These past few weeks, Hallmark has been airing a cozy Christmas-themed murder mystery series you should be watching. Mistletoe Murders is an adaptation of the Audible series of the same name, which recognized two of the most popular genres – murder mysteries and Christmas – and turned them into one bingeable series.
Grey's Anatomy star Sarah Drew plays the lead, Emily Lane, a mysterious woman who arrives in Fletcher's Grove (yes, it is a homage to the TV character Jessica Fletcher from the series Murder, She Wrote) and opens her own Christmas shop.
Season one saw her solve various murders – accompanied by the town's detective, and single dad, Sam Wilner – but brewing in the background was Emily's own story, as it became clear she was on the run from someone – or something – and was keeping her own secrets.
Season two expanded on Emily's backstory, and in the finale, available on Hallmark+ now, fans finally discovered the truth of Emily's history. But why has this genre of "cosy murder mystery" become so popular? It exploded around 2022, thanks to the success of Richard Osman's The Thursday Murder Club – one of the fastest-selling adult crime debuts since records began – although Joanne Fluke began writing her hugely popular cozy mystery series, with lead character Hannah Swensen; Hallmark began adapting Joanne's series into films in 2015.
Sarah believes the rise in its popularity can be placed solely on the uncertain world we live in right now. "In these stories, you start in a state of disarray and brokenness, then you take an emotional journey with many twists, and then you come to a resolution: The good guy goes free, justice is served, or healing happens in the family, or two people fall in love," says Sarah.
"Especially the world that we live in right now, where everything is in limbo, and there's no certainty whatsoever, we cling to something that gives us hope. We're so desperate for it, and that's what makes Mistletoe Murders magic in a bottle."
Sarah would know, sharing that she watches "a lot" of TV and movies in this genre and describing Mistletoe Murders as a mix of "Veronica Mars and some Alias, and all tied up in a Christmas bow!"
"I really love the larger mystery that plays over the course of the show: Who is Emily Lane? Was she good? Was she bad? What is she running from? What's really beautiful about this show is that it's procedural, but totally character driven," says Sarah, who adds that he duality between Emily's public persona and her true self, which the audience gets via voiceover, "is an interesting tightrope to walk as an actor."
Sarah has known the backstory of Emily for "quite a while," after being given a "giant PDF" when she joined the series, that has informed her performance: "I'm up for being surprised now and again for sure, but I really do love having all of the knowledge ahead of time so that every choice I make is in line with who this person is constructed to be."
On the other hand, her co-star Peter "had no idea" what was going to be revealed in season two. "He only knows what the audience knows, and he doesn't want to know anything else which I love," says Sarah. "Peter just wants to be on the journey that the audience is taking with his character. He wants to feel really honest and authentic."
Sam and Emily are the heartbeat of the series, a will-they-won't-they couple whose future was left hanging in the balance after a dramatic cliffhanger. Peter and Sarah had a Zoom chemistry read that was helped along by feedback from mutual friend Greg Smith – "we really both respect him and his opinion" – and they "hit it off like Gangbusters".
"We have a very similar enthusiastic energy and silliness that we lead with, and it makes for a very fun, happy environment," she says.
Sadly, season three has not yet been greenlit, although Sarah does reveal that Audible series author Ken Cuperus has "floated some ideas around". That news, plus the fact that it is the top-rated show on the network, means we may get season three as a Christmas gift in 2026.