Alison Sweeney Teases Her Unexpected 30th Hallmark Movie & Future of Hannah Swensen Series

This Time Each Year will premiere on Hallmark Mystery on Thursday, October 24, and marks Alison Sweeney’s 30^th movie for the network.

“I was shocked,” Sweeney admits of the milestone. “I had no idea and then I started counting them up and realized it was true. It just seems crazy. I remember so clearly my first Hallmark movie [Second Chances in 2013] with Greg Vaughan [who played her twin brother Eric Brady on Days of our Lives] and what fun we had. I remember thinking it was such a cool opportunity and I was so excited. Now, here I am, 30 movies later, and it still feels just as challenging, just as rewarding, just as fresh every time. I love it.”

The actress says viewers should expect the unexpected from her new flick. “This is not the typical Christmas movie,” notes Sweeney. “We’re tackling some complicated issues that lots of people deal with at the holidays. We wanted it to be fun and funny and delightful and romantic, but also address some of the more serious aspects of family dynamics.”

Hallmark Channel

Sweeney reports that it took a while for the pieces of the project to fall into place. “I have been working and developing this script for over three years,” she shares. “What first appealed to me about the premise was the idea that it was a couple that was happily married and had a kid and been living the life and then something goes wrong and they have to figure out how to work their way through it. And then everything gets accelerated and amplified at the holidays and puts the spotlight on the issues.”

Though the plot doesn’t sound like the usual holiday fare, Hallmark was open to the shift. “We’ve been talking about wanting to do something that is outside their traditional wheelhouse, to widen their reach to include other stories,” Sweeney explains. “And that’s the thing that everyone said to me when we were making this movie: ‘I feel like this is my story,’ ‘This is my family,’ ‘I know someone who’s been through this.’ It’s super relatable and identifiable to lots of people for lots of reasons, and I think there’s a character in this movie for everyone. So, Hallmark was very enthusiastic, and it was all about how to navigate the telling of the story within what we see as the trust that Hallmark has built with their audience, that it’s the kind of movie you can watch with your kids and your grandparents. We wanted to tell a deeper story but still honor what people want from a Christmas movie, which is fun and romance and Christmas.”

Crystal Lowe, the inaugural participant in Hallmark Media’s Make Her Mark Women’s Directing Program, worked with Sweeney to bring her vision to life. “I have to give credit to Crystal,” Sweeney praises. “Ashley Williams had worked with her, and I called Ashley to ask what she thought about me bringing Crystal in and she said, ‘You’re going to thank me; you’re going to be so happy.’ Crystal was sensational and she had really good, strong ideas.” (One of them was a unique opening credits sequence where Sweeney slipped in an Easter egg for Days fans. “There’s a little shout-out in there for them,” she winks.)

Sweeney has a new co-star for the film: Niall Matter, who plays Kevin, the husband of her character, Lauren. “He’s brilliant,” Sweeney enthuses. “He’s such a nice guy and talented. He was so fun to work with, such a team player. He contributed so much and he was so great.”

Hallmark Channel

As with many of her movies, Sweeney is not only the star but an executive producer. “Someone asked me just recently, ‘How did you get into executive producing?’ and I was saying that it’s because I can’t handle the small things that people let go,” she reveals with a laugh. “I need to be in every meeting. There is no issue too little or minimal for me to care about. I think all of it matters. The audience sees all of that, so I want to be a part of making sure every single element of each movie I’m in is as good as I can possibly make it.”

This Time Each Year will kick off Hallmark Mystery’s Miracles of Christmas programming event and set the stage for two months of holiday offerings. “I’m honored,” Sweeney says. “I think it’s great and I love that this movie, with the tone that it carries, can really welcome people into the holidays and get them excited about Christmas.”

The film marks Sweeney’s second this month — the latest Hannah Swensen mystery, A Sprinkle of Deceit, aired in early October. She’s optimistic about the future of the franchise. ”There are 29 books in the series, so there are plenty of Hannah mysteries out there yet to uncover,” she points out. “I’m really delighted with how the relationship between Chad [Victor Webster] and Hannah is evolving. Victor is such a great guy to work with and you’ll have to wait and see what happens next for Chad and Hannah.”

This Time Each Year, Thursday, October 24, 8pm