Nearly two years after leaving the Hallmark Channel to join Great American Family, the Hollywood star Candace Cameron Bure has launched Great American Mysteries, which appears to be a direct rival to the mystery-solving Aurora Teagarden character she played on her former network for years.
Cameron Bure’s New Mystery Series
The first Great American Family mystery movie will be “Ainsley McGregor Mysteries: A Case for the Winemaker,” which stars Cameron Bure in the title role along with Aaron Ashmore and BJ Harrison. A press release stated that Great American Mysteries will feature “thrilling whodunnits featuring beloved Great American Family stars and the network will announce more new original mystery movie series in the next few weeks.”
Deadline reported that in the movie, Ainsley McGregor “is a former Chicago criminologist who returns to her hometown of Sweet River, Texas. She has chosen to trade full-time crime work to open Bless Your Arts, a market for artisans to sell crafts and wares.”
“But Ainsley cannot deny her first love is crime solving and accepts a position teaching a criminology class at the local community college,” the publication adds. “Her skills quickly become a major asset to the quaint town, when a murder occurs at a winery owned by her friend, who now stands accused of the crime.”
Related: Candace Cameron Bure Slammed As A ‘Bigot’ After Defending ‘Traditional Marriage’
GAF CEO And Cameron Bure Speak Out
Bill Abbott, the president and CEO of GAF, could not be more excited about this.
“We are thrilled to be in the business of telling fun, light-hearted stories featuring great characters, strong stories and a fun side of the mystery genre that fits perfectly with our licensed series strategy,” Abbott told Variety. “Our cozy mysteries are crafted in the heritage of the classic storytelling that has evolved since Agatha Christie coined the term in the 1930s and set the stage for one of the most popular genres of entertainment.”
Before leaving the Hallmark Channel in April of 2022, Cameron Bure starred in 18 movies in “The Aurora Teagarden Mysteries” film series. Following her departure from the network, the role of Aurora Teagarden was recast, with the actress Skyler Samuels taking it over. It seems clear that the Great American Mysteries lead Ainsley McGregor is set to serve as GAF’s answer to Teagarden.
“There’s nothing more exciting for me than being back in the cozy mystery genre. Mysteries are so fun to watch and to try to solve,” Bure said in a statement of her own. “I hope our faithful fans and audiences fall in love with the townspeople of Sweet River, Texas and Ainsley McGregor’s keen eye for solving mysteries. In this next-level mystery series, the family dynamics and developing relationships alone should keep you coming back for more.”
Cameron Bure Leaves Hallmark
Cameron Bure shocked the world when she left Hallmark nearly two years ago after eight years with the network.
“My heart wants to tell stories that have more meaning and purpose and depth behind them,” Cameron Bure said in November of 2022 as she explained her decision to leave Hallmark and join GAF, according to US Magazine. “I knew that the people behind Great American Family were Christians that love the Lord and wanted to promote faith programming and good family entertainment.”
As for why Cameron Bure chose exactly then to depart Hallmark and join GAF, it all came down to timing and contracts.
“The truth is I’ve been under contract with Hallmark for a very, very long time. And those have been absolutely wonderful,” she told Variety in September of 2022. “It just so happened that my contract was expiring when Great American Family started up.”
“So we did not start having those discussions until we were well into negotiations with Hallmark Channel for renewing,” Cameron Bure added. “And as every business person knows, you’ve got to do what’s right for contracts. It didn’t work out with Hallmark and so we started talking to Bill.”
Fans have been missing Cameron Bure’s version of Aurora Teagarden ever since she left Hallmark, so they are sure to be very excited about this new mystery series. We can’t wait to meet Ainsley McGregor when “Ainsley McGregor Mysteries: A Case for the Winemaker” comes out later this year!
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