Hallmark+'s The Chicken Sisters Is Your Answer to Hart of Dixie and Sweet Magnolias

If the small-town Southern charms and romantic webs of Hart of Dixie and Sweet Magnolias are your thing, then Hallmark+'s The Chicken Sisters — which launched Sept. 10 on Hallmark's revamped streaming service Hallmark+ — may be just the show you need as we head into fall. 

Based on K. J. Dell Antonia's bestselling novel that was a Reese Witherspoon's Book Club pick in 2020, the eight-episode drama centers on two estranged sisters, the seemingly put-together Amanda (Schuyler Fisk) and big-city maven Mae (Genevieve Angelson), who reunite in their tiny hometown of Merinac, Kansas, after a cooking competition TV show (think Top Chef's "Restaurant Wars") pits them against each other in a clash between dueling fried chicken restaurants — one run by their free-spirited mom, Gus (Wendie Malick), and the other by the mother of Amanda's husband, Nancy (Lea Thompson). 

Like signature Hallmark fare and other romantic TV dramas, generations of buried family secrets, past traumas, and relationship obstacles resurface, dividing town loyalties and testing everyone's allegiances. From the leafy foliage to the town's one main street, Chicken Sisters has all the ingredients of a small-town gem. "When the material was first put in front of me, it was from the creatives behind shows like Shrinking, Atypical, Girls5eva, Schitt's Creek, and Younger," Angelson told TV Guide. "That's a club you want to be in. I find that those influences are really obvious in our show, and I love that because I'm such a fan of those properties."

With The Chicken Sisters now streaming on Hallmark+, Fisk and Angelson talked about joining the Hallmark family, how they formed their onscreen sisterly bond, and the biggest obstacles facing each of their characters this season.

ALSO READ: Everything to know about Hallmark+

TV Guide: How familiar you were with the book by K. J. Dell Antonia before you got the part?

Genevieve Angelson: I wanted to be familiar with the book and started to read the book and got so confused because there are — I think with K. J. Dell Antonia's approval — pretty big departures. I actually had to put the book down before we started shooting because I just wasn't sure what I was supposed to make personal, what I was supposed to let go. I really just dealt with the scripts as they were. But obviously so honored and excited to be invited to be a part of a New York Times bestseller and Reese [Witherspoon]'s book list [pick]. 

Amanda and Mae are sisters but they're incredibly different from each other in terms of their personalities, life perspectives, careers, and views on love. What did you gravitate toward with your characters?

Schuyler Fisk: Looking at Amanda specifically, there are so many dimensions. She's so many things at one time, but she's also on this journey of self-discovery when we meet her on the show. She's not perfect, she's flawed, and she's going through [some hardships] and figuring out some things. I liked that there were some real [issues] she was tackling, and I thought that was really interesting. I also root for her, and I fell in love with her. It was interesting to try to figure out why she's making certain choices and justify them.

Angelson: I root against her. [Laughs] I'm kidding. I don't personally relate to seeking to find a sense of power by controlling my space, which is definitely a Mae tactic. She's like, I am coming from an unmanageable environment and chaos, so I'm going to exert an unnatural amount of control over stuff. But I know what that feels like in life. I know what that feels like in other parts of my life, so I don't have to necessarily relate to the way that it expresses itself for her specifically to understand why a person would want to do that. And I don't know, I also just think she's funny.

You're so right about Mae being funny. She knows what she wants and goes for it. But there's clearly baggage and trauma from her past. And Amanda is someone you really feel for. She's trying to keep everything together in her marriage, but has a facade up. How did you tap into the dynamic between the two sisters because it has a lot of the complexities of a real sister relationship?

Angelson: Thank you! It was such good fortune and luck, but really it was Felicia Fasano, the casting director, who had the vision of how Skyler and I would play together. She connected us before we even started shooting and so I got to start this relationship with [her] about, "Hey, how are you going to solve this problem about moving to Vancouver? What's your question about the script?" I got so lucky, truly.

Fisk: Thinking about my own sister and those sister relationships, especially for Mae and Amanda, they have this bond from this very traumatic or difficult childhood. A real shared experience that is very specific to them, and they were there for each other. There's a lot of love there. But their lives have taken them in two separate directions. It's interesting to see them reconnect at an older age. But also, there's no one that can push your buttons more than a sister.

Angelson: I have to say this too, and it really does sound like I'm making this up because we're doing a press junket, but it is not a given. In Skyler, I always felt like I had an ally and a friend, and could turn to her and be like, "I need to tell you the truth about something. Can we just talk off the record about this thing?" and feel totally safe. That was true from Day 1. I want to believe that some of that comes through [onscreen]. But the other part of it is that because we are playing these two [sisters], often the plot would take us separate ways and so we didn't work together that much. It's not until Episode 5, where it's really about the two of us together. 

It sounds like you both got on with each other, like your personalities seem to align well. How did you form that connection off set?

Angelson: There's something about like, we don't know each other but we both have to move to Canada now and we both come from the East Coast. That's a vulnerable thing. We did some yoga.

Fisk: We did Kundalini yoga before we started shooting.

Angelson: And a nice cocktail at the cast dinner. 

Fisk: Genevieve was so open to me right off the bat from our first conversation, so it made me feel very safe and comfortable. But also I have a lot of respect for her as an actress, so I felt safe in that lane too. 

Angelson: Thank you so much. That's an incredibly good point because if she was just a really nice person, but like, not [a] good [actress], it would be a problem. I took it for granted because she is so good that there's this relaxation that I feel where I'm not worried that I'm not going to have a good sparring partner. 

In the first three episodes, Amanda and Mae go through the wringer. What is each character's main obstacle or challenge that they have to face or overcome? 

Fisk: For Amanda, it's sort of a loaded question because it's a domino effect. A lot of other things trigger a lot of other things. But we meet her feeling a little bit lost in her own life, like she's sort of forgotten herself. She's been doing for a lot of other people and doing her best to be the best she can be, but she has forgotten about her part of the equation. When the reality show comes to town, it puts the magnifying glass on all the little cracks in her life, in her world, and things blow up in a way that is exciting, scary, and terrifying. It brings up a lot from [Mae and Amanda's] past, Amanda's childhood, and her relationship. There's a lot to tackle there. 

Angelson: It didn't occur to me until after we wrapped. When triggered or scared, people have four ways of reacting: fight, flight, freeze, or fawn. The four lead characters on this show each embody a different coping style. You freeze, I flight, Gus fights, and Nancy fawns. To answer your question, in my case, I have built an entire adult identity on running away from this place. The obstacle is my counterintuitive need to get sucked back into this place that I want absolutely nothing to do with, and then, paradoxically, also need in order to survive ultimately. In having to go back to the most triggering possible place, that is really the thing that I have to tackle.

Is there anything you can say about exploring the mother-daughter relationship with Wendie Malick, who plays your TV mother?

Angelson: She's a pistol. My own mom and Gus have absolutely nothing in common, but no matter who your mom is, everyone gets triggered by their mom. It's such a universal way into a character and the writing does such a good job of fleshing that out and supporting it and how it's different for each of us. Wendie Malick leaves no shortage of stuff to react to and have spontaneous, authentic, real [reactions] in the moment. 

More fall TV:

• The big fall TV season preview
• All the new fall shows coming

Skyler, Episode 3 marks a pivotal shift for Amanda after Sergio (Ektor Rivera) gives her permission to shed her "good girl" image. What can you say about the mess that is created from their kiss, especially with Nancy witnessing it all?

Fisk: It causes a storm of things that Amanda is going to have to reckon with. It's terrifying for Amanda. The relationship with Nancy, her husband's mother, is so important to her. She has been a mother figure and there's a lot [going on]. Amanda has a lot to figure out. It's an exciting journey, seeing her discover herself and think about what she wants for the first time. I feel like for her, most of her adult life, she hasn't had someone like Sergio who's just interested in her art and her brain, and asking her questions about herself that I don't think anyone's asked her or even been curious to know. It has opened a big [can of worms]. [Laughs]

Angelson: I can't wait to see what happens! 

It's great to see you both in the Hallmark family. Since this is your first project for Hallmark, how does it feel to dig into this world?

Fisk: It's my first time. It's her first time. It's been a really wonderful experience. I have only wonderful things to say about Hallmark and working with Hallmark. I'm proud to be a part of a project like this, especially with Hallmark+ and all the boundaries that they're pushing. I'm proud of this show for shining light on real issues and themes that people can identify with. People will be happily surprised at some of the things that we tackle.

Angelson: I just want to do a Christmas episode! 

The Chicken Sisters is now streaming on Hallmark+, with new episodes dropping every Thursday.