Hallmark Unexpectedly Cancels Signature Series Mystery 101 In Stunning Move
For fans of the Hallmark series, "Mystery 101," the case is officially closed. Hallmark stars Jill Wagner and Kristoffer Polaha starred in the series since the first film premiered back in 2019. In just two years, six more movies were added to the series. In September 2021, the seventh installment, "Mystery 101: Deadly History," premiered, and it's been announced that this movie was the series finale.
Plenty of time has passed since the last movie premiered, so it would've been a safe bet that the series was winding down, especially considering just how quickly the previous films came out after one another. Yet, fans found the imminent end unlikely, since the final movie ended with a huge cliffhanger. Yet, on April 24th, the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Facebook page shared that the second installment of "Mystery 101" was airing on the network. Fans jumped into the comments asking when the next installment would premiere. The network replied, saying, "We loved making 'Mystery 101' and we're so glad you enjoyed sleuthing along with us. We want to let you know that our talented sleuths have solved the last mystery and are off the case. In the coming weeks and months there are exciting new mysteries on the way that we know you'll love!"
Luckily, while there won't be any more "Mystery 101" mysteries, the mystery of what happened to "Mystery 101" has plenty of Hallmark fans putting on their sleuthing hats. We've got some important clues.
Has Jill Wagner jumped ship?
After plenty of upset among fans following the Facebook post, star Kristoffer Polaha tweeted, "Well kids, looks like the cat's out of the bag. #Mystery101 has solved its last mystery. "You are the most incredibly supportive fans ever! We LOVE you! @JillWagner @robinthomas101 & I had the most amazing time entertaining you by bringing Travis, Amy, & Graham to life. But..."
He added a suspicious winking emoji at the end of the post. He got even cheekier when replying to a comment suggesting that they remove the final scenes from the last film including the cliffhanger; the actor suggested, "Or shoot a wedding scene. We love a happy ending."
It's clear that Polaha is just as eager for the series to continue as fans are, and he's not afraid to let people know it. So, why the abrupt ending? Plenty of stars have left The Hallmark Channel to move to the competitor network, Great American Family. Jill Wagner hasn't appeared in any new content for Hallmark since 2021, but she has made two Christmas movies for GAC. She has also co-created her own Paramount+ series, "Lioness" that she'll be starring in. So, Hallmark may have lost Wagner, but Polaha has made it clear that he adores working for Hallmark, and he hasn't ventured over to GAC. While we may not see more of him in "Mystery 101," we're confident that we'll see Polaha in plenty more Hallmark movies –– maybe even a mystery or two.