When “Best Served Cold: A Hannah Swensen Mystery” premieres on Hallmark Channel on May 16, 2026, it will mark the 14th movie in the beloved franchise, all starring Alison Sweeney.
After a dozen years of playing the small-town bakery owner and amateur crime solver, we had to find out how long Sweeney hopes to be solving crimes and baking cookies.
Alison Sweeney ‘Can’t Believe’ the Longevity of ‘Hannah Swensen Mysteries’
HallmarkSweeney has an incredible knack for longevity in a business where roles typically come and go. She got her big break at 16, playing Sami Brady on “Days of Our Lives,” and remained a series regular for 21 years until October 2014 (and has returned periodically ever since).
Months later, in May 2015, Sweeney made her debut as small-town baker and amateur crime solver Hannah Swensen in “Murder, She Baked: A Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery,” based on the character and cozy mystery series created by novelist Joanne Fluke.
But Sweeney didn’t expect it would turn into another long-lasting, beloved role, nor that she’d wind up as the screenwriter and executive producer.
“I can’t believe it,” she told EntertainmentNow of the franchise’s longevity. “I think about the very first time I got to play the character of Hannah and walk around, you know, offering people cookies. And I just had no idea. I mean, I would never have guessed I’d be here, writing them myself 12 years later.”
Could Sweeney see herself playing Hannah Swensen for another dozen years? “Gosh, I hope so,” Sweeney said. “These are fun characters. I love these stories. I think the audience responds well and has fun with these characters, and that’s always the trick of it, right? I mean, let’s remember that Joanne Fluke has written 30 novels, so we’re just getting started!”
Alison Sweeney Says Joanna Fluke’s Books Are Her ‘Jumping Off Point’ For Each Movie Script
HallmarkIn addition to ensuring the beloved “family” of characters played by herself, Barbara Niven, Victor Webster, and others remain relatable and cherished among viewers, Sweeney said the key to keeping “Hannah Swensen” going is to deliver stories that are “fresh and fun and different and surprising.”
She starts with Fluke’s novels as a “jumping off point … whether it’s the crime scene or the murderer or their motive or how the murderer gets caught,” she said, noting that she’s “always found such inspiration” from the books.
Next, Sweeney said she finds ways to modernize the stories and write them in a way that works for TV, noting, “There are certain rules we have to figure out that are different and modern technology you have to accommodate.”
“I mean, the hardest thing for murder mysteries in today’s society is the iPhone,” Sweeney said. “Right there in your pocket, you have the world’s information and that is pretty hard to get around. You watch any ‘Colombo,’ and you’re like, ‘Oh, if only he could have just Google searched that!'”
“So that part’s just a little trickier,” Sweeney acknowledged. “You have to kind of come up with your own clues, modern clues, and different types of technology and stuff to figure it out, but still honor the premise that Joanne came up with from the get-go, which is that this (entrepreneur) who is good at baking, makes the best cookies. And those skill sets have lent themselves to her being nosy and smart and have good people skills, and (be) clever about realizing, ‘Oh, wait, that’s how this fits together with that!'”
Alison Sweeney Talked With Real-Life Prosecutors As She Developed Latest Script
For “Best Served Cold,” Sweeney wound up working two mysteries into one movie. The logline reads, “Hannah is drawn into a new mystery when a high-profile forgery case takes a deadly turn, leaving a key suspect murdered and the lead prosecutor missing. As Chad faces mounting pressure ahead of trial, Hannah works to uncover how the disappearance and murder are connected, following a trail that leads to a complex pawnshop scam. With time running out, Hannah, Chad, and their trusted circle must piece together the truth before the killer strikes again and justice is lost.”
Sweeney told EntertainmentNow she has been known to “grill” her husband, a retired California Highway Patrol officer, and that she also talked with the hosts of “The Prosecutors” podcast as she was developing the latest script.
“They were so kind and generous with their time, and let me pick their brains for questions about legal procedures,” she said, and then laughed, “But I am terrified that now, when they watch, they’re gonna be like, ‘That’s not what we meant!’ But I feel like I got good lingo from them and I just did the best I could to navigate the balance between a cute, cozy mystery and real justice.”
“Best Served Cold: A Hannah Swensen Mystery” premieres at 8 p.m. Eastern time on Hallmark Channel and will be available to stream via Hallmark+ the next day.
