Everything we know about Hallmark’s upcoming series, ‘The Chicken Sisters’

Hallmark is midproduction on an upcoming series, “The Chicken Sisters,” which is a TV adaptation of author by K.J. Dell’Antonia’s New York Times bestseller of the same name. The series stars Lea Thompson and Wendie Malick.

“The Chicken Sisters” will premiere on Hallmark this fall, per Hallmark. The eight-episode series is fronted by Annie Mebane as showrunner and executive producer.

“Annie Mebane blew us away with her vision for ‘The Chicken Sisters’ — her unique spin and enthusiasm for this fried chicken feud had us excited from day one,” says Lisa Hamilton Daly, executive vice president of programming at Hallmark Media, per Variety . “We are confident that each episode is going leave our viewers craving more and more.”

What is ‘The Chicken Sisters’ about?

“The Chicken Sisters” follows a multigenerational feud set in the fictional Southern town of Merinac. For decades, dueling fried chicken restaurants Chicken Mimi’s and Chicken Frannie’s have competed to be the best place to get fried chicken in the state.

The ongoing feud keeps the founders’ families splintered. Locals take sides, romance heats up and there’s an opportunity for the families to make things right.

“When I read ‘The Chicken Sisters’ by KJ Dell’Antonia, I fell in love with these characters,” Mebane said, per Variety .

“On the surface, the show is about two restaurants competing on a reality show, but it’s about the baggage we pass down through the generations and learning to unpack it. I love telling this multigenerational story focused on women: their frustrations, their desires, and ultimately, their healing. We’ve assembled an incredible cast, and we can’t wait to welcome audiences to Merinac.”

What is ‘The Chicken Sisters’ cast?

The leading cast of “The Chicken Sisters” includes Lea Thompson and Margo Martindale as the narrator.

Here is the set cast for Hallmark’s “The Chicken Sisters”:

• Lea Thompson (”Back to the Future,” “Some Kind of Wonderful”)
• Schuyler Fisk (”The Baby-Sitters Club,” “Sam & Kate”)
• Genevieve Angelson (”Good Girls Revolt,” “Backstrom”)
• Wendie Malick (”Young Sheldon,” “Hot Cleveland”)
• Margo Martindale (”BoJack Horsman,” “Cocaine Bear”)

‘The Chicken Sisters’ was a Reese Witherspoon book club pick

In December 2020, Reese Witherspoon selected “The Chicken Sisters” as her book club pick for the month. She hailed the novel as “a charming, feel-good story about the kind of bonds & rivalries only sisters can share,” Witherspoon wrote on X .

Dell’Antonia said having Witherspoon select her book felt like “having your favorite teacher give you a big, fat A,” per NBC affiliate KSN 16 .

“It’s enormously gratifying to have somebody that is that great at picking stuff — you know, tap her fairy wand on me.”

Witherspoon’s book club picks have a reputation for being adapted into TV series and movies. “Little Fires Everywhere,” “Where the Crawdads Sing” and “Daisy Jones & the Six” were all Witherspoon book club selections before being adapted into TV series and movies.

When does ‘The Chicken Sisters’ start on Hallmark?

An official release date for the upcoming series “The Chicken Sisters” has not been announced, but the series is expected to premiere in mid-September, per Hallmark .

“The Chicken Sisters” will be available on Hallmark’s newly announced streaming platform, Hallmark+, which is expected to launch in September.