(Photo by: Kailey Schwerman/Crown Media)
Amy, Travis, and Graham have solved their last mysteries. The Hallmark Movies & Mysteries channel has cancelled its series of Mystery 101 TV movies after seven installments, leaving a cliffhanger unresolved.
Created by Robin Bernheim and Lee Goldberg, the Mystery 101 movies star Jill Wagner, Kristoffer Polaha, and Robin Thomas. Preston Vanderslice, Derek Green, and Sarah Dugdale have had recurring roles.
In the story, Amy Winslow (Wagner) is a college English literature professor specializing in crime fiction. She works at Elmstead College in Garrison, Washington, a small coastal town. She ends up consulting for Travis Burke (Polaha), a big city police detective who’s just moved to the area. Amy’s father, Graham (Thomas), is the author of a series of popular detective novels and ends up lending a hand.
The first movie, titled simply Mystery 101, debuted in January 2019, and three more films followed that same year. Another aired in 2020, and two more were released in 2021. In the seventh movie, Amy professes her love to Travis. The film ends with an 11-month time jump in which Travis arrives at a crime scene and learns that Amy’s fiancé has been murdered.
The fate of the movie series has been up in the air since then. In April 2022, Wagner addressed viewer concerns about the show’s absence. In a video, she shared:
Listen, so I wanted to hop on here and address something. Well, there’s been a lot of chatter online, and there’s also been a lot of people DM-ing me, asking me what the deal is, and asking me why I left Mystery 101.
And, I wasn’t going to say anything, but I just want you guys to know that I love Mystery 101. I love the people that I worked for and with. I think it has nothing to do with my desire to do another one. Or anybody’s desire to do another one except for the big boy, Hallmark. I think that they are probably going in another direction. And, I don’t know. I’m not privy to that information.
A year later, we have an answer. The Mystery 101 series of movies has been cancelled. The bad news was shared on the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Facebook page:
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!
Polaha and Wagner shared their thoughts on the cancellation via social media. On Twitter, Polaha shared:
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… 😉
Responding to a fan, Polaha suggested that he and Wagner could “shoot a wedding scene. We love a happy ending.”
Via Instagram, Wagner wrote:
The End . @polahaha thank you for being such a good friend and partner in this amazing ride . I’m proud of what we created buddy . @robinthomasactor you made being your daughter easy . Thank you for lending your talents to our show . To @prestonvanderslice , the best robin to my Batman ! To all the crews over the years … the show was built on your backs ! Thank you !!! And to the fans ….. just so you know in my mind, Amy and Travis get married and go on a super long honeymoon to Fiji.!! 😉 thank you all for being so supportive and loving the show like you did ! Stay tuned for the next chapter with me, lots of fun things coming your way ….. and you know I always love a good mystery 😏 #Mystery101
Polaha added:
We will always have Garrison. #mystery101 Thanks for the memories to all you wonderful fans and thank you @jillwagner @robinthomasactor @poperandy @sprowsie and @hallmarkmovie for one hellova ride.
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…😉 pic.twitter.com/eCDI4GH0ty
— Kristoffer Polaha (@KrisPolaha) April 24, 2023
On Twitter, co-creator Goldberg wrote, “Looks like MYSTERY 101, the series I co-created with
@showrunnerRobin, has come to an end. We weren’t involved in the series after the pilot, so we were as a surprised & disappointed as the fans by the cliffhanger tag in the final movie.”
What do you think? Have you enjoyed the Mystery 101 movies? Are you disappointed there won’t be an eighth installment on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries? Do you hope the characters can return someday?