Cedar Cove a romantic TV getaway
Series based in B.C.’s Lower Mainland
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. They had flown down from Vancouver the day before, and they would be back at work in Vancouver the following morning, back on the set of Cedar Cove, a new Hallmark Channel drama.
Cedar Cove, based on the series of romance novels by Yakima, Wash., author Debbie Macomber, stars Andie MacDowell as Olivia Lockhart, a family court judge searching for romance in a small, bucolic Pacific Northwest town. Richmond Hill, Ont., native Dylan Neal plays Jack Griffith, an out-of-towner recently hired as editor of the town newspaper, and who, in the classic tradition of light romantic fiction, will strike up a relationship over time with Olivia. Bruce Boxleitner plays elder statesman Bob Beldon, keeper of the local inn, the Thyme and Tide. And Vancouver native Teryl Rothery, best known for her sevenseason turn as medical team leader Janet Fraiser in Stargate SG-1, plays Grace, Olivia’s headstrong, excitable best friend, introduced in the second episode, which airs July 28.
Cedar Cove bowed last weekend on Hallmark in the U.S., where, according to Hallmark executives, it won its time period and topped the debut performances of other, more established summer programs. It airs Sundays on W Network in Canada and will air until late September.
Macomber intended Cedar Cove to be a safe harbour for readers looking for gentle-spirited, lighthearted entertainment, free of sex and violence but laden with romantic tension.
“I write about reality and slice of life, so anything that might happen in real life, if it’s relevant and provocative, I think it would fit into Cedar Cove,” Macomber explained. “Olivia is a family court judge, though, so she would not be presiding over murder.”
Macomber avoided the expression “chick lit,” but she made no apology for focusing her books, and Cedar Cove specifically, on women.
“I’m going to tell you a story because I’m a storyteller,” she said. “The other day my husband came home and I was telling him that 75 per cent of all books are purchased by women. And he looked at me and snorted, and then said, ‘ 75 per cent of everything is bought by women.’ So, yes, these are books written by women for women about women. But they’re about relationships, too, and that’s what’s important.”
Boxleitner said the estrogen level didn’t bother him, either as an actor or as a red-blooded male.
“Well, we like women,” he said, nodding toward Neal. “It’s not a bad atmosphere to work in. Lovely ladies everywhere. A town full of beautiful women.”
“Good answer,” Neal said dryly. “No, it doesn’t affect what you do as an actor. That’s more of a demographic question. Hallmark, as I understand it, has a large percentage of women. Men do watch Hallmark shows, but obviously, it does cater to women. That’s partly why they chose this particular show to be their first series. It doesn’t affect how you act day to day. It affects just the storytelling. Andie and Teryl have an incredible dynamic together that I think a lot of women will relate to. With your best friend, you talk in a particular way, with vulnerability and I don’t know. Basically, Bruce and I just get to hang out with these incredibly, beautifully talented women.”
Macomber said she will continue to toggle between writing romance novels and writing for the small screen.
“My inspiration is two house payments,” she said dryly. “So, yes, I will.”
Cedar Cove has found a safe harbour of its own on B.C.’s West Coast. The pilot episode was filmed in Victoria, and the series itself has been based in Vancouver’s Lower Mainland since late March.
“It’s straight logistics, right?” Neal explained. “It’s the reason any production goes to Canada or Australia: It all comes down to money. I’m sure if they could have shot this in Washington State or another Pacific Northwest town, supporting American industry, they would have.