Fans of Hallmark Channel have come to love seeing Alison Sweeney in sweet rom-coms and even sweeter Christmas movies.
However, they really enjoy watching her solve murders in her beloved “Hannah Swensen Mysteries” series.
Case in point: Sweeney has starred in more than a baker’s dozen of them over the years, most recently in 2026’s “Sugar & Vice: A Hannah Swensen Mystery.”
Murder, She Baked
When the first movie in the series aired back in 2015, the movies were titled with the moniker “Murder, She Baked,” before each was later subtitled “A Hannah Swensen Mystery.”
For the uninitiated, Sweeney plays the titular Hannah Swensen, who operates her own bakery/cafe, the Cookie Jar, in the small but murder-plagued Minnesota town of Lake Eden.
With the help of local prosecutor Chad Norton (Victor Webster) and her mom (Barbara Niven), Hannah uses her Sherlock Holmes-like powers of deduction to solve homicides — while also whipping up a mouth-watering array of delicious baked goods.
Lots of Ideas
Sweeney was joined by co-stars Webster and Niven on a recent Hallmark Channel panel hosted by the Television Critics Association, where she was asked about the ongoing future of the franchise.
“I have lots of ideas for movies,” Sweeney confirmed.
“If Hallmark wants to make more Hannah Swensens, I have fun and great ideas, so, Victor, don’t be alarmed,” she jokingly told her co-star. “We’ve got lots of good things in store.”
‘No End in Sight’ for Hannah Swensen
In addition to starring in the “Hannah Swensen” movies, Sweeney is also their producer — and even serves as writer, having scripted five of the movies’ screenplays.
Webster confirmed that he’d be down for another trip to Eden Lake. “I’m looking forward to it,” he said, telling Sweeney, “You’re amazing at the writing and everything. Bring ’em on.”
The movies are based on the whodunit novels of Joanne Fluke, and Sweeney explained that there are still plenty books that have yet to make it to the screen
“Joanne Fluke has, I think, 31 Hannah Swensen novels. So we’ve got plenty of time,” said Sweeney, pointing out that she didn’t see the franchise wrapping up anytime soon.
“And I have no end in sight,” she added.
Baking It Up As She Goes
Sweeney was then asked another Hannah Swensen-released question: Does she enjoy baking as much as her character does?
“I love to bake,” Sweeney agreed. “I love to bake with my daughter. And we have a great time, I don’t get to do it very often. Also, I don’t know what to do once I have it, because then I want to eat it all, which is tough, but we have a lot of fun cooking and baking together,” she continued.
She did, however, reveal that her baking skills pale next to those of the small-town sleuth she portrays,
“But I’m not as good as Hannah,” she said. “Those baked goods look delicious. And I don’t know how to do that.”
Webster offered an idea for her next batch of baking.
“What if you bake them and brought them to set?” he asked
“Oh, yeah. That’s a good idea,” she agreed, with Webster declaring he’d be “in for that one.”
Sweeney concluded by promising the next “Hannah Swensen Mystery” would be just as tasty on the set as it appears to viewers. “Okay. Next time,” she told Webster.
