship fares between Abby O’Brien (Meghan Ory) and Evan Kincaid (Robert Buckley), as well as what is in store for Margaret Keller (Mariesa Crouse) and Connor O’Brien (Andrew Francis).
As we say goodbye to Season 6, broken relationships are mended and new surprises appear around every corner in the picturesque seaside town.
The Hallmark series, which has made us want to cozy up in front of a fire for six seasons, is based on the bestselling books by Sherryl Woods.
Crouse, who plays Connor’s girlfriend and law partner Margaret, says she was quickly welcomed to the Hallmark family drama in season 5 and along with her co-stars is finding it extremely difficult to say goodbye.
“My heart is breaking slowly,” Crouse exclusively tells Parade.com. “The last days of filming were so sad. When we got to the end, it felt like we needed a little more time together before it ended. It was extremely bittersweet filming the last little bit of Chesapeake. We were all crying at the end of it.”
Francis views the final episode with a mixture of great appreciation and some sadness. "I wouldn’t say that the finale puts a tidy bow on things," he exclusively tells Parade.com. "But it definitely has a lot of sparkle and it’s a fantastic way for the show to wrap up. Watching it, I felt every emotion; I was sad, but I was so happy!"
Sipos says that the series, and the family, will not fade from view anytime soon. “I know that we are all going to miss the O’Brien family,” she exclusively tells Parade.com. “But hopefully, we’ve all taken something from them to make our lives and families that much brighter.”
Read on to hear more from Mariesa Crouse, Jessica Sipos, and Andrew Francis about why they adore the show and their characters how difficult it is to say farewell to one another and their scores of devoted fans.
Related: Get a Sneak Peek of the Chesapeake Shores Finale
Mariesa, what do you appreciate about your character Margaret, a competent, caring and ambitious new attorney?
Mariesa Crouse: I appreciate her strength and her confidence, and I appreciate how she acts. Margaret is just someone with a big heart and is always willing to help, but does it in the nicest way possible. And she doesn’t take things for granted. She’s a hard worker and will do it to the best of her ability—she just does it with so much poise.
Talk about working with Andrew Francis, who plays Margaret’s boyfriend and law partner, Connor O’Brien.
Mariesa Crouse: Andrew is awesome. We met over Zoom for my audition, so we connected through a computer screen. Then when we were in person, it just felt like we had known each other for so long.
He is so easy to talk to, he is so caring, he gave me the biggest hug right away, and he introduced me to everybody on set; he was my biggest supporter on set. There was never a moment where I wasn’t smiling. That is thanks to him, because he just kept me happy every minute we were working together.
David Astorga/Hallmark
How about the other O’Brien family members? What was it like getting to know them?
Mariesa Crouse: Oh, it was fantastic. What was funny is at our resort I would always go to the gym before my scenes or after a set day. Robert Buckley would always be in the gym, and Carlo Marks would be in the gym. Brendan Penny and [executive producer] Dan Paulson would be in the gym. Sometimes even before I had met them on set, I would meet them all in the gym. We’d all be on the treadmill running together and be like, “So how was your day at work?” and things like that. I had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with them and get to explore the island with them as well.
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How will you stay in touch with your on-screen 'second family?'
Mariesa Crouse: We all stay in close touch through social media. We all support each other through any other things that we’re doing outside of Chesapeake Shores. For example, I know that Barbara and Treat are filming, but we all send each other little text messages saying 'congratulations on this,' or we’ll send each other pictures. We keep in touch about moments where reminisce or other moments where we’re supporting each other for our next gig.
Andrew Francis: We have a group chat going. We’re constantly sending each other pictures or sending each other memes or checking up on each other. A few of our cast members have new little ones, so we’re always getting baby pictures. We keep in contact quite a bit. We’ve become almost an extended family. We call each other the second family. We not only have one big group chat but then we also have little splinter group chats, as well.
Do you have advice for viewers after they’re done with their tissues? Start over with Season 1?
Mariesa Crouse: Yes, that’s exactly what I’m going to do, so if they want to join me let’s start over from Season 1 and binge all of it. It just doesn’t feel like it should be over yet!
Related: Barbara Niven on Creating "Comfort TV" With Hallmark and Why It's Never Too Late for Love
Andrew, how does it feel to be saying goodbye to Chesapeake Shores?
Andrew Francis: It’s quite an emotional ride. It’s been an amazing seven years of creating beautiful art, getting to know amazing fans and working with a talented cast beyond my wildest dreams.
Talk about saying goodbye to Connor O’Brien.
Andrew Francis: Saying goodbye to Connor is the most difficult part. I have never had the opportunity to tell a story for so many years that changed so much. Being Connor and taking him from the younger brother with a chip on his shoulder, getting in fights with his parents, to then being someone who his siblings can lean on, who can be supportive of his mom and dad getting back together is indescribable. Being able to take that ride with him, the honor of bringing those emotions to life and getting the audience to be able to see it, I feel incredibly blessed and thankful.
David Astorga/Hallmark
Jessica said that we are all going to miss the O’Brien family, but hopefully, we’ve all taken something from them to make our lives and families that much brighter.
Andrew Francis: Yes, I completely agree with Jessica. The lessons learned on the show over these seven years will definitely stay with me and hopefully with the audience, as well. You learn that there are ups, there are downs, but a middle ground can always be found as long as there’s love. That is something that I will definitely take with me.
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Having this be the finale is definitely bittersweet.
Andrew Francis: I agree that there’s an element of bittersweetness to the ending of the Chesapeake Shores series. Bitter in the sense that it was always such a pleasure looking forward to the next year, even if it was undecided until about December or January whether actually there would be a next year. Knowing that that’s not going to be happening and I’m not going to be seeing this family that we’ve built for almost a decade, that’s a little tough.
But at the same time, it was such an unbelievable ride and we had this great gift of being able to experience 10 last amazing episodes to really tell the story of Chesapeake Shores in the way that it is supposed to be told. That is definitely the sweet part.
Are you involved in any watch parties on Sunday?
Andrew Francis: This Sunday I am going to have a few people over at my place and we’re going to watch the finale. I really love to spend my time while the show is airing connecting with the fans, so I might be a little bit antisocial when the show is actually on and just tweeting away to all of our amazing Chessies, who have been just fantastic over this run and supported us and gave us the opportunity to do what we love doing.
Hallmark has some loyal fans, especially the Chessies—can you talk about that?
Andrew Francis: I’ve taken a few trips to conventions down in the Midwest and on every plane that I’m on, at least one or two people will stop and want to talk about Connor and Chesapeake Shores. I love that opportunity because up here in Canada, it’s a little tougher to watch than it is down in the States. Getting to connect with fans face to face and talk about the show and take a picture or anything like that, I am always more than happy to do that.
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Talk about working with Mariesa.
Andrew Francis: I had an absolute blast working with Mariesa. She blew me away. She is such a present actor, such a kind spirit and such an easy person to be around that it made the transition not only smooth but I think she brought things to her character, Margaret, that no one else could have. I was blessed to have her as my acting partner for many scenes this season.
Why do Margaret and Connor make such a great couple?
Andrew Francis: When Margaret came in she not only had a compassionate heart towards Connor needing to take it easy sometimes, but she also sees Connor’s humor and she was able to kind of cut through, maybe, his showiness and find his heart. I think that’s what Margaret brought into Connor’s life that he needed the most, and that was someone who would open him up and show him what true love and what a compassionate partner really feels like.
David Astorga
How does it feel to say goodbye to Chesapeake Shores?
Jessica Sipos: It feels bittersweet. I’m so proud of everyone involved in the show and everything they’ve accomplished in more than six successful seasons. But, at the same time to not be headed back into the O’Brien house with everyone … I don’t think that realization has fully set in yet.
What are the things you will miss the most about the series?
Jessica Sipos: The camaraderie, the laughter, and just getting to play together on set. It is such a supportive team and I’m so thankful to have had Brendan Penny as my partner in crime through all these years.
What do you appreciate most about Sarah, her husband and the tight-knit O'Brien family?
Jessica Sipos: I appreciate Sarah’s tenacity. Together, she and Kevin are riding the highs and lows of life and aren’t afraid to go after what they want most! And it really does come to fruition. As for the O’Brien clan, to have their unwavering love and support is everything a family could possibly dream of. They really set the bar pretty high for what it means to be there for each other, giving freedom when it's necessary, and being close when they’re needed most.
Related: See Jess's Dress! Get Your Sneak Peek of the Chesapeake Shores Seaside Wedding
David Astorga/Hallmark
What was it like playing a pregnant Sarah?
Jessica Sipos: The positive side of playing a pregnant Sarah was that I didn’t feel the same pressure to bounce back after having given birth to my daughter four weeks prior to filming. I wouldn’t say there were any particular challenges aside from having to strap on a big belly fairly tight because I had gone through the process so recently and it was familiar territory for me.
How emotional were the birth scenes and finale for you?
Jessica Sipos: For me as an actor, it was such a fun day! Brendan and I were laughing a lot that day, the crew was happy, the sun was out, and we were eating popsicles. For Sarah, it really was happening at lightspeed, so I don’t think she really had much time to think until she delivered their beautiful baby boy. I think everything felt aligned at that moment. They’ve wanted this for so long together and there’s a lot of joy and bliss after everything they’ve gone through.
What will you take away from the show emotionally?
Jessica Sipos: I have lifelong friends from this show, and I know we are going to always be cheering each other on in both our professional and personal lives.
What should Chessies anticipate for the series finale?
Andrew Francis: I previewed the finale and I bawled my eyes out. It is the epitome of bitter but so, so, so much sweet. It was like seeing things happen that I’d wanted to see since season one. I can tell you by the end when the credits rolled, I was an absolute mess of tears.
Jessica Sipos: A whole lot of teary-eyed moments. It truly is a beautiful finale and I can’t get through the last scene without tearing up. This last episode really encapsulates everything this series is about: family, love, hopefulness, and joy. Our last episode really delivers everything fans could hope for in a sendoff!
Chesapeake Shores’ series finale airs on Hallmark Channel on Sunday, Oct. 16, at 8 p.m. ET.
Next, find out how Hallmark doubled down on diversity in their movies.