One actress to become a familiar face to Hallmark mystery fans over the years is Kellie Martin. But long before she was playing fan-favorite Hailey Dean, she was solving crimes as Samantha Kinsey in the “Mystery Woman” movies.
The Hallmark franchise began with “Mystery Woman” in 2003 and featured Martin as Samantha, an avid murder-mystery fan who inherits a bookstore and, naturally, keeps finding herself involved in murder investigations.
Let’s be real, there is something fun about going back to these older Hallmark mysteries, especially when so many of the network’s newer mystery franchises have become fan favorites. “Mystery Woman” has that classic cozy mystery setup, with Samantha using her knowledge of murder-mystery books to help figure out what really happened.
Yep, if you have been wanting to revisit the movies or are just discovering them for the first time, here is the complete “Mystery Woman” movie order, who plays the key characters, and how to watch the films today.
Every ‘Mystery Woman’ Movie in Order
The “Mystery Woman” franchise includes 11 movies that originally aired on Hallmark Channel between 2003 and 2007. Here’s the complete list of films:
- “Mystery Woman” (2003)
- “Mystery Woman: Mystery Weekend” (2005)
- “Mystery Woman: Snapshot” (2005)
- “Mystery Woman: Sing Me a Murder” (2005)
- “Mystery Woman: Vision of a Murder” (2005)
- “Mystery Woman: Game Time” (2005)
- “Mystery Woman: At First Sight” (2006)
- “Mystery Woman: Wild West Mystery” (2006)
- “Mystery Woman: Oh Baby” (2006)
- “Mystery Woman: Redemption” (2006)
- “Mystery Woman: In the Shadows” (2007)
The movies continued to follow Samantha as she found herself caught up in one murder mystery after another. Her knowledge of mystery novels is not just a fun character trait, either. She regularly puts that knowledge to use when helping investigate the cases around her.
Honestly, the fact that there are 11 movies makes this a pretty easy franchise to settle into for anyone who enjoys Hallmark’s mystery offerings.
The Main ‘Mystery Woman’ Cast
In the pilot, Samantha is divorced, although that detail is not mentioned again in the other movies.
J. E. Freeman (who passed away in 2014) plays Philby, the caretaker of Samantha’s bookstore, in “Mystery Woman.” After that Clarence Williams III takes over the role as Philby. He is eventually revealed to have worked for a secret government agency. He also becomes something of a father figure to Samantha.
Sadly, Williams (seen above) also passed away in 2021, at age 81, leaving behind a massive legacy in film and television.
Constance Zimmer plays Cassie Hillman in the first movie, with Nina Siemaszko taking over the role in the later installments. Cassie works as an assistant to the District Attorney and is a personal friend of Samantha’s.
Then there is Casey Sander as Chief Connors. The police chief is not exactly thrilled when Samantha gets involved in his investigations, and he is often quick to make an arrest before she can prove that something else is going on.
Still, Chief Connors clearly cares about Samantha, even if he would probably prefer that she stop interfering with his cases. He also gives her the nickname “Snoopy.”
Let’s be real, that group of characters is a big reason these movies are so easy to revisit. Samantha may be the amateur detective at the center of the stories, but she has a familiar group around her throughout the franchise.
How to Watch the ‘Mystery Woman’ Movies
Sadly, the “Mystery Woman” movies are not a regular part of the Hallmark+ streaming service. However, the films do sometimes rotate onto the platform, so it is worth checking back if they are not currently available.
At the time of this writing, many of the movies are also available through the UP Faith & Family channel, which is available with a subscription. Fans can also subscribe to the channel through Prime Video.
Yep, finding all 11 movies in one place can be a little tricky, but fans have options if they want to revisit Samantha Kinsey’s cases. Since streaming libraries can change, availability may be different depending on when fans are looking.
The movies also appear occasionally (via cable) on the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries channel, giving viewers another chance to catch them if they air.
Kellie Martin Did Another Movie Series With Hallmark After ‘Mystery Woman’
Martin continued acting after the “Mystery Woman” movies, appearing in Lifetime films including “Live Once, Die Twice” in 2006 and “No Brother of Mine” in 2007. She also had guest roles on shows such as “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Ghost Whisperer,” and “Army Wives.”
Then, in 2016, Martin returned to the mystery genre with another Hallmark movie franchise. This time, she played Hailey Dean, a former prosecutor who uses her skills to help solve crimes. Martin ultimately starred in nine “Hailey Dean Mysteries” movies between 2016 and 2019.
It seems like mystery movies have been a pretty natural fit for Martin throughout her career. She went from Samantha Kinsey and her mystery bookstore to Hailey Dean and her background as a former prosecutor, giving Hallmark fans another character to follow through a series of cases.
Martin later appeared in Lifetime’s “The Amish Sin” in 2022, but stepped away from acting following that role. Now, however, IMDb currently lists “The Weight of War” as an upcoming project, with the movie listed as being in post-production, so her return is likely.
For Hallmark fans who remember watching “Mystery Woman” when the movies originally aired, going back through all 11 films is a fun way to revisit one of the network’s earlier mystery franchises. And honestly, there is something pretty great about discovering a Hallmark mystery series that already has 11 movies waiting to be watched.
They have not been in frequently. It’s been forever since Mystery Woman has been on.they are Hallmark why are they not streaming on plus?