In a Crown Media panel for the Television Critics Association (TCA) on August 10, Hallmark made a lot of announcements about the network’s future plans. But perhaps the most interesting of all was the brief statement about “Good Witch” possibly returning in some form.
Hallmark Is Interested in Bringing ‘Good Witch’ Back in Some Form
Wonya Lucas, President and CEO of Hallmark Media, shared a tantalizing hint about “Good Witch” returning, Variety reported.
“As far as ‘Good Witch,’ which I think we’re always interested in thinking about what we can do with our most popular IP,” Variety reported that Lucas said. “I can’t announce anything specific about that.”
So while it appears there aren’t specific plans in place, Hallmark is definitely not done with the “Good Witch” franchise, as some fans had feared. The franchise still has a future on the network.
They cannot announce anything about #TheGoodWitch and #SignedSealedAndDelivered but they did say "stand by"#TCA #TCAs #TCA22 #CTAM #hallmarkies #hallmarkchannel
— Dana (Store Name) #AmplifyBlackVoices (@sagesurge) August 10, 2022
Hallmark viewers were happy to hear the positive words about “Good Witch.”
*sigh* but at least Lisa isn’t opposed to future SSD and Good Witch! #POstables #Goodies #Hearties #Hallmarkies https://t.co/MbCLXNVAWY
— Kristen (@HeartieKristen) August 10, 2022
Hallmark Announced the Series Cancelation in 2021
In early July. 2021, Hallmark surprised fans by announcing the show’s cancelation while it was airing.
In a press release shared with Heavy, Hallmark thanked the cast for the last seven seasons and eight movies.
Randy Pope, SVP of programming and development, said in a statement:
‘Good Witch’ has enchanted viewers for over a decade with eight original movies, in addition to the seven-season series. We thank our leads whose chemistry and talent made ‘Good Witch’ such a beloved and uniquely special viewing experience: Catherine Bell, who has brought the inimitable Cassie Nightingale to life for 13 years, and James Denton, who as Dr. Sam Radford has added so much charm and humor to the series. We also extend our gratitude and thanks to the entire cast and crew for their dedication and hard work.
The show has had slightly declining ratings this season as compared to season 6, but Hallmark didn’t give a reason for the cancelation at the time.
In September 2021, Heavy reached out to Hallmark and got confirmation that the network might not be done with “Good Witch.”
At the time, a network representative told Heavy the following:
We have no immediate plans for another “Good Witch” movie. That said, Catherine Bell, James Denton, and Katherine Barrell, among others, are members of the Hallmark Channel family, and we are in discussions on future projects.
Now it seems like perhaps the discussions are a little more tangible than they were a year ago, based on what was shared at the TCA panel.
Around the same time, NextTV asked Bill Abbott, CEO of GAC Media, if GAC might acquire “Good Witch.”
He said: “That was certainly a great series and James Denton and Catherine Bell were terrific in it. We would certainly love to entertain that, but we’re not at that point yet. If there’s any good content that’s family friendly, we are open for business for sure.”
Abbott noted that he also wasn’t certain who currently owns the rights to “Good Witch.”
It now appears, based on the TCA panel, that Hallmark still has the rights to the “Good Witch” IP and plans to use it again in the future.
During the TCA panel, Crown Media also announced that it was changing its name to Hallmark Media, Deadline reported.
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