Things are heating up in the romance department for Alison Sweeney’s long-running “Hannah Swensen Mysteries” franchise, with the 13th movie set to premiere on March 8, 2026. Hallmark Channel’s “Sugar & Vice: A Hannah Swensen Mystery,” which Sweeney wrote and co-produced, boasts double the romance.
Not only will Hannah’s relationship evolve with Victor Webster’s character, Detective Chad Norton, but Sweeney told EntertainmentNow that her character will also have to come to terms with the budding romance between her mom, played by Barbara Niven, and the town sheriff, played by Mike Dopud.
Alison Sweeney Teases ‘Big Step’ in Budding Romance
HallmarkFor more than a decade, Sweeney has been playing Hannah Swensen — a small town caterer and amateur crime solver. In her latest adventure, “Hannah finds a body at the grand re-opening of the Lake Eden Inn,” per Hallmark’s logline. During the masquerade ball, “a storm traps everyone inside,” and Hannah sets out to “find the culprit before the road clears and the killer escapes.”
But that’s not the only drama taking place. At the end of the last movie, “Pie to Die For,” Hannah was surprised when Sheriff Ron Ealing asked her mom, Delores, out on a date. Now, in “Sugar & Vice,” she has to face the fact a romance is blossoming between them.
“They’re on a date there, and it’s a big development in their relationship,” Sweeney told EntertainmentNow. “They’re wearing a couple’s costume, like they teamed up. Hannah has to note, like, ‘Wait, you’re doing what? You’re going together as a couple?’ So it’s a big step for them.”
Victor Webster ‘Turns on the Charm’ in New ‘Hannah Swensen Mystery’
HallmarkMeanwhile, things are evolving for Hannah and Chad, too. Sweeney and Webster have worked together for years on the “Wedding Veil” movies and since he joined “Hannah Swensen Mysteries” in 2024, and she said it’s always a joy.
“We’re still figuring out the steps in the relationship between Hannah and Chad, but we work really well together,” she told EntertainmentNow. “He and I really see the process of making these movies in a similar way, so I think that helps us a lot.”
“He does such a great job threading that needle of being the prosecutor — kind of stiff and tight and serious and focused,” Sweeney said of Webster. “And then when he lets loose and has fun, he can really turn it around, he turns on the charm. And in this movie, there’s some fun beats and I think he does a great job of, like, being so charmed by Hannah. I love working with him.”
Speaking of Love, Alison Sweeney is Head Over Heels About Writing & Producing the Latest ‘Hannah Swensen Mysteries’
“Sugar & Vice” is the fourth “Hannah Swensen Mystery” that Sweeney has written, and she told EntertainmentNow that she adores the process of crafting each movie from start to finish as a writer and producer.
“I can’t tell you how much I enjoy it,” she said. “I mean, I love the acting and I always will. It’s always going to be my favorite thing in the world, but I love developing the whole story, being part of it from the beginning, working with the director, working with the locations.”
With “Sugar & Vice,” Sweeney told EntertainmentNow she got very into the masquerade theme, sending ideas and photos to her team from “Phantom of the Opera” and other major productions.
She explained, “I was going with big, awesome dreams … just really making sure we get the combo of scary — like a serious mystery — and then also the fun of the Hannah Swenson world. I really, really enjoyed writing that one. It was really fun for me.”
“And then to see it come to life is, like, incredible,” Sweeney smiled. “I feel so lucky. I look around and everyone works so hard and devotes so much of themselves, and our production designer built such a beautiful space for this party, and it just looks so fancy, and you just can’t believe it.”
Hallmark Channel’s “Sugar & Vice: A Hannah Swensen Mystery” premieres on March 7 at 8 p.m. Eastern time. Sweeney and her castmates also confirmed this week that they’ve been filming a 14th mystery, to be released later this year.
I watch all her movies and his, especially Summer Villa. So let’s have Barbara Niven get married and move away. So tired of her loud and obnoxious way of being a 7th grade acting mother.
Oh good a relationship for mom.maybe it will tone her down the last one did. Even if he was a crook.