There’s a big difference between filming an uplifting Hallmark rom-com and a gritty crime series, but Ryan McPartlin says he’s more than happy to run back and forth from one end of the entertainment spectrum to the other.
On March 25, 2026, Deadline first reported that McPartlin has joined the cast of the highly anticipated MGM+ series “Bosch: Start of Watch,” a prequel to the popular Bosch universe. The role is a 180-degree turn for McPartlin, who’s going from falling in love on a dairy farm in 2025’s “Double Scoop” to playing a stubborn detective in the new series, but it’s just the kind of variety he loves.
Ryan McPartlin Says Filming Hallmark Movies is a ‘Sprint’ While Filming a Series is a ‘Marathon’
McPartlin is no stranger to filming TV series; he appeared on 388 episodes of the early 2000s soap “Passions,” co-starred as Captain Awesome in NBC’s long-running action-comedy “Chuck,” and was a series regular with Jessica Alba and Gabrielle Union in FOX ‘s “L.A.’s Finest.”
He’s currently filming “Bosch: Start of Watch” in Los Angeles, which is a very different process than filming a Hallmark movie, typically limited to 15-day shoots.
“Doing a Hallmark movie is kinda like a 100-yard dash, and it’s a sprint to the finish to really get the movie in the can and, you know, get to the ending that we all know and love — a happy ending for the audience,” McPartlin told EntertainmentNow. “This is more like a marathon where I get to dive into this character and really slow roll it over the course of a series.”
“I’m so excited to be part of the Bosch Universe,” he added. “It’s been a while since I’ve been part of a long form series like this, so it’s gonna be great.”
Ryan McPartlin Jokes About Playing a ‘Pigheaded’ Detective
HallmarkBased on Michael Connelly’s bestselling book series about Harry Bosch, an LAPD homicide detective, Amazon’s Emmy award-winning series “Bosch” ran from 2014 to 2021. That was followed by “Bosch: Legacy,” which ran from 2022 to 2025. The new series, “Bosch: Start of Watch,” is a prequel set in 1991 when Bosch was a 26-year-old rookie cop, played by Cameron Monaghan, as he’s “drawn into a high-profile heist and a web of criminal corruption,” per Deadline.
The outlet reported that McPartlin will play Detective Mike Garner, “a pigheaded CRASH detective who quickly shuts Bosch down for overstepping.” The actor got a kick out of that description, writing on Instagram, “Apparently my character is ‘pigheaded’…I’m good with that. 😂”
“I don’t know what that means! I’ve never been called pigheaded,” McPartlin told EntertainmentNow, before joking that it may have something to do with his reputation among past Hallmark co-stars.
“Maybe ask Taylor Cole or Erin Krakow or Nikki DeLoach,” he quipped. “I mean, the list goes on and on of people who might’ve called me pigheaded behind my back, but you’re gonna have to check your sources on that one!”
On a more serious note, McPartlin expressed how thankful he is to be working at a time when many L.A.-based creatives are struggling to get hired.
“I’m just very blessed to be working right now and very grateful,” he said. “And I hope to be back working in the Hallmark Universe very soon, as well.”
Why do you have to put so many good mystery movies on streaming service channels. Some of us on fixed incomes can’t afford to subscribe but would like to watch the new movies.