The Chicken Sisters is about family and the love of fried chicken — but what will a season 2 of the Hallmark Channel series look like?
Prior to Hallmark announcing the series’ renewal in April, Us Weekly chatted with stars Lea Thompson, Wendie Malick, Schuyler Fisk and Genevieve Angelson about their vision for the next installment.
In addition to sharing how they think their characters should evolve for season 2, the actresses revealed their dream guest stars — including The Baby-Sitters Club stars, a Switched at Birth actress and the one and only Bradley Whitford.
“Oh my gosh, I mean, Bre [Blair], Larisa [Oleynik] and Rachael [Leigh Cook] are probably the ones I see the most and stay the most in touch with,” Fisk exclusively told Us during a set visit when asked which of her former Baby-Sitters Club castmates she’d want to make a cameo on the show.
Fisk made a name for herself in Hollywood after portraying Kristy in the 1995 coming-of-age movie. In addition to her fellow babysitters, the actress said she is in touch with the film’s director Melanie Mayron, whom she would “love” to have “come and direct a block” on The Chicken Sisters.
“That’d be so fun. Can we get all three of those girls on here?” Fisk added. She’s not the only Chicken Sisters star with a list of former castmates on their list to pull over for future episodes, either.
Scroll down to see what the cast of The Chicken Sisters envision for their characters on season 2 — and if they have a guest star they’re pushing for:
Schuyler Fisk
Fisk plays Amanda on the series, the daughter of Gus (Malick) and daughter-in-law of Nancy (Thompson) as well as Mae’s (Angelson) sister. “I would be excited to see her sort of, like, explore some of the things that she’s interested in that she’s kind of put to the wayside,” the actress told Us of Amanda’s possible story line next season. “I think her art is one of them. Something that I think she’d like to kind of pursue further in some way.”
Fisk added, “I think that I’d like to see her sort of step out of the shadow of her husband a little bit. Not necessarily away or not away from him. I’m not [going] to say anything about that relationship, but just to take more of a leadership role in her life, which I think she’s already starting to do.”
Lea Thompson
Thompson exclusively told Us that Nancy “has a long way to go” in the progress department. “She starts one way and even by the end of the first season, she’s really changed,” she explained. “She’s a very good-hearted person though. She’s a very kind and good hearted person. I share her need to make everybody happy.”
When it comes to who Thompson wants to make an appearance on season 2, she told Us her No. 1 pick is her “other kind of sister wife,” Switched at Birth’s Constance Marie. “I love her so much. I think she’d be hilarious in this show,” she said of Marie, who played Regina Vasquez on the Freeform series alongside Thompson’s Kathryn Kennish.
Thompson noted that she likes the idea of her Spencer Sisters costar Stacey Farber joining the cast, too. “Stacey Farber is another redhead in case they need another red. Another natural redhead,” she said with a laugh. (The Spencer Sisters premiered on The CW in 2023.)
Wendie Malick
Malick, who plays grey-haired Gus, the rough and tough mother of Mae and Amanda, teased that a costume change is something she wants for season 2. “I want her to get a haircut,” she exclusively told Us, laughing about the idea.
The actress revealed that while the grey suits Gus “for now,” she “might be moving into a different phase” come season 2. “That’s all I’m going to say about that,” Malick added.
Malick, however, was more open about her ideal guest stars, picking from her Hot in Cleveland and Just Shoot Me! costars. “I immediately thought of Enrico Colantoni, because he’s Canadian,” she told Us, referring to the actor who played Elliot DiMauro alongside her character, Nina Van Horn, on Just Shoot Me! in the late 1990s.
“He could actually work up here,” Malick explained, joking, “I think we have our fill of Americans and they wanna start hiring more Canadians. And he’s also brilliant and wonderful, fabulous. He’d be great.”
In addition to Colantoni, Malick said she’d “love” to have Just Shoot Me! alum Laura San Giacomo as part of The Chicken Sisters lineup. “It would be fun to have Jane Leeves or Valerie Bertinelli [from Hot in Cleveland],” she added.
Genevieve Angelson
Angelson didn’t have a specific road mapped out for her character, Mae, but she was quick to weigh in on the guest stars topic.
“Bradley Whitford would be my choice for No. 1 Chicken Sisters [guest star],” she exclusively revealed during Us’ set visit, recalling Whitford’s time on Handmaid’s Tale when he directed Angelson in 2022 as Alanis Wheeler. “He’s absolutely wonderful.” (Whitford also plays Joseph Lawrence on the Hulu series.)
She added that her “favorite sister relationship” before The Chicken Sisters was with Anna Paquin on Flack. “That was also a female driven show,” Angelson shared, noting, “I think it would be pretty funny to have all of the British actors who were on that play Southern [roles].”
The Chicken Sisters season 1 airs on Hallmark Channel Sundays at 9 p.m. ET. The full season is also streaming on Hallmark+.
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