The excitement of a new movie premiering on Hallmark Channel is familiar territory for fan-favorite Tyler Hynes, who’s starred in more than two dozen rom-coms since he joined the network in 2018. But the debut of “I’ll Be Seeing You” on April 25, 2026, hits different for the Hallmark star, marking the first time he’s brought his own idea to life on Hallmark as an executive producer.
That’s not the only reason it’s such a meaningful premiere, though. In addition to being so creatively invested in the movie from start to finish, Hynes is also emotionally invested in the people who inspired “I’ll Be Seeing You” in the first place.
Tyler Hynes’ Past Co-Stars Paula Shaw & Patty McCormack Provided Creative Inspiration for ‘I’ll Be Seeing You’
Hallmark“I’ll Be Seeing You” not only features a blossoming love story between his and Stacey Farber’s characters, but a sentimental journey for the movie’s true star, 73-year-old Broadway vet Christine Ebersole. Hynes was inspired to tell this story by older co-stars he’s admired over the years, including Ebersole, with whom he co-starred in 2024’s “Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story,” Patty McCormack, Ed Begley Jr., and the late Paula Shaw.
Just before filming “I’ll Be Seeing You” in the fall of 2025, Hynes learned that Shaw had died at age 84. It was a particularly poignant loss for him, given that when they were filming 2021’s “It Was Always You,” she was his first co-star to suggest doing a multigenerational movie together — not as an older actress playing the grandma in a couple of scenes, but as a true partnership.
“I loved her dearly,” Hynes told EntertainmentNow at the time. “Paula pulled me aside and accosted me and told me aggressively that we must do a movie together. And she was 100% right. And it was that moment, she was the first, that planted that seed in my mind.”
A year later, Patty McCormack made a similar suggestion while they were co-starring in 2022’s “Always Amore,” and even provided the kernel of a plot idea.
“Patty was making me laugh during a take,” Hynes recalled, “and nobody makes me break during a take. But she was! She was whispering something really inappropriate in my ear, wildly inappropriate. She was killing me! And then she was like, ‘We should do a movie,’ and I was like, “What movie would that be, Patty?'”
When she suggested a premise, Hynes said it struck a chord with him. He started quietly developing the idea, asking other creatives what they thought, and was thrilled to hear everyone loved it. Hynes partnered with Orly Adelson, a producer on many Hallmark movies, including “Always Amore,” and then brought screenwriters Joey Elkins and Blake Silver on board to bring the idea to life.
Finalizing Casting With Christine Ebersole Was an Emotional Moment for Tyler Hynes
GettyAlthough Hynes originally envisioned Shaw and McCormack being part of the movie, circumstances had changed by the fall of 2025, with Shaw’s passing and McCormack busy with other projects. Hynes was nervous that Ebersole would also be unable to commit, though she’d said she was on board months before.
When he finally got word that Ebersole had officially signed on, Hynes told EntertainmentNow during filming, “I had a little single tear all down my cheek, just thinking about this moment that started with Paula Shaw all those years ago. And now here we are. I just think it’s a really beautiful thing.”
It also felt like no coincidence that just as Hynes was casting the movie, he received a voice message from his “Holiday Touchdown” co-star Ed Begley Jr., “saying really lovely, cute Ed things.”
As he was listening, Hynes said, “It just really dawned on me this movie, about folks of a certain generation, is so important. Just realizing the fragility of his life, and life in general, and how one day I’ll look back on getting to work with all of these actors of a certain age and caliber.”
During filming, Hynes also adored working with BJ Harrison, a familiar face to Hallmark fans who’ve seen her in movies like 2025’s “She’s Making a List,” 2024’s “CrimeTime: FreeFall,” and 2022’s “A Royal Runaway Romance.”
“The writers did an incredible job,” Hynes said of the script days before the premiere of “I’ll Be Seeing You,” but he added that impromptu additions and tweaks from his castmates were the icing on the cake.
“Everybody’s ideas are always welcome, and that’s where a lot of fun can happen,” he said. “When the writers create everything you need and then someone like Christine or Stacey or BJ bring it to life and do whatever tickles them that day.”
Hynes said he can’t wait to see what fans think of “I’ll Be Seeing You” after pouring so many years of energy, ideas, and treasured connections into the making of it.
“I’ll be excited to see, on the other end of all this, how people are inspired by so many folks of that golden age,” he said.
Hallmark Channel’s “I’ll Be Seeing You” premieres on April 25 at 8 p.m. Eastern time and will be available to stream via Hallmark+ the following day.
