Jane Seymour- TV Detective

She's been a vamp, a vixen, a medicine woman, royalty and she's even tried Dancing with the Stars. Now she will solve crimes. The Hallmark Channel has greenlit Dear Prudence, a Jane Seymour crime-solving Martha Stewart-type celebrity. They're calling this a backdoor pilot because Hallmark doesn't do series TV; however, if the movie were to be successful, it could become one of a rotation of star-driven mystery movies that Hallmark currently presents.

Dear Prudence will be co-authored by Les Alexander, who will also executive produce the picture. The story revolves around Prudence, star of a house and garden TV show, who has an eagle eye for detail. While vacationing in Santa Fe, she "stumbles on a murder mystery" -- just like Jessica Fletcher did on Murder She Wrote. Using her skills at observation, she sees things that even forensic experts miss an helps catch the killer. It's Martha Stewart meets Monk without the neuroses!

If the first film scores, Hallmark would be likely to put the group into production for a few more after that. This is especially true because Hallmark's executive vice president is behind the project and is talking about a major marketing push for an August premiere. The late summer date is intentional; to take advantage of the plethora of reruns the networks will be broadcasting then.

Dear Prudence could be slotted in the Hallmark mystery movie wheel which now includes Dick Van Dyke in Murder 101, John Larroquette in McBride, Kellie Martin in Mystery Woman and Lea Thompson in Jane Doe.

Considering Jane Seymour's TV popularity -- she single-handedly kept the western alive in the 90's with Dr. Quinn -- Dear Prudence has a great chance of making it. I know that that I'll be curious to see her and watch, and so will my husband who's followed her career faithfully since she played Solitaire in the James Bond flick, Live and Let Die.

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